DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE, POTENTIAL AND VISION

DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE, POTENTIAL AND VISION

1.  DISCOVERING YOUR PURPOSE

INTRODUCTION

Too many people in our world today just drift through life without ever discovering their purpose for being. The most pathetic of this group of people is those who don’t even know they have a purpose for being in this world. No manufacturer ever manufactures anything just for the sake of it. Everything that exists in our world has a specific use for which it was manufactured and that is what we are referring to as purpose.

The discovery of your purpose for being is the beginning of living. You are not living until you are fulfilling your God ordained purpose for coming into the world.

God created everything for a special purpose and equipped ever created thing with the corresponding potential or ability to fulfill that purpose.

In life, you are either running after something or away from something. Your direction would therefore be determined by the cause of your running.

Don’t be running in life because you are being pursued but run in pursuit of something (i.e. your Purpose, Dream or Vision).

In life, if you don’t know where you are going every road will lead you there.

PURPOSE

Ø Purpose may be defined as the reason for which something exists. It is the same as the mission of something.

It answers the question WHY?

1.    When purpose in not known abuse is inevitable (Myles Monroe)

2.    You have not started living life until you have discovered your purpose for being and pursuing that purpose. Going through the motions and actions of life is mere existence and not living because living life entails discovering, pursuing, and achieving your purpose for being.

3.    There is a clear distinction between being in charge of your life and life being in charge of you.

4.    When you don’t know your purpose for being, you will only end up becoming part of another man’s purpose. E.g., Apostle Paul until the discovery of his own purpose was busy running with others’ purpose.

5.    Purpose is not to be determined or decided it is to be discovered

          What will thou have me do Lord?

Acts 9:6

Gal 1:15, 16

HOW TO DISCOVER YOU PURPOSE

a.    By Direct Revelation From God

You must seek the face of God through prayer and fasting until he reveals his call and purpose for your life.

Examples:

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1:5

, [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.

Paul and Barnabas

Acts 13:3

    [2] As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

My Personal Experience

Through the revelation of the Lord in prayer

b.    Design Determines Purpose

Your natural talents, personality and divine endowments would be suited to your purpose.

Beside the direct revelation from God in discovering your purpose, you may also use the acronym SHAPE to guide you in discovering your purpose and potential in life.

S – List all your Spiritual endowment and natural talents.

H – Find where your Heart’s greatest desire, interest or compassion is

A – List your Abilities and skills.

P – Your Personality: are you an introvert or an extrovert?

E – What is your Experience in life? How has God prepared you?

A summary of the above five areas of your life will point clearly to the service you are suited for in life and hence leading to the discovery of your ultimate purpose for life.

2.    CREATE YOUR VISION FOR LIFE

If you want to have a vision, you must know the purpose of God for your life. Your purpose or assignment in life gives birth to your vision. Your vision is the mental picture of what you want to achieve or become in future.

Without vision leadership accomplishes nothing. Without a vision the people perish, wander aimlessly, the people dwell carelessly.

Proverbs 29:18

    Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

VISION

v From a corporate point of view, a vision may be said to be a mental picture of an expected future destination or position of an individual or an organization.

v From a divine point of view, it may be defined as a divinely initiated mental picture of a desired future state or condition. It is created by the power of imagination in the word of God, which is prophetically driven and subject to future divine fulfillment.

It answers the question WHERE?

It is not how fast you run in life that gets you to your destination but where you are headed. Because no matter how fast you run in the wrong direction, you will still miss your destination.

Eccles. 9:11

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

HOW DO I GET A VISION FOR MY LIFE?

Habakkuk 2:1-4

    I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. [2] And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. [3] For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. [4] Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

1. The Vision comes from God
2. The Vision must be written down
3. The Vision must be Communicated
4. The Vision must be Run with
5. The Vision Must be incubated and hatched into being
6. The Vision Requires Faith

What Is the Power of Vision?

1. Your vision is the force that drives you when every one else gives up on you.

1. Your vision gives you something to want to live for when all hope for living is lost. “If they are willing...” it is your vision that gives you the will power to want to live and become an achiever in life.

1. Your vision gives you a sense of direction in life to focus your time, skills and finances in order to multiply your wealth.

1. Your vision will draw people into your life to want to help you, and the more people you get to help you the more you will multiply.

1. Your vision is what attracts the resources of heaven in to your life and business

3.   DISCOVERING YOUR POTENTIAL

Too often we are so preoccupied with trying to fit in, that we never stand out. You were designed to be distinctive, special, irreplaceable and unique, so refuse to be “normal”. Go beyond average! Do not strive to be accepted but rather strive to be yourself.

POTENTIAL

What is a Potential?

i.       Potential is the capacity to develop into something in the future.

ii.    It is also defined as the latent qualities and abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.

It Answers the Question of WHAT do I have to accomplish my purpose.

The true capacity of a product is determined not by the user but the manufacturer. The same principle applies to your life. God created you with the capacity to fulfill his purpose for your life. Therefore, the key to fulfilling your potential is to discover the purpose or reason for your life and commit yourself to its fulfillment at all cost.

True capacity is not limited, reduced, or altered by the opinion of others or your previous experience.

True success is what you have done compared to what you could have done.

Don’t be a pigeon if you were born to be an eagle. Choose to experience altitude for your life.

Keys To The Discovery of Your Potential

a.    You Must Know Your Source: God is your source

b.    You Must Understand How You Were Designed To Function: God designed you to operate by faith

c.     You Must Know Your Purpose: god created you to express his image, to enjoy fellowship with Him, to dominate earth, to bear fruit and to reproduce yourself.

d.    You Must Understand Your Resources: God has given you the resources of spirit, soul, body, time and material things.

e.     You Must Have The Right Environment: God create you to live with Him in a relationship of fellowship and obedience that is established and maintained by His presence, assurance, guidance and direction.

f.      You Must Work Out Your Potential: Work is God’s blessing to challenge and expose your potential