The topic of purpose is one that continues to hold my
attention, as I seem to have this unquenching thirst to know more about
discovering and living a life of purpose. At first it was just about me wanting
to find that elusive calling that would suddenly give my life a focused
direction, but as time goes by, I find that I am also interested in
seeing that those around me are able to benefit from all I am discovering on
this timeless concept.
Why the fixation on purpose? It’s because I believe purpose
gives one’s life meaning, direction and value. Like, you can be moving or
growing in whatever direction, but if it’s an aimless sort of growth then it
really serves no purpose, it becomes a case of vanity upon vanities. There are
numerous books to be found on this topic, but this is definitely one worth
sharing due to its simplicity, clarity and insight, like I’m blown away. The
fact that it uses the bible as its premise I think is also a plus, because a
lot of us will be able to relate to the various ideas discussed and hopefully
see how we all are part of the Grand plan for this earth.
The content of the book is broken down into 31 different powerful
concepts, but I have picked 5 out of that number to elaborate on. Starting with…
1) The Concept of placement – “ The Lord God planted a Garden toward the
east in Eden, and there he placed
the man whom he had formed”
Placement refers to the location that has
been designed for you to be in, and from that place you will be fruitful and
multiply. Your place is your sphere of enthronement, it is the place that you
were designed to fit into, just like the garden was Adams natural habitat, your
place will be that place where you would find it effortless to be yourself. Unfortunately
some people are bent on dominating outside their place, and just like the Lion
who is king of the Jungle cannot also be the king of the sea, when you wander
from your place, you will struggle and eventually burn out.
There are 3 main areas of placement, these
include Ministry, Industry & Society.
·
Ministry
– Those placed in ministry are tasked with the responsibility of equipping
others for their God given assignments and building them up to do exploits in
their own various placements. Ministry is made up of the 5 gifts which Christ
gave the church i.e. The Apostles, The Prophets, The Evangelists, The Pastors and
The Teachers.
·
Industry
– Isaac was a farmer, Daniel was a diplomat (politician), Esther was a Queen, David
a shepherd turned King, there are many examples in the bible of persons not in
the 5 fold ministry who God used to achieve his plans for Mankind. I’d like to
reference one very important scripture here from Exodus 31:1-6. It says… “ Then the lord said to Moses, see I have
chosen Bezalel, Son of Uri of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with
wisdom, knowledge and understanding of all kinds of skills to make artistic
designs for work, and to engage in all kinds of craft, I have appointed Oholiab
of the tribe of Dan to help him. Behold, I have given ability to all the
skilled workers to make everything I have commanded of you”.
Many of us often find that we have unique abilities for various crafts,
and this is because our cognitive abilities have been wired to positions us to function
more effectively in certain career paths than others. Those in industry are
usually business owners/entrepreneurs, employees etc. It is however critical to
note that they too have a responsibility to the most high in the position he
has placed them.
·
Society –
Those in society are about service infusion. They live to serve humanity,
and have an unusual capacity to take up the cause of others in need around
them. To them, other people’s problems are theirs too and will not rest until
they have done something about it. They are given to improving the society and
reversing the arm of injustice. Many of them serve in Government, run civil
societies/organizations, Build strong families, and greatly impact the lives of
many. People are usually tempted to avoid this area of placement because it’s
not as glamorous or rewarding as industry, but often times some of them work in
industry and use the proceeds to fund their work in society.
Now beyond the areas of placement already discussed, there are some very
key dimensions that significantly impact your placement. These dimensions are…
o
Geography
– This indicates the physical locations that you are meant to occupy and
operate in at different stages of your life. The key thing to note here is the
fact that you thrive in the place you are meant to be, but sometimes people
wander out of their geographic placements chasing greener pastures. Some people
stay in their birth place to thrive, others move away to thrive... it all
depends on what Gods plan for your life is but when you are in sync with that
plan, you will feel at peace and God will bless you in that place.
o
Association
– While lot was with Abraham, he prospered. When he departed from Abraham,
he went under. There are associations necessary for the fulfilment of your
destiny, be deliberate in identifying, acknowledging and maximizing those
relationships that ensure you live out the fullness of Gods plan for your life.
The bible is filled with many such examples e.g. Elijah & Elisha, Moses
& Joshua, Even Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego whom Daniel was critical to
their promotion in Life.
o
Function –
Paul was an apostle, Daniel was a diplomat, Joseph an administrator, David a
King, Abraham a farmer, Oholiab a designer, the list goes on. Clearly, we are
all placed in different functional fields that will enable us fulfill the
purpose we are meant for.
o
Hierarchy
– The passage “you will be the head & not the tail” is one that many
interprete to mean you will be the boss and not the assistant, but really when
it comes to the plan of God, it is important that you occupy the position
prepared for you. Sometimes, that might mean being in a supportive position and
not in a leading one. Some people do well as leaders, while others do very well
under the guidance of a strong leader and perform poorly when left on their own
to lead, there is nothing wrong with playing a supportive role. However if you
have been called to lead and you are hiding behind in a supportive role due to
fear and other limiting factors, you will also not do as well as you should.
To wrap up this concept of placement, note
that there is comfort in your place!
2) The Concept
of Gifts – A gift is an enablement or capacity which allows a person to
perform an activity easily and gracefully especially when compared to others
doing the same thing.
The same way employees are given tools to
perform roles assigned to them, that’s the same way we all have been gifted to
fulfill our calls. Just like fish have an innate ability to swim, gifts are
pre-installed in every human; and through observation, practice and exposure these
gifts can be identified and expressed. A person who can sing, only needs to
sing and it becomes obvious to others that they have a capacity which many do
not have, while others are so numerate that they can mentally calculate things
that others will struggle to calculate even with a calculator. These gifts
often position them to walk in certain career paths where those abilities are
their strengths, and with that comes rapid movement in their career. Your gift
when expressed has the capacity to make others pay rapt attention, and will
take you into the presence of greatness. But you must first discover it,
develop it and use it to bless/serve others around you. Release your gifts to
the world as a blessing – (Major Key).
“The thing to note however is that movement does
not always translate to progress, because progress is accomplished only when
you are moving in the direction pre-destined for you. Your movement has to be in
fulfillment of your call, otherwise you may impress men, but heaven will not be
impressed”.
3) The Concept Of The Call – A call is an
assignment that you have been tasked to fulfill for which you have been
provided the tools (gifts) to carry out this assignment. This call will take
different routes from season to season, but it will remain headed in the same
direction. Each person gets a unique experience where the call begins to get
clearer and clearer, but first you have to do the internal work to really
understand yourself and what pulls you in. You also need to really seek the
lord in prayer to help reveal and solidify this call in your life. The answers
will come in varied ways as required for each person, some get an outright
revelation, others in more subtle ways. The call, however is the big picture
that God had in mind for your life i.e. what he wants to achieve through you.
So don’t quit searching, in due season it will be revealed to you as long as
you remain diligent in your seeking, while fulfilling what is required of you
to the best of your ability wherever you currently are.
4)
The
concept of Times & Seasons – “To
everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes
3:1)”. Notice how when a fruit is in season everything co-operates with its
growth, the weather, the sun, the water, the harvesters, even the sellers. But
before that season it kind of remains hidden and struggles along, but in season
it becomes the most popular/desired fruit around. The same reality applies to
us when it comes to our assignments, there are seasons and times attached to
them. These seasons are…
·
Season of
discovery – This phase is a hidden phase because you are seemingly still in
obscurity in the field you have been called to lead in. The author makes a
profound statement here that “Full discovery is never an event but a process.
In other words, it is as if God takes you on a journey to introduce you to
yourself”. The season of discovery strengthens your sense of awareness of your
call and your relevance in the world.
·
Season of
development – David the shepherd boy spent his early years tending his
fathers flock and fighting off lions and bears who threatened the sheep in the
wilderness. Unknown to him, those were years of preparation for the Goliath he
would defeat and the people he would lead and protect. What if he had run away
from the Lion and other wild beasts, he would have lost out on the Goliath test
that propelled him into recognition as Israel’s potential King.
Preparation/Practice is therefore one key process before success is
achieved. This is because the gift inside you usually comes in a form where it
is at a low potential, you need to therefore continuously develop it before it
grows into full maturity.
·
Season of
deployment – For the first 30 years of the life of Jesus, he was literally
unknown by the world. Though at the age of 12 he was already beyond discovery
and was found in the temple sharing knowledge with the elders, but for another
18 years nothing much was heard of him as he underwent the various experiences
he needed to mature. At the age of 30, he was deployed. The season of
deployment is one in which the most high publicly announces you to the world.
Suddenly the you that people did not know becomes prominent in your field. In
this season, the solution that you are shines so bright that people who need
what you carry, begin to look for you from all over. This phase is that which
everyone desires, but you must realise that there is a PROCESS to getting
there.
5)
The
concept of the Seven Mountains – This for me was like the Icing on the cake
because it was a real shift for me in the way I have viewed my role and what I need
to do. Let us begin with a verse from the book of revelation 17: 9-10. “And here is the mind which hath wisdom, the
seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven
kings, five are fallen and one is, and the other is not yet come and when he
commeth, he must continue a short space”.
The author makes reference here to end time
events as predicted by the bible, the seven mountains here symbolize 7
powerhouses that have influenced the kings of the earth and corrupted them. The
woman who sits on top of these power houses that influence the Kings is likened
to the Culture/Norms/Behaviours that pervade every aspect of life and as such
ultimately influence the lives of all. The focus of this concept is the role
that we are meant to play in promoting the kingdom of God. There is a whole
chapter in the book focused on the concept of the kingdom of God on earth whole
sole purpose is the promotion and implementation of Righteousness (Goodness),
Peace and Joy. All our combined purposes and calls are directed towards the one
objective of establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, and we will do this by
promoting Righteousness (Goodness), Peace and Joy in the seven mountains, the
seven powerhouses that influence the Kings of the earth. These mountains are…
o
The Media (Strategy is to fill the air with bad
news and propaganda)
o
The Government (Strategy is to stablish
corruption/oppression as a norm)
o
Education (Strategy is to establish humanism
i.e Love of self vs Love of God)
o
Economy (Strategy is to establish money as an
idol, love of riches, greed etc.)
o
Arts & Entertainment (Strategy is to
establish lifestyle compromise )
o
Religion (Strategy is false doctrine and
idolatry)
o
Family (Strategy is to establish rejection and
abuse )
Now if you operate in any of these pillars of society and
can influence what goes on there, you are operating as a King in that pillar.
Your purpose is to use your God given abilities and strengths to positively
influence what happens there for goodness, peace and joy. Our whole existence
is not just to participate passively, we are to advance and influence because
there is a struggle going on. Your desire for the top, and to be the best in your
field should not be about self-aggrandizement but it should be about positively
influencing your followership and those you have responsibility over to further
the God given agenda.
In conclusion of this post, I’d like to just state here
again that they are 31 powerful concepts explained in this book, but I have
only elaborated on 5 of them. I encourage you all who are seeking more
understanding on purpose to get yourself a copy so you can read up on all of
them. It will be a worthy investment.
I wish us all the strength & grace to discover purpose
in our lives, and to take the right steps in fulfillment of it. Amen!
I hope this was useful🙏, cheers🍸to open minds
