“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;” Psalm 37:23 ESV
Do you know you are a unique part of God’s story? God has a purpose for your life, one that brings Him glory as you share His life-giving message of love and salvation with the people He brings your way.
Each one of our stories, while as individual as we are, is a message of hope to others who are feeling hopeless and lost. But knowing we have a purpose and actually living in God's purpose for our lives can sometimes leave us confused, even frustrated. We want to hear the Lord’s voice when He speaks so we can follow Him, but we struggle with knowing if we heard Him correctly.
Recently, I entered a season of prayer and fasting. As I drew close to the Lord, He reminded me of something I previously read, but gave little thought to. It was a simple truth I knew, but had otherwise ignored. Before I was born, I was set apart.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” Jeremiah 1:5a NIV
While the Lord was speaking to the prophet Jeremiah in this verse, the Bible contains many verses reminding us God has chosen us to fulfill His purpose in this world. His plan for us includes doing the good works He prepared for us before we were even born. This means the Lord wove within each of us certain unique gifts and talents that empower us to walk in our callings.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 ESV
Still, knowing God created us for a purpose and actually walking according to His plans can be tricky. If only He would download a daily agenda in our planners, we could just get up and get going, diligently completing the tasks at hand. There would be no room for confusion. Instead, life is full of obstacles and distractions that can cause us to question ourselves and doubt our ability to walk in God’s plans.
3 Obstacles to Walking in God's Purpose
Because God has a purpose for our lives, it’s imperative that our plans align with His will. But what if we don’t know His will for our specific situation? How do we move forward when the Lord’s plan for us isn’t clear?
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
1) Disobedience—One obstacle to knowing God’s will and walking in His plan is lack of obedience on our part. When the Lord calls us, He wants us to follow Him wholeheartedly. Instead, we can doubt His directions and excuse our disobedience to His commands.
In my case, the Lord called me to teach the Bible to other women. To do so, He has given me certain gifts to be used for this purpose. During my fast, He spoke to my heart and reminded me He has given me a “distinct voice, a unique message,” one that would bring Him glory, but there would be times this message would conflict with the beliefs of some in our current culture.
The Lord then pressed in deeper, convicting me of previous occasions when I had doubted His voice and the words He called me to write and speak. Instead, I bit my tongue and tried to blend in with the messages being spoken by others. But God had not called me to be quiet about my faith. He called me to a holy boldness. This disobedience on my part was hard for me to accept, because I always felt I was a very honest and outspoken person. So, why the compromise?
"We are not called to be quiet about our faith. We are called to a holy boldness. ~Dawn Ward
What was the root of my disobedience? The Holy Spirit revealed to me that at the root of my self-doubt was a desire to please people, not Him. If someone contradicted or opposed me, I doubted myself and questioned if I had heard the Lord's voice correctly when He spoke to me. While I believed He spoke clearly to others, I lost confidence in His words to me at the slightest contradiction.
The Lord, however, wasn't about to allow me to second-guess every word He spoke to me. If I was going to walk in His plan and purpose for my life, I would have to trust Him and obey Him without hesitation, even as the opposition intensified.
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 ESV
Maybe you have experienced the same feelings of self-doubt as you sought to hear the Lord’s voice in your particular situation. You might even fear stepping out in faith in your calling for fear others might reject you. But if the Lord has called you, He will equip you with the ability and the holy boldness to fulfill your calling.
"And when they had prayed, the place in which they gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the work of God with boldness." Acts 4:31 ESV
Like me, do you sometimes lack holy boldness when it comes to walking in God’s will for your life? Do you doubt His voice when He leads and guides you in your purpose? If you struggle with the assurance that you are hearing the Lord correctly, I encourage you to learn to discern his voice and how He speaks to you. You do this by studying the Bible and through prayer. You may also consider reaching out to your pastor, a few trusted friends, or godly mentors who will pray for you and help you as you seek God's plan for your life.
“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” 2 Corinthians 13:1 NIV
2) Compromise—Another obstacle in fulfilling God's plan for my life was that of compromise. I have always desired to handle the Word of God accurately. But, when confronted with the false teachings or mishandling of the doctrine by another teacher, I would get all tongue-tied rather than speaking the truth in love and gently correcting them.
Once again, the Lord had to remind me that if I wanted to walk in His purpose and plan for my life and ministry, I would need to stop making excuses, be bold, and let the Holy Spirit speak through me without compromise. Likewise, each of us will need to know the word of truth and boldly share it as we seek to live out the Lord’s plan for our lives.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV
As I share some obstacles I have faced while trying to know and advance in God's purpose and plan for my life, I encourage you to seek the Lord on this matter as well. Are you feeling frustrated? Do you pray and knock and seek, only to feel as though the Lord is not revealing His plans to you? If so, I understand. For a while, I also struggled with knowing what to do with my life, career, and ministry. Thankfully, the Lord is faithful to give us wisdom and lead us as we ask Him.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5 ESV
3) Confusion—Another obstacle we can run into when seeking the Lord's will is confusion. During my fast, the Lord revealed I was being oppressed by a spirit of confusion, a hindering spirit that was harassing me. While I don’t look for a demon under every rock, I knew what He was showing me was true. I could feel the heaviness, but felt powerless to get rid of the ever-present sense of self-doubt, confusion, and indecisiveness. The Lord then reminded me He has authority over evil and harassing spirits, and at His command, they must leave.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7 NKJV
Can you imagine that? Like a military general with thousands under his command, all God had to do was speak the order "Dismissed," and that thing was gone! After removing this dark cloud that had hung over my life, He told me it was now time to get rid of compromised thinking and walk in the holy authority and anointing He had given me.
"Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." Luke 10:19 ESV
To move forward in my mission, I would need to trust in the word of God and not be afraid to speak it with the authority God gave me as His child and as His servant. That's where faith comes in. To walk in God's purpose and plan, we must have faith in His word.
“So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11 NKJV
Confusion for you may not come in the form of a menacing spirit. It may occur when life seems out of control and chaos is all around. Perhaps you're in the middle of a painful trial. Maybe, like me, you have experienced the heartbreak of having a loved one struggling with addiction or other life-destructive behaviors. Or maybe you are dealing with health issues that are holding you back from moving forward in your purpose. Let me assure you that nothing you are going through can hinder God's purpose from being accomplished in you and through you. He simply asks that you be willing and obedient to do what He asks even if you are experiencing intense hardship.
Being obedient and pursuing God's purpose for our lives doesn't require most of us to quit our jobs, sell everything, and move to a third world country, although it might. The Lord most often asks us to bloom where we are planted.
3 Ways to Have Faith in God's Purpose
Why am I telling you this? Because it's easy to become defeated and feel like we will never see God's purpose accomplished in our lives. To walk in God's purpose, we must have the faith to believe He has a plan for our lives. We also must believe He will reveal that plan to us and make it clear to us what we are to do next. Here are three ways to have faith in God's purpose and plan for your life.
1) Believe—God created you intentionally and with purpose. You are not an afterthought to Him. You are not a hiccup in His plan. You are not a mistake. Your life has meaning and is of great value. God did not call you to Himself only to sideline you while the rest of the team plays in the game. You are a unique individual, gifted with strengths and talents to be used for His glory.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8 NIV
2) Know—God speaks to you directly. You will need to learn to recognize His voice when He speaks to you. While there is wisdom in godly counsel, are you listening to too many voices because they seem more spiritual or wiser than you are? When God speaks to you, do you back down if others oppose you? (Thus opposing His word to you?) Or, do you speak with bold confidence, knowing His word is true and does not return without accomplishing His purpose?
But how do you know if what you’re hearing is really from the Lord? Remember, the word God speaks to you will not contradict the Bible. Search the scriptures for the wisdom you need. If you are still in doubt, pray for confirmation from two or more witnesses. Once confirmed, be obedient. When the Lord speaks to you about His plans for you, it’s important you do what He says. The naysayers will say their nays, but you still need to trust His voice and obey as He leads you.
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Psalm 32:8 ESV
3) Trust—the Lord when He speaks to you. If life gets harder and everything seems to fall apart, it doesn’t mean you missed His voice. That’s where we get it wrong sometimes. We think if we step out in faith and things don’t work out as we planned, we didn’t hear the Lord correctly when He spoke to us. But God never promised that our obedience would come easily or painlessly. As we learn to let go of doing things our own way, we will learn to trust in the Lord and His plans, even when we don't fully understand them.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 ESV
During His ministry, Jesus demonstrated that obedience to his Father meant doing the hard things such as facing rejection, being called a liar, and being accused of blasphemy. Being obedient meant being tortured and crucified by those who hated Him. Ultimately, obedience to His Father cost Him His life.
"Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." Luke 22:42b ESV
My challenge to you and to me is that we become women of faith who count the cost and determine that obedience is worth everything, no matter what the sacrifice.
May you know the Lord’s voice as He speaks to you directly. Don’t falter because people oppose you. Do and say what the Lord is calling you to do and say. Let Him be responsible for the outcome. No matter what, believe He speaks to you. Personally. Intimately. Cultivate an ear that listens to His still-small voice. Then get up and do what He tells you to do and go where He tells you to go.
God has set you apart for His glory. You are a unique and vital part of His story. Never forget that. In doing so, you will see His plans and purpose fulfilled in your life.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:12-13 ESV
Dear Jesus.
Thank you for leading us in your purpose. We believe you have spoken your word to our hearts as you lead us and guide us in how to follow You. May we heed your calling and boldly proclaim your truth. May our speech always be rooted in love and seasoned with grace. May we not waiver in our faith as our days are few. You are coming quickly and carrying our reward in your hands. We proclaim we are not people-pleasers, but desire to please You and You alone. Thank you for sending your Spirit to lead us and guide us in your truth. We praise you, Jesus.
Amen.
Dawn Ward is the founder of The Faith to Flourish and author of the book, From Guilt to Grace: Hope and Healing for Christian Moms of Addicted Children. (Publish date September 2024).
Follow her at www.thefaithtoflourish.com or at www.facebook.com/thefaithtoflourish or at www.instagram.com/dawnr.ward
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These verses are so good. I read them before bed and loved having them to rest on.
Great post! It’s important to discover & walk in your purpose 🙌
Dawn, this really resonated with me: "My challenge to you and to me is that we become women of faith who count the cost and determine that obedience is worth everything, no matter what the sacrifice." Thank you for the nudge!