In my last two blog posts, I wrote about discovering clues to one’s God-given purpose, sharing three clues in each blog post. Unsure about whether the Holy Spirit would reveal additional clues for me to share, I continued to pray for revelation about this or anything else in connection with purpose and calling that the Spirit of the Lord might have me share. Since my own purpose and calling includes encouraging others to Christ-centered, purpose-driven living, I suspected that there would be more to share about this.
As I continued to pray, the Holy Spirit revealed more for me to share in connection with purpose and calling. The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that not only does God love to bless us, but there are blessings specifically connected to being in alignment with God’s calling and purpose for one’s life. When we align with God’s calling on our lives, we receive the blessings that are specifically connected to the journey of carrying out and fulfilling what God is calling us to do. It does not mean that God will not bless us otherwise, but we may miss out on blessings specifically connected to the answering of and fulfillment of our God-given purpose and calling when not aligned with our God-given purpose.
We know that God loves to bless us because, as Scripture says:
“Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.”
~ John 1:16
“I will enjoy blessing them.”
~ Jeremiah 32:41
I asked the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart and share more about what He began to unveil. The Holy Spirit whispered the following scripture:
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
~ James 2:26 NIV
The Holy Spirit was revealing to me that, while we are saved by God’s grace through faith, one arena in which our expression of faith can be carried out, is in our good works and more specifically, those works that are connected to our God-given purpose and calling. So, while we cannot earn the gift of eternal life, we can express our faith, in part, through our efforts and the impact we make as we carry out our God-given purpose and calling.
Paul the Apostle shows us that we receive the gift of salvation through faith rather than our effort and good works through following scripture:
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” ~ Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
That said, one of the ways through which we have the opportunity to express our faith is in aligning with God’s will concerning our purpose and calling. The Holy Spirit further unveiled that stepping into one’s purpose will require relinquishing a mindset of passivity, as this mindset can be detrimental to experiencing all of God’s blessings. The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that, so often, the mindset adopted is:
If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it wasn’t the will of God.
Prayer takes place but is not coupled with Holy Spirit inspired action. This passive approach absolves one from having to do anything but robs one of the fullness of God’s blessings.
As an example, one may be wishing for increase and financial abundance, praying for breakthroughs in these areas while not taking Holy Spirit led action to impact these areas. Yet, God may have one’s greatest blessings and the answer to one’s prayers tucked within the journey of carrying out one’s God-given purpose. But in order to experience these blessings, it will require being in alignment with God’s purpose and calling. Another words, you may be waiting on God but God is waiting on you! The Holy Spirit spoke the following to me in connection with this:
“Do what you can and I will do what you can’t.”
“You don’t have to know all the details upfront. Just take the first step.”
“As you take the first step, I will reveal more.”
Another words, do your part and I will do Mine. Another words, be of good courage, trust Me and take action. This is what it means to step out in faith when we don’t know all the details or have all the answers. All of the above suggests action on our part. We are partners with God as we answer His calling to step into our purpose, carry out His will, fulfill our destiny and receive all of the blessings that God has for us. Scripture reminds us of our partnership with God through the following:
“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
~ 1 Corinthians 3:9 NIV
“Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.”
~ Proverbs 16:3 The Message
But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”
~ Isaiah 64:8 ESV
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
~ John 15:4 NIV
The Spirit of the Lord wanted to make abundantly clear just how much God wants to bless us. God wants us to experience the fullness of all that He has for us. God does not wish for us to experience some of His blessings. He wants each and every one of us to experience each and every blessing that has been set aside for us. How can we achieve this? In part, by aligning with God’s purpose for our lives and taking Holy Spirit led action as we carry out God’s will.
Are you walking in God’s purpose for your life? Have you been taking Holy Spirit led action regarding your God-given calling? Have you experienced specific blessings along the journey of carrying out your God-given purpose? Please share. I can’t wait to hear from you!