“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— …This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1,3-4 NIV
You want to fulfill your divine potential. You want to fulfill your mission on the earth. You want to be and do all that God has called you to. You want to say YES to God. But how? How do you know what your mission is? How do you know what God is saying to you?
Your question: How do I know when I am hearing God’s voice so that I can fulfill His mission for me?
Let’s start with the basics. The primary way that God speaks to His people is through His Word. Anything that you think you are hearing from God about your mission MUST line up with His Word.
The more I read and study God's Word, the more I see how completely practical it is and how relevant it remains to modern daily life. In a multitude of vibrant illustrations and instructions, the Word of God outlines how God wants His people to behave, and what it looks like to love God by loving others. It also provides some graphic presentations of what it looks like when people don't live according to His guidelines. If you want to know what God is saying to you so that you can achieve your divine potential, start with His Word.
God has one mission for all people: Restore relationship with Him. As I read the Bible it helps to keep in mind that the Word of God is one story from beginning to end, and that, ultimately, God is the major character in that one story. In its pages, the Bible tells a love story, the story of God pursuing a restored relationship with humanity, with me and with you. It makes clear that God's primary purpose for all people is salvation, a restored relationship with Him. That covers every area of human life - spiritual, emotional, physical, and material. It's both an instant and a progressive restoration. Once we begin to experience that restoration in our own lives, God's Word makes it clear that our main mission is to bring others into that restoration process.
You want to know what God is saying to you? Restore your relationship with Him in every aspect of your own life and bring as many people with you on that journey as you can! That’s your primary mission right there. Are you hearing Him yet?
Keep the broader mission in focus: God's unique mission for me or you is always going to be part of the bigger mission. No exceptions. Whatever God calls you or me to do is going to trace back to salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ. Keeping that in mind can go a long way toward helping you to discern His voice.
If God calls me to a public platform, and He has at times, then the ultimate purpose of that platform is to bring people further along in their restoration journey with God. It isn't for me to make money or have notoriety. It is not for my benefit, but so that God can be glorified through me.
If God keeps me in a quiet place, and He has at times, maybe at home with small children or a loved one with a disability or an elderly relative, it isn't because He is punishing me or preventing me from fulfilling some great purpose. My mission then remains the same: to help those in my sphere of influence to move further along on their journey with God so that He will be glorified through me. That is the greatest purpose there is!
The beginning of hearing God and fulfilling your unique mission on the earth is to keep the broader mission in focus as you go about your day-to-day interactions with people. Are you hearing Him yet?
Where are you on your restoration journey with God? Have you been allowing God to continue the restoration process in your life? Then you have something to share with the people in your sphere of influence. As you make choices to live according to God's Word, look for ways that God may be calling you to guide the people in your life closer to Him through your example. When you do that, you are saying YES to God in a BIG way. God's unique mission for you will always trace back to the larger mission of salvation. Are you hearing Him yet?
Key Question: How do I know when I am hearing God’s voice so that I can fulfill His mission for me?
A Scripture to Consider: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— …This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1,3-4 NIV
A YES Challenge: What is one thing you could do today to help someone in your current sphere of influence to draw closer to God?
Prayer: God, I really want You to hear Your voice and fulfill Your mission for me. Help me to remember that Your mission is always to draw people into a restored relationship with You. Show me how You want to use me in my current sphere of influence. Help me not to miss the opportunity around me by looking for something bigger or somewhere else. Help me to keep the larger mission in focus as I seek You for the unique mission You have called me to. Amen.