Day Three Of 8th Annual End Of Summer Fast & Detox: The Seed

Father, thank you. We can’t thank you enough, but we will continue to give you all the glory and praise for our lives. Thank you for cleansing our hearts, and renewing our minds. God, thank you for calling us with the holy calling. We know the plan that you have created for us existed before we even knew you. Help us to live our lives with a sense of purpose and understanding of the calling you have given us. We lay down all pride, selfishness, and anything else that will keep us from moving into all you have for us. Lord enable us to understand the call you have for our lives, take away any discouragement that we may feel and replace it with joyful anticipation of what you are going to do through us. Use us as your instruments to make a positive difference in the lives of all who we encounter. Lead us in the way that we should go. Lord, we lay down our will and the way we see our lives, and align with what you have planned for us.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen! 

We’ve already dug into the root and soil. Today, I want to explore the seed, which is your purpose. Your purpose is what God put you here to do. If you search purpose in Google, you’ll find thousands of articles and videos on the topic. When I say purpose, I don’t mean your earthly purpose, like the world wants you to think. I’m not talking about the way you can get rich and famous. The purpose I want to discuss, is the thing that God placed you here on earth to do. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" Before you were born, God created your purpose. He knows your beginning and end. You are not here by accident, no matter what you may think. God created each and every one of us to share the good news and to go make disciples. We were created to follow His commandments. God doesn’t do things just for the sake of doing them. Everything He creates has a purpose here’s on earth. Whether that is a human being, or the birds in the sky. 

Your purpose, should ultimately lead others to Christ. I know that’s contrary to what the world may lead you to believe. We live in a very selfish society, where purpose is centered around what you want, and how you want to get it. That’s not God’s purpose. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” God has set each and every one of us apart. Yesterday, we talked about being in this world and not of this world, and I hope it’s something that sticks with you. When you decide to follow Christ, your life is no longer your own. We are here to follow His will, and His way. God is asking us to come out from among the crowds and to be separate. That means you can’t always do what other people do, and you can’t go where everybody goes. I remember growing up, I couldn’t do the thing that my friends would do. I felt like anytime my friends did something that was living on the edge, and I tried to do it; my punishment would always be extreme. Everybody around me could commit a crime, but as soon as I even thought about doing it, I would have some sort of consequence. I remember being so frustrated as a child, I asked my mom why me. She responded by saying that I’m a child of God, and it’ll always be different for me. When she first said it, it felt like I was being singled out, but now as an adult, I know that I’ve been set apart. When Gods hand is on you, his grace is with you, but that also means that his eyes are on you. Further more, when you love someone and have a relationship with them, why would you want to do something that would upset them? God chose you to be set apart. 

Our purposes are all the same, but each person can live it out differently. That’s why you can’t really compare your life to another person. Although our purposes may all look different, we all flow together in the one body of Christ. God has planted gifts and talents in each and every one of us to bring glory to His kingdom. The Bible tells us to work onto others as if we’re working onto God. Stop looking at your life like it’s one dimensional. My pastor always says, don’t look at your job like just a job. If you’re a teacher, your purpose is not only to be a teacher, you are there to show the love of God in that classroom and with the staff. The job that you are in, can be a vehicle for your purpose, but doesn’t necessarily have to be your purpose. Your purpose, the destination, is how to lead other people to follow Christ. We get so caught up on the vehicle, our jobs, to get us there.

Getting to the point of knowing your purpose may seem daunting but don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. First, you need to pray and ask God to reveal His purpose and the method He wants you to use to get there. Surrender your will, and how you thought your life would look. Give it all to Him. Sit and meditate on His word. That’s how you can learn his voice, by reading his word. You have to discern what’s His words compared to your own. Next, think about what your natural talents are. What can you do well, it doesn’t have to be deep. We all have gifts that come easy to us. They might not be “popular,” but they’re still gifts. After you sit and explore that, I want you write down what you’re passionate about, no matter how big or small. Make sure it’s a passion that takes action. For example, I’m passionate about home decor, but I don’t take action with it. With your talents and passions, write down the first things that come to your mind. Lastly, once you’ve created your list, ask three people you trust and that are apart of your community, (family, friends, coworkers,) what they think your gifts are. Make sure it’s people you trust and whose opinions you value. Once they tell you, see how it matches with the list you created. Once it’s all said and done, take it back to God in prayer and let the Holy Spirit reveal them to you. Make sure your mind and heart is open to receive. These are your seeds that you are planting on the earth. You share your seeds with every person you encounter through your day today. People can see your seeds within a minute of talking to you. Make sure that your seed shines through. God created us to be the light of this world. Shine your light, with every person you encounter. You never know the impact that you’re one interaction may have with someone.

The problem with purpose is that many people look outward to discover what it is that they should be doing. In this new season, God is asking, what do you already have in your hand? In your hands, it’s not enough, but if you partner with God and put it in his hands, it’s more than enough. It’s so many stories in the Bible, where God uses people and what they already have in their hands to bless them. Contrary to what you may believe, everything you need you already have within you. God has blessed you with some amazing gifts and talents, you might not have even discovered them yet. Ask for wisdom and direction to discover these hidden things. Uncovering these things will require you to partner with God, invite him in. Invite him him into your decision-making, thoughts (good and bad,) job, friendships, honestly every area of your life.

Now for those of you who are detoxing, we’re digging into your zone of genius too. According to Gay Hendricks, “A zone of genius is the intersection of a person's unique talents, passions, and strengths, where they feel joy and fulfillment while using their natural abilities.” It’s the area that you thrive. Naturally as human beings, we have a tendency to try to over work and do. We will do ten things good, rather than focusing on one thing that we do great. Focusing on your zone of genius helps you be more productive, satisfied, energized, organized, inspired and profitable. This isn’t just with business, it can be used with every area of your life. It helps you focus on the things you’re good at and delegate or ask for help on the other stuff. 

Today, I want you to discover your zone of genius. It’s time for us to operate out of our gifts. Now, please don’t think because you decide your zone of genius that you’ll never have to do other work, because you will. However, finding your zone of genius, allows you to reach your highest potential. It helps you make decisions when doing group projects, taking jobs and manage day to day tasks. It helps you flow in life. First, look at your SWOT analysis you created two days ago; where you shared your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Look at the strengths and write down your skills. Next, I want you to write down three things you’re passionate about. Think about what comes naturally to you, it can be as big or small as you think. Whether it’s organization, encouraging people, explaining, painting, planning, etc., write everything down. Next, I want you to connect with the three people that know you best, and ask what they think your area of expertise is, and ask for feedback. What things do they say that align with your list? Start to be more mindful while doing these things, to see how naturally they come. Find out how to incorporate more of these things into your daily and weekly lives and see how your attitude towards work changes. 

Three days in, four more left!