5 Steps to Live A Purposeful Life

Do you feel like life is passing you by?

Do you find yourself wondering, “Where does the time go?”  Are you pondering all the things you wanted to accomplish and didn’t? Do you set goals year after year only to forget about them within a few months or give up on them altogether?

It doesn’t have to be that way! God wants to lead and direct your steps.  We were created to live life on purpose. Ephesians 5:15-17 in the AMPC says “

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),

¹⁶ Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

¹⁷ Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

We serve a God who desires to give us His dreams and goals for our lives. He wants us to reach our destiny – to fulfill the call He has placed on our lives.  It’s not just about us! It is about people. When we spend time with Him, we can grasp what His will for us is.  He will give us His plans and His methods.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us:

⁵ Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.

⁶ In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

Our responsibility is to seek Him, listen to Him with a willing heart, and then do what He says.  I realize that is not as easy as it sounds, but it is possible.  Think about this: What would happen if you spent time seeking God for your life and let Him give you His dreams, goals, and desires for your life? The answer to that depends on what you do with the information.

• You can ignore it and not fulfill your destiny.
• You can think about it and never act on it, living a frustrated and unfilled life – again, not fulfilling your destiny and not impacting the people God has called you to touch.
• You can continually seek Him. Live Purposely: Be a doer of the Word – acting on what the Lord speaks to you (James 1:22.) In return, fulfill your destiny and impact people for God’s glory.

If you seek Him and then do nothing, nothing will happen. You will find yourself in the same place next week, next month, and next year.  But, if you seek God for His plans and purposes for you, allowing Him to place His desires on your heart, AND you act upon what His leading you to do, you will fulfill the destiny you were designed for. He will direct your steps. You only need to obey.  Are you ready to live on purpose? Join me in seeking God, saying yes, stepping out, and doing what He places on your heart with these 5 practical steps to help you live a purposeful, God-centered life.

1. Seek Him

• Read, meditate, and study His Word. God will never tell us to do something that goes against His Word. For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
• Spend time in prayer. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
• Worship Him. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. Hebrews 13:15  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24             

2. Listen to Him

• Expect God to speak to you. You are His child. He will speak to you, and you will know His voice. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  John 10:27
• Write it down. Write the vision and the plan. You may only have the next step, that’s ok.  Write it down. The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you so that it can be read at a glance. Habakkuk 2:2
• Journal: Write down what He has impressed upon your heart in the past that you have not seen fulfilled.
• Write down your top 3-5 God-given priorities.
• Keep it before you. Write it down and come back to it often to remind yourself of the purpose God has given you and what steps you need to take in obedience.

3. Do What God Says

• Be a doer of the Word. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says: James 1:22
• You don’t have to have the entire plan to get started. “If you know a step, do it. James 4:17 says “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

4. Seek Godly Council – Be Accountable

• Share with a godly friend, leader, mentor, etc. Choose wisely who you share with.  The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.  They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. Psalm 30:30-31
• Stay accountable to a godly friend. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
• Trust the Holy Spirit to be your accountability partner. He is our helper and teacher (John 14:26.) The Holy Spirit is the one who will convict our hearts when we get off course. (John 16:7-8) 

5. Make a plan- Be purposeful

• What are your priorities? How are you living into them? (For example, if you say family is one of your highest God given priorities, then what are you doing to invest in your family?)
• What is God speaking to you to do? What steps can you take to see it come to pass? (For example, if you feel like God is calling you to be a life coach, what steps are you taking to move towards that direction?)
• Commit your plans to the Lord and allow Him to continually direct you.
• Find a friend to share with.

It doesn’t matter if it is the beginning of a new year, month, or week. God’s mercies are new every morning.  So regardless of when you are reading this, choose now to live a purposeful life.  SEEK HIM. Get alone with God.  Listen to Him.  Journal what He speaks to you. Start! Do what He says to do.  Seek Godly Council – including the Holy Spirit. Share with a Godly friend for accountability and encouragement. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you stay on course. Make a plan – Be purposeful.  What steps do you need to take now? Write it down.

Let’s live a purposeful life, fulfilling God’s plan! You will definitely be blessed, but more importantly, your faithfulness and obedience will bless and encourage others.