Why Are You Here?

Why are you here? What is your purpose in life? I can tell you it is not just to take up space. It is not to store up as much material wealth as you can in 70 years. Your purpose is not even to make yourself or other people happy. Romans 12 gives us the answer to this question and gives us the tools to make it happen.

In view of God's mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness, we fulfill God's purpose for our lives by offering ourselves as living sacrifices in service to Him. We worship Him with our heart, soul, mind, body, and spirit when we use our gifts and talents to please Him. When He set us free from the bondage of sin, He empowered us to become His ambassadors of mercy, grace, love, and forgiveness in this dark world. How? As soon as we said "Yes!" to salvation, God filled us with a spiritual gift. Do you know what yours is? If you have no idea, then finding out may be the answer to your spiritual frustration.

 

Not only does Romans 12 provide a list of spiritual gifts for service in God's Kingdom, but Paul also wrote about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. If the most prolific writer of the New Testament thought spiritual gifts were important enough to explain them in three of his letters, I think you and I ought to pay attention to this teaching. You can find free tests all over the internet to research your spiritual giftedness. Here is a link with a vast number of resources: https://mintools.com/gifts-list.htm

My personal experience is that I find joy when I use my gifts from the Holy Spirit to worship God and to serve others. I would love to hear about your journey to find out God's purpose for your life!

6 Promises for God's Children

1. You will have glorious freedom! Somehow we have fallen for the lie that the Christian life "should" be easy. We think it's not fair that we have to suffer if we have committed our lives to serve the LORD. That is a lie from the pit. Show me a Scripture passage that says the road to glory is smooth sailing. Romans 8:18-25 reminds us that our present sufferings have a purpose. Without suffering, we would never be liberated from our bondage to decay. It is our sufferings that help shape us into obedient children of God. Our sufferings remind us that we are aliens here on earth. However, suffering does not signify defeat (see #6 on the list). A sign that you are truly saved is that you long for heaven. You wait eagerly for your final redemption, your glorious freedom. I'm not trying to rush things, but I often ask God if we could just skip to the end. I'm ready for my adoption to be finalized with my arrival in heaven. Are you? That will be glory!

2. The Holy Spirit intercedes for you! Do you struggle with prayer? Do you feel that God doesn't even hear your prayers? Romans 8:26-27 states that if you are a believer, you have a direct connection to the throne room of God through your interpreter, the Holy Spirit. Even when we do not know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit knows, and He communicates with the Father on our behalf. If you never see God answering your prayers, perhaps you have never made a secure connection with him through Christ by asking him to be your Savior. You can't have answered prayers without making Jesus your LORD.

3. He called you for a purpose! Romans 8:28-30 has repeatedly been used and abused. It is incorrect to shorten this passage to a t-shirt quote: "All things work for our good." Wrong. Again, you cannot have God's good gifts if you have not first accepted his best gift of forgiveness. Then you must follow through by answering his call on your life. These verses promise he works all things for good for those who love him and who are called according to his purposes. Please don't use God like a genie in a lamp who will grant your three wishes just because you went to church or said your night time prayers. Love him. Seek him daily. Find out what pleases him. Pursue his purpose for your life. You will not be disappointed!

4. God is for you! Praise the LORD, and Hallelujah! Do you have those days when it feels as if the whole world is against you? Me too! It is such a relief to know that God is my defender when anyone brings a charge against me. Romans 8:31-34 reassures us that God spares no expense when it comes to the salvation of his children. Who else do you know who would sacrifice his only Son for you?

5. Nothing can separate you from His love! Romans 8:35-39 brings us the assurance that no matter how isolated we may feel, God's love never fails us. Paul gives us quite a list of perils in these verses, but declares that not a single thing on his list can disconnect us from the everlasting love of our Almighty Father. I don't know about you, but those words bring rest and peace to this weary soul of mine.

6. You are more than a conqueror! What if you have no strength left to fight? Baby, your war is already won! Look up Romans 8:37 in a Strong's concordance, or find it on http://biblehub.com/greek/5245.htm. You will discover that the word for "more than a conqueror" is hypernikáō. Hyper. More than. Beyond. Exceedingly. God promises that his children are super conquerors. We are completely and overwhelmingly victorious. Surpassing victory. Pre-eminent conquerors. Is this the life you are living as a child of God, or are you allowing the enemy to steal your joy and keep you wallowing in defeat? Girl, let's go stand on the promises of God together!

We could all use a little encouragement from time to time. Share your word of encouragement in the comments!

It Might Be Spiritual Warfare If . . . .

1. You woke up this morning.  Seriously, spiritual warfare is all around us. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

2. You feel condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 assures us that we who are in Christ Jesus have been freed from  condemnation. However, we have an enemy that continually threatens us with the feeling that we deserve God's judgment. The enemy is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) As a child of God, you have the right to remind your enemy that the victory over your soul has already been won.

3. You feel torn between sinful desires and what the Spirit desires. Romans 8:5-8 makes it very clear that those who are saved have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Those who are not saved are hostile to God. They cannot submit to God, and they are unable to please Him. If you repeatedly yield to temptation, you are losing the battle for your soul. Give your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit.

4. You feel powerless. Romans 8:9-11 promises that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in us when the Spirit lives in us. Does the Spirit live in you? He alone can empower you to win your spiritual battles.

5. You aren't sure if the Spirit is leading you. Romans 8:12-14 makes it clear that the sons of God are led by the Spirit. How often are you seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit? He will lead you in the path of life. Sin only leads to death.

6. You are a slave to fear. The enemy fills you with fear. The Spirit confirms in your spirit that you are God's child. As a co-heir with Christ, you have no need to live in fear. (Romans 8:15-17)  Your Father will conquer your fear when you allow Him to do so. 

Even though satan knows that his fate is sealed and that he will lose the final battle, he is waging war for as long as he is allowed to rule this world. Are you going to allow him to win any more battles in your life? What is keeping you from surrendering your life to Christ? His promises are true. Let your mind be controlled by the Spirit, and he will give you a life of peace.

Share your story of spiritual warfare in the comments!