Do You Know Your Purpose?

When purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable. You could allow others to abuse you or you may even abuse yourself. You could misuse resources God has given you or the gift He has endowed you with. Because the Israelites were oblivious of the reason for their blessing they used the gold and silver that God enabled them to collect from the Egyptians to make an image of gold which they worshipped.

Joseph knew why he was taken to Egypt and blessed super-abundantly and was able to comfort his brothers who sold him into slavery.

Paul knew his purpose and was able to endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ.

Similarly Nehemiah was able to withstand the opposition he faced when he embarked on the purpose of his life because he knew his ‘WHY’. You too must know your reason for being and who has called you and who is therefore behind you to be able to withstand any opposition and fulfil your dream or purpose with finesse.

Jesus knew His purpose and was able to endure the cross and the accompanying shame. He saw you and I in the corridors of time and knew that without His sacrifice therefore would be no hope for us.

Every creation of God therefore has a purpose, whether it is known or not; whether it is fulfilled or not. God’s heart is delighted when we discover our purpose, pursue it with passion and fulfil it with finesse.

Do you know your purpose? Are you pursuing that purpose?

 If so keep pressing on until you finish to the glory of God.

Refuse to let opposition dislodge you. If you fall rise up and go again. Know that God is on your side. The bigger the vision, and the joy ahead, the bigger and stronger the opposition. But God’s grace is sufficient for you. You may be hard-pressed on every side but you will not be crushed. All things will work together for your good. You may be perplexed but be not in despair. God is on your side and If He be for you who can be against you? You will be persecuted but know that you are not abandoned. God said,’ I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will go before to make crooked places straight.’ When the enemy comes like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against him. You may be knocked down but know that you are not knocked out. You are still in the race of grace and God will fight for you and you will hold your peace.

Purpose-Driven Life

Genesis 12:

¹     Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

²     And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

³     And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Cyrus had a purpose and finished it

Isaiah 45:

¹     Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

²              I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

David had a purpose and finished it

¹³   Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 1Sam16:13

2 Samuel 23:

¹     Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

²     The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

³              The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

³⁶   For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Acts13:36

Esther Knew Her Purpose and Finished It

¹⁴   For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?Esther4:14

¹⁰   So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.

7:10

⁴     Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,

⁷     Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

⁸     Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

⁹     Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

¹⁰   And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:

¹¹   Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

¹²   Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

¹³   The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

¹⁴   So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

¹⁵   And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

¹⁶   The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.

¹⁷   And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.Esther8

Jeremiah 1:

¹     The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

²     To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

³     It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

⁴     Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

⁵     Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jesus Knew His Purpose and Finished It

²¹   From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

²²   Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

²³   But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

²⁴   Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

²⁵   For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Matt16:21-25

²⁷   Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

John12:27

Joseph Knew His Purpose and Finished It

⁷     And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸     So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.Gen45:7-8

¹⁷   So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

¹⁸   And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

¹⁹   And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

²⁰   But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

²¹   Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Gen 50:17-21

⁹     Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

¹⁰   Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.Ex3:9-10

³     And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

⁴     And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

⁵     And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Neh 1: 3-5

Nehemiah 2:

¹     And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.

²     Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

³     And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

⁴     Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

⁵     And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.

⁶     And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

⁷     Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;

⁸     And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

⁹     Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.

Nehemiah Finished his Purpose

¹⁵   So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.

Neh 6:15

Paul Knew His Purpose

¹⁵   But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: ¹⁶        For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

Acts9:15-16

¹⁴   And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

¹⁵   And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

¹⁶   But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

¹⁷   Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

¹⁸   To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Acts 19 : 14-18

Paul finished His purpose

⁶     For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

⁷     I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

⁸     Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2 Tim 4:6-8