We understand from scripture that every man and woman was created to fulfill a specific purpose on earth. It’s every man’s responsibility to discover and fulfill that purpose while on earth.
Our ultimate purpose is to discover what God wants us to do and do it diligently, tirelessly and continuously, regardless of what the task is.
Discovering God’s Plan for your Life
In order to discover God’s plan for our lives we must first realize that what we wish to know is the plan of God for our lives. As such, it is not necessarily the plan of our parents or friends. It may not even be our own plan for ourselves. We should also realize that because it is God’s plan we seek, we can only discover it by getting it from God.
Next, we must dedicate and consecrate ourselves to the Lord and whatever plan he may have for us. This may not seem logical prior to knowing what God’s plan is but in reality, that is the safest and fastest way to hear the voice of the Lord regarding all issues of our lives. If we already have a notion of what we want to do and refuse to submit those personal desires to God, not only will we hinder ourselves, we will also open ourselves to error in hearing the voice of God because our will and desires are not yielded completely to the Lord. The word Consecrate means to declare an item or person sacred or dedicated to the service of a deity. It also means to ordain to a sacred office. Thus, when we consecrate ourselves to the plan of God for our lives, we declare to God and to everybody else that we are separated to the task he has given us.
Dedicated to God and His Purpose
The issue of consecration is of major importance because we will never truly understand God’s plan for us in its fullness till we surrender to obey Him no matter what he asks us to do. Most times, we instead seek the face of the Lord for His purpose before deciding whether to obey Him or not. However, this does not show the Lord that we trust Him. If we genuinely trust him, we will surrender to his purpose, whatever that plans is.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. – James 4:6-8, 10
A story is told of a young man who had the call of God on his life for the Ministry. He however refused to accept the call because he was afraid the Lord would send him to China as a missionary. To him, the thought of missionary work in China was one he could not accept. The young man continued to run away from the Lord but every now and then would return and rededicate his life to the Lord. He finally decided that he would just surrender to the Lord even if it meant he had to go to China. The moment he made this decision, the Lord spoke to him very clearly, saying that he never intended for him to go to China but just needed for him to be willing to go. This is what absolute surrender is; taking everything God says above our own desires and decisions.
If you are not willing to make your personal desires second place to the plan of God, you most likely will not hear from God or will limit the range of issues he speaks to you about and how much the Lord can use you. Notice from the scripture above that we are to first submit ourselves to God, draw near to him and then he will draw near to us and in the process lift us up. The issue of Consecration is one that is not dealt with in details because it is a painful experience submitting your will and desires to those of the Lord.
Once the issue of consecration has been settled, the next step is to seek to know in detail the plan of God for us. This involves understanding what those plans are, when the first phase of the plan is to be implemented, the location in which that is to happen and other such sensitive details. We must note that with God, there must be no assumptions as to what is to be done. After these basic issues have been resolved, pursue the plan you have received with all your strength and watch God use you in ways that beat your imagination.
In conclusion, it is important to understand that God has a plan for your life, regardless of whether he has called you to business, ministry, politics or any other area. Until you yield your plan for your life to him, consecrate yourself to his plan, understand what that plan is and begin to pursue it with all you’ve got, your prayer for God to use you won’t be fully answered.
Decide to follow God’s plan for you; even if you don’t know the details of it yet. In doing so, your life will take on a whole new meaning!
David Adeniji is the Founder and President of The Behold File, a teaching ministry founded in 2003. The Behold File provides a platform through which the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of men to see Jesus so they can be changed to be like him.