Discovering Your God-Given Purpose

When I was about sixteen years old, shortly after I gave my life to Christ, I began to imagine myself doing everything I am doing today. I saw myself preaching to people on different campuses and in different countries, sharing the Gospel with them.

At the time, I did not fully understand how those imaginations would happen; I was simply a young believer who loved God and was beginning to discover the things He had placed within me. Looking back today, I can see that those early thoughts were clues about the direction my life would eventually take.

One of the most important questions you can ask yourself is, “Why am I here?”

Purpose is the reason something exists. When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. In the same way, when you do not understand the purpose of your life, you may spend years doing many things without fulfilling the reason for which you were born.

Discovering your purpose is therefore not a luxury. It is one of the most important things you can do with your life.

But how do you discover it?

I believe there are clues around you.

Look at what naturally drew you as a child.

Before society began telling you what you should become, what did you love doing? What fascinated you? What did you constantly imagine yourself becoming? What were you naturally good at?

These things may not give you the complete picture of your purpose, but they can give you clues about your design.

As we grow older, many other voices begin to compete with what is within us. We become influenced by society, circumstances, fear, expectations, and the opinions of others. Sometimes, in the process, we lose touch with things that once came naturally to us.

This is why looking back can be valuable.

Pay attention to what you cannot shake.

There are thoughts that visit you once and disappear. Then there are thoughts that keep returning. There are ideas you cannot seem to forget, problems you notice that others overlook, subjects you can talk about for hours, and dreams that continue to resurface even after you have tried to ignore them.

Pay attention to these things.

Sometimes, they may be giving you clues about what God has placed within you.

But not every thought is purpose. Not every desire is God’s assignment for your life, and not every talent tells you the entirety of your calling. We must learn to distinguish between ambition, desire, imagination, and divine direction.

That is why discovering purpose requires a relationship with God.

Romans 8:28 speaks about those who are “called according to His purpose.” Notice that Scripture speaks about His purpose. Purpose is not something we completely invent for ourselves. It is something we discover in God’s design for our lives.

Your life is giving you clues.

Your gifts are clues. Your experiences are clues. Your interests are clues. Your burdens are clues. The opportunities that come your way can also be clues.

Ask yourself:

What has always been in me? What do I naturally gravitate toward? What kind of problems do I feel compelled to solve? What do I keep imagining? What gifts has God placed in me?

Then take those questions to God.

The goal is not simply to discover what you want to do with your life. The goal is to discover why God gave you the life you have.

When you discover purpose, you gain direction. You begin to understand your gifts, experiences, relationships, and even some of the things you have walked through in a different light.

You begin to realise that your life is not random.

There is a reason you are here.

Discover your purpose. Understand your design. And give your life to the reason God created you.

Victor Adeyemi