KNOWING YOUR PURPOSE BEYOND DOUBT

We will discuss how to identify the voice of your holy dissatisfaction and how this can point towards your purpose. We will analyse your natural gifts and abilities and how these are usually God’s deliberate pre-instalments to support the effective execution of what He would have you do. We would share other snippets that I can assure will truly guide you in this discovery process as it guided me.

But there is none of those snippets that can provide a ‘rock-solid’ assurance of your call as the clear voice of the Holy Spirit Himself.

You may have the gift of oration but how do you know whether the gift is to be used on the pulpit or in the parliament? That a man has a prophetic or apostolic grace doesn’t mean he must be a Founder and President of a Church movement.

Both Joseph and Daniel possessed strong prophetic graces but they used it primarily in government to solve political and economic problems in their days. This is why the clarification of the Spirit of God is indispensable. Gifts and graces cannot provide conclusive proof of your Place of Primary Assignment.

Since the administration of human resources and posting to different departments of labour of members of the body of Christ is coordinated by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (there are differences of administrations but the same Lord – 1 Cor. 12 :5), only Him knows exactly where He will need your hands and so only from Him can the information be ASSUREDLY gathered.

We have found from Biblical (and even contemporary Christian) history that the voice of the Lord is not cheap. It is those who seek the Lord that find Him – those who seek Him with all their hearts. Jer. 29:13.

And so first, to discover assuredly your life’s calling, there is a need to seek the Lord in prayer deliberately. Put differently, I will say, a definite PRAYER PROJECT is required. The prayer point (as we saw in the example of Paul when he was struck by the great light on His way to Damascus) is, “Lord, what will you have me to do?”

But the prayer that will produce the kind of result desired here is not the cold, emotionless mumble of words at sporadic intervals that we call prayer. It has to be a praying that is preceded by a strong desire, an intense longing for attainment.

“Without desire, prayer is a meaningless mumble of words. Such perfunctory, formal praying, with no heart, no feeling, no real desire accompanying it, is to be shunned like a pestilence. Its exercise is a waste of precious time, and from it, no real blessing accrues.” – E.M. Bounds.

Put differently, the praying that will draw the clarifying voice of God has to be a praying that is desperate! A praying that clearly admits by the emotions that accompany it, the danger of not fulfilling purpose and therefore desperately cries to God to avert such a possible heartbreaking outcome.

This praying must also be importunate. One that continues until the answer comes. It is the effectual, heartfelt and continuous kind of praying that avails much. James 5:16.

I came to such a desperate point in the year 2011. I was just about to enter my third decade on earth and yet my calling wasn’t clear. I had several passions that were growing at the same time and so I was confused. Which of these passions will I judge to be my calling? How do I know which one to focus on and develop?

I was gripped by the fear that in a generation where the average lifespan is 60, I had consumed 20 years (about one-third) that can never be retrieved and I hadn’t even become sure of the calling so as to begin a streamlined preparation for its fulfilment. What a disaster waiting to happen!!!

At twelve, Jesus was already very clear about His purpose and had begun a conscious preparation for its fulfilment; at seventeen, David was already at the verge of taking the throne; at around five, Samuel had begun a conscious training for his purpose so that by twenty (according to Bible Scholars), he already started judging Israel as all Israel from Dan to Beersheba already recognised him as a Prophet of the Lord.

When you don’t know your calling, a lot of time is wasted on things that are irrelevant for your destiny. When you get to a bookshop, you’ll pick books that are not relevant to your calling and waste precious time reading them. You will attend conferences you don’t need. Energy that ought to be concentrated for cumulative growth are scattered here and there like a rolling stone that gathers no moss.

It is only when purpose is clear that a man can invest his time into a specific area of focus. Unfortunately, “no man can penetrate in life who has not defined for himself an area of concentration.” – Gbile Akanni.

This was the fear that gripped me. My preparations weren’t being concentrated because I was divided between several interests and passions. And I couldn’t bear having this on my tombstone at the end of my life – “He was a rolling stone that gathered no moss.”

So I became desperate and said, “Lord, you must clarify my purpose for me. I will trouble you about this matter every single day until you do it.” And so during my daily prayers, a time was set for this matter and I continued day in, day out. I did this for several weeks.

Finally on the 12th of January, 2012, I had gone for a special time of prayer with the Lord. I never knew He will visit me with answers that day. But He came. He didn’t speak by an audible voice on this occasion. But He spoke clearly.

He suddenly arrested my thoughts in the middle of what was an intensive praying and began to release the revelations and clarifications through my thoughts. It was as though someone was speaking clearly into my thoughts. I quickly reached out for my notepad and I kept writing and writing all I was hearing. I was there for four hours. Indelible encounter!!! Sweet presence of God!!! That day, I experienced what is called Joy Unspeakable. The confusion was gone forever!!!

You don’t worry about not having a previous knowledge of hearing God. Launch into desperate prayers and I can assure you, you will hear Him. He knows how exactly to speak for you to hear because He knows your peculiar frame. He also once assured, “my sheep- they hear my voice…” John 10:2-5. It means it’s your birthright as Jesus’s sheep to hear His voice. So stand on that right!!!

I have read several biographies and autobiographies of great men and women who served God in their generation. One thing is common to all: a strong desire to know, birthing a desperate importunate praying was what created the atmosphere of hearing God about their specific call.

Are you desperate enough to begin your own importunate praying? Are you bothered like I was that almost half into your life’s journey, nothing serious has really started except living for food and other earthly pursuits which Jesus designated as the meat that perisheth? When will you begin to be about your father’s business? When you’re 40 and your strength is already wearing out?

I urge you to do something about this message without procastination. Today, if He is speaking to you, harden not your heart.

Your brother,

Peniela Eniayo, Akintujoye.

©Peniela Eniayo, Akintujoye| hello@lovestraighttalks.com

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