Day Thirty-One
PURPOSE
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
—2 TIMOTHY 1:8-9
God is sovereign and strategic—He has marvelous plans set in place for you—yet you are responsible to walk in step with His Spirit in order to fulfill the purpose and calling on your life. You have been invited to participate in the unfolding of your purpose. Whether or not you fully grasp what that is in the present moment, I invite you to shift your life out of neutral and put your purpose into gear. How? By keeping step with the Spirit—knowing His rhythm and pace for your life. Don’t try to run someone else’s race, because God has a race to run for you. Keep pace with God.
The apostle Paul reminds us to walk in the Spirit. In Galatians 5:25, he writes, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (NIV). This is the key to fulfilling your purpose and walking out your destiny. It is not mysterious, magical, or mystical. It is simply cooperating with the Holy Spirit even when you don’t fully comprehend the outcome—leaning not on your own understanding (see Ps. 3:5), but saying “yes” at every opportunity.
Some act as if the prize of fulfilling purpose is given only to a select few, while everyone else is doomed to wander through life aimlessly. Purpose is not assigned to an elect group. Every single person throughout history was created with precision and intentionality by the Master Creator. Every human being has a purpose. Here is the question: “Are you walking in step with the Spirit to discover yours and to manifest it in your daily life?”
God is the only One who can lead you into His perfect plan for your life. We have studied this in part, reading about how renewing your mind fills you with the thoughts of God. When God’s thoughts become your thoughts, you begin to think about your life like God does—enabling you to walk out His great destiny for you.
It is one thing to replace old paradigms, thought patterns, and deceptions with the truth of God’s Word (the Bible reveals the thought patterns of God). It is another thing to start living by the thoughts of God. This is what Paul was telling the Galatian church. He was calling them to a new level of alignment. Because we have been born again and redeemed by the Holy Spirit, filled with His presence, we must begin to walk in step—or in alignment—with this reality. This means allowing the Spirit of God to have control in every area of your life. You can sing “I Surrender All” with great passion while still holding back select areas of your life from God’s direct influence.
Many wrestle with surrendering their calling to God because they do not believe it is a holy calling. One is not called only if he or she dons a church or ministry title. Your calling in the marketplace, medical field, law, entertainment industry, or educational sphere is just as sacred as the pastor’s call to lead a church. God desires you to represent Him in every arena of society. To do this, you must embrace a paradigm of holy calling that sees all mediums of vocation as sacred.
The key to fulfilling your unique calling in whatever sphere of influence God has equipped you for is an active relationship with the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What is the danger of thinking that only people in full-time ministry (pastors, missionaries, evangelists, priests, rabbis, etc.) are fulfilling a holy calling?
Describe what you think it looks like to live “in step with the Spirit” based on what Paul writes in Galatians 5:25; look up different translations of this verse for further clarity.
Explain how fulfilling your purpose/destiny is a collaboration between you and the Holy Spirit.
ACTION STEPS
He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.
—FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
Ask the Lord to give you clarity on the one simple step you can take to fulfill your holy calling and divine purpose right now! Remember, the key to making progress in your life is making one step a day. By the year’s end, you will have made 365 steps toward fulfilling your destiny!