Category Archives: Purpose

Examine the Fruit

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“Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

We can determine the condition of our heart by observing the fruit our life has produced.   To measure fruitfulness, you look over the past season or over the past year and see what has been produced.  In the fall a farmer looks over the previous growing season to determine the condition of the field.  We can also look at the past year of our life and determine the condition of our heart by looking at the harvest.

Jesus taught His disciples that their life should produce fruit – from 60 to 100 per cent.  A fruitful Christian is one that receives God’s Word and the Word that is planted in their heart produces a harvest even up to a 100 fold return.

You may have a Word from God, but if it is not given to another in love, it will not produce a harvest.  This is why the condition our heart is so important and it determines the fruit we produce.  By observing the fruit our life has produced, we can tell what condition our heart is in.

Pray this prayer daily and watch what happens: “Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

The Power to Move a Mountain

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“You will know and understand the hope to which He called you and the greatness of His power.” Eph 1:18

Faith to move a mountainWe have access to His great power when we are in His will.  The power to create the universe, move a mountain and change history is in His hands.  He has placed me as His child, His representative on the earth, to call on Him to create, move or change something. Sometimes we get so preoccupied that we forget our purpose.

Have you ever gone into the grocery store and forgotten what you intended to buy?  After a couple of steps into the store you have a thousand voices speaking to you!  You see all the brands of cereal and the sales, and you forget what you wanted to purchase.  The same is true in our daily life.   The calls, the options, and the sales grab for our attention.

What happened to the still small voice that spoke into your spirit the moment you woke up?  Was it drowned out within the first few steps into your world?  We must realize how Christ was able to carry out His assignment on planet earth.  He set His face like a flint towards the cross and He didn’t let anything distract him.  The world could not hinder, discourage, slow down nor stop Him.  Know what your purpose is and rely on the greatness of His power to accomplish it.

What is Your Destiny?

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You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Psalm 73:24 (New Living Translation)

What is your destiny?A person’s destiny is connected to identity which has already been determined by God.  He has chosen each of His children and called them to carry out a special purpose.  Therefore, identity is directly connected to their purpose. When a person does not know who they are, they will struggle with walking out their destiny.

The enemy has been quite successful in this generation to interfere with children coming into their destiny.  You will flounder and struggle with what you are supposed to do with your life until you find out who you are.

One of the roles in parenting is to help their children know who God created them to be, and call them into it.  Their gifting and talents should be recognized and encouraged.  A parent confirms the identity of their children through affirmation.

Many adults today are floundering because they received very little parental affirmation and encouragement.  The good news is… it is never too late to discover your destiny.

As you are in search of your destiny, watch as God places mile markers along the way to confirm you are going in the right direction. A destiny searcher will be encouraged by the Lord as He brings confirmation all along the way.

Destiny searchers are those in search of their destiny. Your destiny is directly connected with your identity, or who God created you to be. No one else is shaped, fashioned and molded like you are. You cannot know what you are supposed to do until you know who you are. Your identity and destiny are connected together. But you may ask, “How do I discover my destiny?” It can be found in several ways:

1)  Heritage – the family line may be a clue to your destiny. Look first at the gifting and abilities your father had.  Then look at your grandfather. There may be a pattern in their life that you will observe in your own. You may be following in your father’s or grandfather’s steps.

2)  Your name – sometimes your destiny is hidden in your name. When parents have named their children by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, there is destiny in the name. The Word of God does not return void; it accomplishes what God intends for it to accomplish. In the Bible, God put so much importance on the name that He even changed names when there was a major change in direction in a person’s life. In the New Testament, Saul’s name was changed to Paul after He met the Lord. In the Old Testament, Abram’s name was changed to be Abraham.

3)  Your heart’s desire – The third thing to consider as you search for your destiny is to know your heart’s desire. God places in your heart what He has called you to do. What has been in your heart for years? If there is a desire that is still alive in your heart, it could be that God has put it there. “It is God that works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.” This means He puts the desire in you to do His will.

Resist the Fleeting Thoughts

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A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.   The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others.   Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. Isaiah 35:8 (New King James Version)

Highway of HolinessHave you ever been driving down the interstate, and all of a sudden with one fleeting thought you decide to exit off and take the back road?  The back roads will slow you down and hinder you from getting to your desired destination.

So, we must all resist these thoughts.  Take every thought captive, especially those thoughts that lead you astray.  The thought may be as simple as, “I would rather take the scenic route,” but you fail to remember it was the scenic road that led you off course before.  We must learn from our mistakes so we don’t repeat them. Once you are on the Highway, stay on it and resist fleeting thoughts that get you off track.

Stay on Isaiah 35:8, the Highway of Holiness.

What is God’s Will for Your Life?

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“Our Father which art in Heaven, hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? His will is simply for us to live and maintain His kingdom here on earth. God’s kingdom is a distinct and different way of life. Jesus taught us how to pray for the kingdom to come on earth, how He would work in us, and showed us how to live and work inside the kingdom. When Christ is in you, it is a perfect fit! He is in you, you are in Him, and you are both in the kingdom. It is Christ that works in you to accomplish His good pleasure.

I have found that I can pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done”, and then resist the work of Christ in me. I had to learn the difference between my will and His. My will consists of doing whatever I want to do, as much as I want to do it.  If I live according to my will, then I will eat all the food I want, spend all the money I want, and then whine because I am overweight and broke. When I submit and abide by His will, then I have boundaries and parameters. I am doing what He wants me to do when I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge.

Your life will not be complicated if you surrender to God’s plan and will for your life. It is Christ working inside of you, changing your will to do the Fathers will. Take time to read His Word and you will soon see who you are. You are His child and heir. You will live as an heir, a joint heir with Christ, when you get a glimpse that you are here on planet earth as an heir to establish and maintain your Fathers kingdom.  It will change your agenda for the day.

Pray this simple prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Stay on the Path of Life

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“You will show me the path of life.” Psalms 16:11

God offers us an abundant life.  We just need to be willing to embrace it.

I have learned over the past 50 years that staying on track takes self-control and discipline.   Self-control is actually planted in you by the Spirit and is growing inside of you as a fruit of the Spirit.

Self- control and self -discipline develop as you are obedient to the Still Small Voice of the Lord on a daily basis.  Set the boundaries that He says to set. The little things count! Obedience to the little things is how we learn to be led by God’s Holy Spirit.  What He says no to, do not touch!  He will guide us and give us His counsel.

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me. Psalm 16:7

You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.  For with You is the fountain of life. Psalm 36:8b, 9a

He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.  Psalm 18:33

We drink from the fountain when we are in the presence of God, and this fountain sustains us in seasons of trouble and drought.  You see now why you must stay close to Him as you are traveling along the path of life.  It is not an easy road or a scenic road!  It is narrow and can be very steep and dangerous, so we must not go too close to the edge. That is why we need hind’s feet for the climb.  We need to be living in truth, speaking truth, walking in the way of truth to be safe.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Mathew 7:14

Since the way is narrow, we must look to God’s Word and gain wisdom on how to set boundaries in our lives and safeguards to keep us on the path. We need to listen, because sometimes we need guidance, but other times we need warnings and correction. We actually gain wisdom from mistakes so we will not repeat them. I know where I can’t go.  I have learned where my boundaries are for my safety.

He who keeps instruction is in the way of life.  But he who refuses correction goes astray. Proverbs 10:17

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. Proverbs 11:30

In the way of righteousness is life. Proverbs 12:28

Find Your Purpose and Stay in Your Seat

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“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” Ephesians 1:20

“And He has raised us up together and made us sit together in Christ Jesus”. Ephesians 2:6

Jesus is seated by the right hand of the Father and He doesn’t get up out of His seat. But we get up, just as a little kid has a hard time sitting still in church. They squirm, wiggle and always need to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom. Maturity is all about learning how to sit down, and stay seated in our seat, our place of authority, not distracted and pulled by our fleshly needs and the world around us.

Once you finally find your seat, your position or God’s purpose for your life, you need to stay seated in your seat. God’s power that worked in Christ and raised Him from the dead also raised Him into His final seat of authority. The power of God placed Jesus at His right hand in heavenly places. That same power is working in me to lift me up out of sin and to break behavior patterns that have been learned and embraced due to generational iniquities. As I overcome these sins and the pull of iniquity, I can feel myself getting lighter and lighter, until I am seated in heavenly places, high above my circumstances, high above principalities and powers of darkness