What if...Pursuing your purpose blinds you to God's promises?

Titled: Journey Begins, Photo by MLG

Infusions of Faith

"Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4 (NIV)

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matthew 6:33(NIV)

Purpose. We all have one.  Don't we?   We tell ourselves that we must have a purpose, especially since we are encouraged to search for it and are told we are incomplete without it.  How many times has the question been thought or spoken, "What is my purpose?" How many lives have been ended because life felt devoid of purpose?  I firmly believe that purpose can be a hard taskmaster pushing us beyond our limits, and a poor pay master, often being discovered to have made promises that it could not afford to pay.

But what if, we are off about this search for purpose.  What If....Pursuing your purpose blinds you to the promises of God?  What if our purpose is found in the promises of God?  I don't mean the promises rooted in the pursuit of material possessions that rust and decay.  Or the promises anchored to the pursuit of destiny, which is at best a misty picture set way too far into the future to give any sort of certainty.  I am talking about the promises of God that seem so mundane one might think that they can't possibly hold the key to fulfilled purpose.  Could it be that the formulas for fulfilled purpose are so simple its easy to overlook them in the mad dash to find "purpose"?  God has set out formulas that, if followed, lead to his promises, which in turn lead to your purpose.  Formulas like:

Delight + focus on God + yielding of self to God = desires (Purpose) being fulfilled

Seeking first + (God's Kingdom + God's Righteousness) = Added things (purpose) to you

 I am convinced that you can rest in your purpose if you pursue the promises of God. THE LORD IS NEVER SLACK CONCERNING HIS PROMISE... (2 Peter 3:9).   The loving father who wants all people saved, is the same loving father who wants to give his children good things (Matthew 7:11). I believe God wants us to fulfill our purpose.  Why? A fulfilled purpose is a good thing.  However, a purpose pursued above the promise can become a stumbling block and the source of bondage. Pursuing the promises of God should lead to rest not worry, anxiety, sleepless nights, etc.  One might ask, how do we enter into the rest as we pursue the promise?

Shae Bynes, the founder of Kingdom Driven Entrepreneurs (KDE)* and author of the book, "Grace over Grind" provides an answer.  She challenges her readers to move from a life of grind (work) to a life of grace (rest).  She encourages readers to truly trust God for every detail of our businesses and our lives. Why,  because rest is a promise.  If we are in the promise (rest) we will always find the purpose. In essence she encourages the believer to pursue GOD as your purpose and he will add to you: business strategies, divine appointments, favor with clients, unexpected benefits, boundaries in family, less stress, success redefined, and a fulfilled sense of identity and purpose.  The same applies for our personal life.  Pursue rest and God will work things out for our good.

So as you move forward from here, I challenge you to stop and ask," Am I pursing God's promises before pursing my purpose?  The answer to this question might be the start of a journey that transforms your life.

Think About It

Are you pursuing your purpose above pursuing God?  If so, stop, repent, and start moving in your rest and promises.

This week, let's apply the formulas and see how God responds to your act of faith.

1. Delight + focus on God + yielding of self to God = desires (Purpose) being fulfilled

2. Seeking first + (God's Kingdom + God's Righteousness) = Added things (purpose and destiny) to you

Key Insights:

We must never confuse pursuing success with pursuing God. 

Pursuing purpose should never blind you to obedience.

Without obedience you can never access the promise.

Pursuing God changes our heart into a heart of obedience.  

A heart of obedience will lead us to our true purpose.

The promise is rooted in God's character.

* Visit:  https://kingdomdrivenentrepreneur.com