Tim Alford

Four questions

Ever wonder what God’s purpose is for your life? Ask yourself these four questions.

1. Who is God calling me to become? 
God is way more interested in who you are becoming in him than what you are doing for him.

That’s why in Romans 12 the Bible says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will."

This shows that the transformation of your character comes before the revelation of your calling.

So, let’s make sure we’re focusing first on who we’re becoming in God, rather than what we’re doing for him. 

2. What has God already called me to do?
Jesus gave us the great commandment and the great commission.

The great commandment is to love God, to love others and to love ourselves.

So, if we are not already loving God perfectly, loving others perfectly and loving ourselves perfectly, the good news is you’ve discovered God’s purpose for your life.

Love God, love others and love yourself.

But he also gave us the great commission: go and make disciples of all nations. So, the good news is that anything we’re doing to share the good news of Jesus with someone else is, in fact, our purpose. 

3. What has God already made me to be?
When God made you he didn’t make a mistake. He made you on purpose and for a purpose.

Did you know there’s nobody else on this planet with the same mix of gifts, personality and experiences as you? And that means you can do something for God that nobody else on the planet can do.

So, ask yourself what are your gifts, what are your strengths and what is your personality, then go and do something for God in-line with that.

God has given you everything you need to be who he is calling you to be. 

4. What has God made me passionate about?
What are the things that get you up in the morning? What are the things that keep you awake at night as you think about them?

What are the things you would love to see change? What are the injustices you feel so angry about because they just shouldn’t be this way?

There’s a good chance that the things that God has made you passionate about are also the things that he is calling you to do something about.

So... there are the four questions that will discover your purpose.

Who is God calling you to be? What has God already called you to do? Who has God already made you to be? And what has God made you passionate about?
 

First published in the September 2021 issue of Direction, Elim’s monthly magazine. Subscribe now to get Direction delivered to your home.

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