Living on Purpose

Week three of "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God" has reminded me that God has called me to be wholly committed and set apart for Him. I'd like to share with you the scriptures contained in chapter four that have re-awakened my heart and are calling me to live on purpose for God.

Your heart should be holy and set apart for the Lord God. Always be ready to tell everyone

who asks you why you believe as you do. Be gentle as you speak and show respect.

(1 Peter 3:15 New Life Version)

This verse reminds me that my heart, which is the center of my being, is to be dedicated and devoted to the service of God. This requires Jesus to be my ALL and in ALL that I do. He is to be Lord over EVERYTHING in my life. This verse also reminds me of my purpose while here on this earth waiting for the promise of Heaven. I am to be ready at ALL times, in a gentle and respectful way, to share my confidence and belief in the Lord Jesus to anyone who does not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. This gentleness and respectfulness shows a consideration of this person on my part...a consideration that puts their lost condition above anything else that I could be pursuing other than reaching them for Jesus.

Oh, but Satan does not want me to live my life on purpose! He wants to distract me with the temporary pleasures and pursuits of this fallen world. Jeremiah 12:2 (New Living Translation) says:

You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered.

Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts.

This verse was very convicting to me. I do not want to be like the people mentioned in this verse. They are prospering in the things of this world, but have not lived as the lights God had called them to be! To live holy and set apart for God will call for interruptions in my busy life. God has showed me that these are not actually interruptions as I would call them, but are "God appointments" He has made for me. More importantly, these are "God appointments" for the person who has yet to make the decision to ask Jesus to be their Savior and Lord of their life! There is nothing more important in this temporary world than the eternity that waits for us all!  Proverbs 13:25 (NKJV) describes a heart that is satisfied by making right choices that honor God:

The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,

but the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

This, my friends, is living on purpose. When I live a life of #YestoGod, I will be #amazed by how He will use me for His eternal purpose and my heart will be satisfied beyond what anything this temporary world has to offer!

Last week, I and others from my church, had the opportunity to minister to children at our VBS. I had the #amazing opportunity to pray with a total of 41 children during the week who asked Jesus to come into their hearts! I cannot begin to tell you what an awesome experience that was. I cry every time I think about the "God appointment" each of those children had. I cry because I think back to a time in my life as a young girl where I distinctly remember feeling that "something" was missing in my heart/life. It wasn't until later on as a teenager that I would give my heart to the Lord for the first time when I went to church with my friend who lived next door. Sadly, my life didn't continue in surrender to the Lord, but the seed that had been planted as a teenager was there in my heart and when the blows of life left me as a divorced woman with a precious 2 year old daughter, I came RUNNING back to Jesus and have been growing in my relationship with Him ever since! My prayer for those 41 children who accepted Jesus is that He would guard and protect the seed that was planted in each of their hearts, that there would be those who would say #YestoGod and come alongside them to water those seeds (pray with me that our church would be that vessel), and that a harvest of souls on fire for God would be produced to join the call of living on purpose!

This week and last, I have heard God's call for me to live on purpose for Him! I have experienced a heart that is satisfied by saying #YestoGod and nothing else now will do! How are you hearing God call you to live on purpose? Feel free to share from your heart in the comments below. 

Blessings,

Laurie