Your life purpose is a process. It is not a quick fix. It is not like fast food, which will satisfy your appetite but provide you with little nutritional value.
Purpose leads to greatness when you are properly connected to the Source. Jesus said, “…without me ye can do nothing.”(John 15:5). One benefit of being constantly in tune with God is that when you deviate from your purpose, He brings you back to the right track because He wants you to fulfil your destiny.
Have you ever watched a shepherd moving along his sheep? Occasionally, one or two stray away. What the shepherd does is to move a little faster to redirect the one going astray and bring it back to the fold. Our God is the Good Shepherd.
Your wrong direction may be God’s plan. He allows you to make a detour to teach you a lesson. He allowed the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for forty years for a purpose. However, when you veer in the wrong direction you will know because it is not the right way to true prosperity. If you find yourself in such a situation, retrace your steps like the ‘prodigal’ son as quickly as possible. Don’t lose your bearing for too long like a ship without a compass or sheep without a shepherd.
I had an unforgettable experience of missing my way sometime in the eighties. I was invited by the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for a function. From Enugu, I knew I must turn left somewhere to enter Nsukka town. I had a new car and was speeding to get to the venue in good time. Unknowingly, I had passed where I should make a left turn before I started watching out for it. After a long distance, I knew something was amiss. Therefore, I stopped and asked two men walking towards me. They replied that they didn’t understand Igbo language. I was already in Benue State.
We are all created as unique individuals in order to make a difference. Success comes from making that difference. In other words, without making a difference, there is no basis for claiming success or significance.
The pursuit of purpose is the process to fulfilling destiny. The enemy of your soul knows your purpose and constantly works to frustrate it. Deviation from your purpose results in failure which is success to the enemy. Therefore, you must be at alert. Watch and pray. “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The process of purpose is usually full of challenges. But you can overcome the challenges by the power of God. To fight the devil does not require tangible weapons as our soldiers use in fighting the Boko Haram insurgents. We are fighting a spiritual warfare and not a physical one. Even the so-called physical warfare is preceded by the spiritual one. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”
God is also concerned with your environment because you are a product of your environment. Your environment greatly influences your destiny. Many years ago, my good friend in the USA advised me to apply for an immigrant visa and relocate. It was a good opportunity. Many have relocated. But the question is, am I among the ones to relocate? Where am I destined to be?
There is a place one should be and a place one should not be. In Genesis 12:1 God gave a definite instruction to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” (NIV.) God moved him out of Ur of the Chaldees for him to become the person he should be. If he had stayed in his own country he would have missed his blessing. In the case of his son Isaac, he was in the land of the Philistines when there was a famine and his counterparts were migrating to Egypt. But the Lord told him, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you...” (Genesis 26: 2-3, NIV).
Disobedience is a great enemy of purpose. Many are not enjoying the full blessings of God because they are not obeying Him fully. Do not be like King Saul who lost his crown because of his partial obedience. God demands complete obedience from all who desire to fulfill their purpose.
