We all have something particular to do

I ended my latest blog series with a conclusion and a question: "I strongly believe we all have something particular to do, apart from the general works we are called to do as believers. 👉What is it He called you to do?"

In other words, what is your calling? The Bible is full of stories of people who had a specific task given by God. One smaller, one bigger, but a task nonetheless.

And whatever they did, became part of Biblical world history and God's Kingdom as we know it. All their stories are connected to Ephesians 2:10 where it is written:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Notice it says 'in' Christ Jesus. We first need to be in Him. Why? Because it is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). We find our purpose in Jesus. Being in Him comes before doing something for Him. Remember that! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

We discover the specific works God has prepared for us when we are a new creation in Christ, in other words when we have been born again. How exciting! Think about it, there is a task only you can do. 

Yes, you. Why? Because you are unique. You have a specific character and background. You have specific life experiences, abilities, strengths, talents, and spiritual gifts. Some of your experiences may be painful or negative, but God will make everything new. He redeems our lives for His purposes.

I am a writer and blogger, but there are probably millions of people who do a better job than I do. Yet, I know that I am called to write about certain topics in a certain way, simply because of the way I think, the way I grew up, the way I connect with the Lord, the way I express myself etc. etc.

Furthermore, a prophetic word was given to me many years ago, before I even penned one blog, article, or book. God called me to be His 'faithful mouthpiece'. I have those words on my desk, to be reminded every day that I work for Him.

How do you find out what it is God has prepared for you?

• I believe it starts with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the Father's purpose for your life.
• Seek Christian gatherings where people operate in prophetic gifts and come with a genuine hunger to do His will.
• Get inspired by reading the Bible, by the men and women that went before you and take notice when your heart jumps a beat... that is a clue for further prayer.
• Journal (write down) anything that the Lord brings to mind: words, thoughts, scriptures, names... anything! They are pieces of the puzzle.
• Make sure to seek silence so you can listen to the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit.

This post might be helpful as well

And you know what, when we do the particular works, we are being shaped into the man or woman He ordained us to be. Our specific calling shapes our life for eternal purposes.

Glory to the Father (5)

To God belongs the glory, which basically means He deserves all honor. And 'He' is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, of course. In this blog series, I highlighted the glory given to the Father.

If you want to learn more about the exchanging of honor and glory, please read chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17 of the Gospel of John over and over again. It will surely bless you.

I would like to end this blog series with the prayer of Jesus as recorded in John 17. Verse one says:

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.

Right until His final hours on earth, Jesus had the desire to give glory to His Father. He did not want to keep it for Himself. There was this constant exchange, which I find fascinating. Desiring to give back to God what we receive from Him in the first place. What if we lived our lives that way?

Jesus lived His life that way, for sure. In verse 4 He says:

I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

Such marvelous words. Let's make them personal. The Lord has works to do for you and me, there is no doubt about it. He planned it that way (read Ephesians 2:10 in as many translations as you can)!

👉What is it He called you to do? I strongly believe we all have something particular to do, apart from the general works we are called to do as believers. If you don't know what it is, pray, seek Him, and ask Him. If you already do know what it is, do it. Stop procrastinating, stop making excuses. Pick it up again if you are discouraged. Let's bring glory to the Father here on earth by completing the work He gave us to do!

The meaning of life

'God has a plan and purpose for your life'. I don't know how many times I heard that phrase before I believed it! I struggled with the thought that there would be meaning to individual lives in a world with almost 7.8 billion inhabitants and so much suffering.

Thank God I do know better now. 👉God has a plan and a purpose for each individual before they are even born. More on that precious womb phase in my book Breath of Life, by the way.

I am currently reading through the Psalms again in my Bible. And I noticed two scriptures that make it very clear that 1) God is the One to fulfill that purpose and that 2) God is the one to work out that plan. We need to ask Him, we must pray about it and we should go on a quest to find out what this is all about. I promise you will discover great things.

I cry out to God most high. to God who will fulfill His purpose for me (Psalm 57:2).

I find that so exciting and well for several reasons. 1) There is a purpose for my life. 2) It is His purpose, not mine. 3) He is the One to fulfill that purpose and 4) He will do so, even if I feel nothing is happening! I got so encouraged reading that passage, I must have read it twenty times in a row until the words finally took deep root in my heart. Then, I came to Psalm 138:8.

The Lord will work out His plans for my life.

Truly Lord? You will work out YOUR plans for MY life? Despite my failures, despite my mistakes, despite my fears and doubts? How awesome is that!  May I encourage you to find out more about God's purpose and plans for your life? Set time apart, turn off your tv, sit, listen, and read through the psalms. You will be richly blessed as you begin to discover why you are here on earth!

Weird messages

Jesus had some weird messages.

One of Jesus’ boldest statements and commands can be captured in two words: ‘fear not’. His words almost sound like a cruel joke. Fear not? That’s like telling someone who is sinking not to drown.

One look at today’s headlines tells me there are many things to fear, such as wars, epidemics, terrorism, foreclosures, and cancer, just to name a few. Only a heart of stone would be untouched and unshaken by such scares. So, was Jesus mistaken or did He take things too lightly?

I don’t think so, His messages were sometimes weird, but always serious; don’t fear the things of the world, fear God! Put all of your energy there!

David prayed sincerely, 

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

(Psalm 86:11)

Let that be our prayer today!

The plan of God

Step by step

Two weeks ago I posted on the will of God for our lives and basically concluded that the will of God is not so much a thing we should ask for all the time, but something we should do! God's will is a general instruction for all believers, His plan is an individual destiny or purpose for you and me. Often God's will gets confused with His plan. The plan He has for us is a different story...

His plan is not the same as His will. His will is a general instruction, but His plan is an individual destiny that fits our unique situation. Of course His plan is always part of His will for this world and mankind. The Lord will start to reveal His plan for you and me as soon as we walk in His will and act upon His will. Trying to discover and work out His plan while not being in His will is a very frustrating thing to do.

The plan of God involves various levels of life. For example, God has a plan with the universe, with this world, with Israel, with the church and with individual people. When we seriously think about that it is no more than logical that His plan for our life will always fit in the bigger plan of God. I do not know what His plan is for you, my dear reader, but I can share some characteristics of His plan:

• For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). God spoke those words to the people of Israel in exile, and His words clearly indicate the character of His plans with men. They are good and hopeful and will not harm us. Please keep that in mind when you start discovering His plan.
• But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations (Psalm 33:11). God's plan is set, it doesn't change all the time. It certainly does not bring confusion, it brings clarity. Please keep that in mind when you start discovering His plan.
• About God it is said that He summons a bird of prey and from a far-off land a man to fulfill His purpose (Isaiah 46:11). God uses individual people to brings His plan to completion. The Bible is full of examples. We all play a role in His greater plan: the salvation of all people! Please keep that in mind when you start discovering His plan.

Now, the Lord will hardly ever reveal His plan all at once, simply because it would scare us and we would try to run away from it. He will reveal His plan step by step and we can recognize these steps by checking them with His Word (His will) as we have seen above in a few examples. Is the step we are about to take positive and good? Is the step certain and ordained? Is the step part of His greater plan?

So, how do we discover the first step of God's plan for our lives? First of al: PRAYER! Ask God to reveal His first step to you. Second, it might be helpful to write down what you already know and what God has already done in your life. The following acronym will help you to get started: STEP.

S = Strengths, write down your 5 main strengths, for example: I am a good listener

T = Talents, write down your 5 main talents, things that you are good at

E = experiences, write down 5 life experiences, for example: grew up without a father

P = Passion, write down the 5 things you like to do most or would like to do most

When you start doing that, a picture will be formed. A picture that you can take to the Lord in prayer, ask Him where and how He wants to use you. You will see that soon the first step will be revealed. It is then important to take that step! Let me know if this has been of any help to you.