Discover & Embrace Your Purpose

by Campbell Lumbila
(New York)

Genesis 37 tells the story of Joseph, a Hebrew young man and a son of Jacob. He had two dreams from God concerning things in his future and he shared them with his father and brothers (Vs. 5-10). Joseph’s dreams were a glimpse of his destiny- a glimpse of his Purpose - to be a leader and ruler.

Through his journey we find certain keys to unlocking our own destiny and discovering our purpose in life. All of us aspired to be something when we were children. Those aspirations might have well been our dream. God uses the innocence of childhood to reveal his purpose and destiny for our lives by putting in our hearts certain passions that act as a compass to guide us to the real thing.

Most people dismiss dreams as mere fantasies and miss out on what God has for their lives - the assignment for which they were born. When you cease to dream you cease to live. I have a lot of people ask me the question, “What do I have to do to discover my purpose?” Honestly, there is no set formula to discovering your purpose. But there are some things that you must do in order to place yourself in a position where God can begin revealing his purpose for your life.

I have highlighted some pointers that helped me in my discovery of purpose and I hope that they will be of help to you.

Reflect & Pray

Reflect on your childhood and salvage those “little” dreams you had - the things that brought you joy and ignited a passion in your heart. As you reflect, initiate an honest conversation with God. Talk about the things you are reflecting on. Ask questions and be patient to listen for the answers. God will communicate with you in different ways. Listen for his still small voice within your heart; be sensitive to what he is saying through his own Word as well as through other people.

Document your Thoughts

A piece of paper never forgets. Write out your reflections, however many they are. Documenting allows you to review your reflections. As you review your thoughts you begin to see the real thing hidden in your reflections; Revision matures your dream. I call this the crystallization of your dream.

The process of revision is on-going because God reveals his purpose in bits and pieces. If Joseph were told everything that awaited him in life in order to live out his purpose he probably would have “chickened out.” So Be patient and VERY consistent. Be committed to the search and embrace your dream with your whole soul.

Watch your Crowd

I always tell people that if you want to soar like an Eagle don’t hang out with the Crows. They are not in the same class. Get yourself around people that are like-minded and are on the journey of fulfilling their purpose and destiny.

As Iron sharpens Iron, your relationship with them will sharpen and enrich you. Its important to regulate your crowd because some people will talk you out of your dream. Young Joseph experienced this from his own family, but he never gave in to their discouragement or ridicule. Most people that talk others out of pursuing their dreams have themselves given up, and have chosen to live an average, mediocre life.

Recognize & Embrace the Process

When you discover and commit to your purpose, God begins to take you through a refining process- to refine you and to refine your dream. The process is not easy, but don’t resist it. There are several marks that distinguish God’s refining process, but these are relative to the individual. You might experience them as part of God’s process for you or you might not. But everyone goes through the refining process regardless of its packaging. My goal is to give you some pointers that might help you.

Isolation

God had to isolate Joseph; he was estranged from his brothers in that they hated him for his dream (Vs. 8). He was Isolated from his entire family in that he was sold as a slave to some foreigners never to be seen again, at least for a while. Settle this fact in your mind. Not everyone can come with you on your journey. Therefore, quit trying to get people to understand your process, for the process is not for them but for you.

Throughout the Bible we find that God uses Isolation to get people to their destiny. Abraham had to separate himself from his family so that God could take him to his destiny (Genesis. 12). Jesus our Lord repeatedly Isolated himself from the crowd so that he could commune with the Father. It was part of his process. Before the apostle Paul ventured into ministry he was isolated in a desert for 3 years; he was going through God’s refining process.

Isolation removes distractions that would otherwise hinder you from hearing the voice of God.

Trials and Sufferings

God’s refining process includes trials and suffering. Purpose- driven people look for the lessons hidden in trials so that they can learn from them and be changed for the better. The process is there to build your character. Success without character can be destructive, and God knows this. Hence, the process.

Only purpose- driven people can rejoice in suffering because they know that they are being refined (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:3) and moving towards the fulfillment of destiny. It is important for us to remember that the process lasts for a life time; and as we keep on graduating from one level to the next God gives us satisfaction; and he is able to trust us with success.

Therefore, Go for it! Discover and embrace your purpose; recognize and embrace the process and God will lead you to a place called success. Remember that your life is significant and that the world needs what God has placed in you; all of creation awaits your manifestation.

To your Success

Campbell Lumbila
Pastor and Life Coach

Campbell is based in the United States and Pastors a Church in Long Island New York with his Wife Amanda Jean. He is also a writer and Editor of Destiny Awaits-A quarterly Newsletter that seeks to motivate the leader in you. His focus is the development of human potential through the process of Self-discovery and Self-manifestation.

This article is an except from Destiny Awaits: Issue 001. All rights Reserved 2006.