And for many of us, it is in pursuing the answer to that question that leads us into a relationship with God.
When we come into relationship with God, we realize that he has placed a calling on each of our lives (Ephesians 4:1).
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
We find purpose in the call. We are not just living to live, but he has a will for each of our lives, as it says in Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things that he planned for us long ago.”
So what prevents us from living into that calling and purpose?
Fear.
Of failure.
Of pain.
Of facing opposition.
But God says in 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
If God has called us to something, then he has equipped us for it.
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” – 2 Peter 1:3
Romans 12:6 – “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well,” let us use them…
There are certain things we’re good at or certain skills that we’ve gained, and we don’t have them for nothing – God gave them to us to use to live into our calling
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
If we believe that God has called us to a certain purpose, we must believe that he would want us to succeed in that.
He didn’t create us to fail at our own life, so we can be confident that he has given us what we need to fulfill our purpose in life.
The testimony of my World Race experience is an example of that.
When I heard about the World Race, my first thought was that I wouldn’t be able to do it – I was afraid. The enemy tried to use my fear to prevent me from living out my call. I was afraid of being away from my family and friends for so long, I was afraid of being uncomfortable and not having access to things I was used to, I was afraid of having to do things like sing in front of church or preach to the congregation. The enemy tried to tell me that I didn’t know enough about the Bible or about the character of God. I was afraid, but I didn’t want my fear to rule me and so I chose to come on this race anyway. Coming on the race, I still had fear, but I knew in my heart that God was greater than that fear and that if I felt him calling me to do this than he would equip me with exactly what I needed to live it out.
God will provide the right people and the funds to do the job.
Jesus sent out his disciples, telling them to take nothing with them but the clothes on their back because the Lord would provide what they needed.
When God called me to this trip, the daunting amount of money that I needed to raise was the biggest deterrent. I know that I didn’t have that amount of money available on my own and it scared me to think that I would have to ask people to support me financially. I don’t like to ask people for things because I don’t want to inconvenience them, but also because of my own pride. But God wanted to teach me how to trust and depend on him for things and to relinquish control. When I surrendered to God, he showed me that he is the Great Provider. To my surprise, but not to God’s surprise, many people chose to financially support me – even people I barely knew or hadn’t talked to in years. God taught me that he owned all the money in the world and that he could allocate it however he wanted, and that if he called me to do something, he would make sure he allocated money for me to do that.
He has given us the same promises that He gave to Joshua as he led the Israelites towards the Promised Land.
Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The safest place to be is living within the will of God.
The enemy may try to use fear to convince us otherwise, but if we know that God has equipped us with the skills and resources, and if we trust him when he says that he is always with us, then we have nothing to fear.
SUPPORT UPDATE
I AM FULLY FUNDED!!
Thank you everyone for your support! God is so good and I am so excited to be able to finish out this race!
