I remember having childhood heroes of Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman. They were great, but I really wanted to find REAL life heroes I could model my life after.

I looked for people with integrity, character, and a sense of purpose. Sure there were people setting goals and achieving, but when I followed them long enough they had no sense of their purpose.

When I became a Christian, I began studying the Bible. Excitement came over me when I saw flawed men, like myself, be transformed by God as they humbly pursued Him with PURPOSE.

John the Baptist was one of those men. He had a more clear sense of his purpose than most. When pressed by the Pharisees, he confidently answered, “I am not the Christ”.

He was not looking for fame or a platform. Instead, He was there to prepare the way for Jesus. His whole life was lived for someone else.

There was no mid-life crisis for John mentioned in scripture. He was laser focused on his mission and pursued it to the point of death. That is the kind of unshakeable purpose and passion I wanted.

We, too, can have that kind of laser focus. We can avoid the mid-life crisis. We can wake every day with an unwavering sense of passion and purpose…when Christ is at the center of every part of our lives.

Is Jesus an after thought or is He at the center of all your plans?

#MPWarrior

#MissionAndPurpose

#JesusAtTheCenter

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But what about during the times of prosperity? How quick we are to claim the glory of “our hard work” instead of thanking God for His provision.

We are at a greater risk of forgetting Him when things are going well than when we are struggling. We cannot just put Jesus our back pocket only to pull Him out when we have trouble.

What if you treated our spouse like that? I’m guessing you wouldn’t even qualify to be in the dog house.

The cyclical nature of trials and rest periods is not unlike a Sport. In the off-season, you are training hard to learn and be ready for game time.

You could think of the trials as the off-season. Spend time in His word, journal all the things God is bringing you through, and take time with Him in prayer developing your trust and relationship.

Then, when you are at a place where the trial has subsided, it’s game time. Time to remember all the things you learned from His word.

Read your journal daily to remind yourself of all the good things He has done for you that you may not forget Him during the times of prosperity.

Praise Him for bringing you through and granting you a time of rest and renewal. Let your lips be filled with thanksgiving and praise as you meditate on all His mighty works!

May God bless these efforts to keep Him at the center of our lives now and forever more.

#MPWarrior

#NoBackPocketJesusAllowed

#KeepHimAtTheCenter

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Truly living a life that matters can only happen when we are confident in God, thankful for His provision, and equipped to carry out His mission.

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Not only does He have a vision for the universe for all eternity, but He also has a vision specifically for you. As you read Ephesians 2:10, what elements of His vision for us do we see?

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NASB‬‬

There are three things that confirm God’s vision in my mind:

Design by Him: we are His workmanship. If we journey back to Genesis, we find that we were created by His hands and He breathed His breath of life into us.

Designed for good works: we aren’t just an awesome creation to be admired. We were created for a purpose. That purpose is described as the good works we are to walk in. These include discipling others, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all that Jesus commanded us (Matt 28:16-30). We do this all for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God.

Designed for action: while God did the heavy lifting in this plan, In His Vision, we are given the responsibility of action. We are to “walk in” the good works that He prepared beforehand. This implies planning and vision as they were “prepared beforehand”

Too many times we throw away or ignore God’s vision for our own vision of having earthly success. It’s easy to do in a performance-based world. We must fight to hold onto the vision God has given us if we are to live in accordance with our design. When we do this successfully, our body, soul, and mind are filled with joy as we serve our Father in heaven and bring Him glory.

Reflection

In what ways has God designed you specifically to carry out the great commission(Matt. 28::18-20)?

What has been your biggest distraction?

What’s one step you can take today to prevent that distraction and stay focused on carrying out your mission?

Prayer

Father, You have knit us in our mother’s’ wombs. From before the world began, You knew us and prepared a mission and vision for us. Reveal this truth to our hearts that we may be energized for You and the mission You’ve called us to. You have designed us according to Your perfect plan. Let us walk in the good works You have set before us and not be distracted. May Our lives be pleasing in Your sight and bring You honor and glory forever; in Jesus’ name, Amen!

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, your mission is clear.  There are no age, gender, or socioeconomic requirements.  If you have surrendered your life to God, trusting completely in the person and work of Jesus, you are a disciple maker.

Yes, your life will look different from everyone else’s in how you carry that out(your Vision) because you have been given specific roles, activities, attributes, skills, abilities, gifts, personalities, resources, and experiences.  These are all to be used for the sake of the gospel when making disciples and bringing God glory.

I love how this section of scriptures wraps up in verse 20:  “And lo, I will be with you even to the end of the age”. God has not asked you to run a rogue mission.  He is right by your side as you learn what the mission is and carry it out.  As a matter of fact not only is He beside you, but the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in you.

You have everything you need to carry out this mission successfully.   So let’s go love, serve and disciple today!

Reflection

What does God say our mission is?

What opportunities do you have today to carry out that mission?

How has God specifically wired you for this mission?

Prayer

Father, You have knit us in our mother’s’ womb specifically for carrying out your mission. Give us insight as to how you have designed us hat we may use it all for Your glory. You desire to dwell in our inmost being and lead us on to victory. We praise You for giving us purpose and teaching us to live a life that matters. Thank You, Father, Amen!

Prayer was not meant to be an escape from action: it precludes and leads to action.  While Jesus took time by Himself to pray, he followed it with action.   Nehemiah is yet another great example of a prayer warrior.  He prayed four months and it ended with the bold action of rebuilding the walls.  During prayer, God readies our heart for action, aligning our vision with His, preparing us to take action.

Prayer in itself can be action. There are times when we pray, when we cannot see steps of action that can be taken because our Father is teaching us to depend on His action.  He is faithful and nothing is impossible with Him.  Again He will always act in accordance with His will and perfect plan and we may not always fully comprehend that.  So sometimes our action is to learn to wait on Him.

Personal Reflection

Do you pray expecting action to be taken; by the LORD and(or) by you?  How have you seen God answer prayers in your lifetime? This year? This week?  It’s healthy to pray and praise God for His answers. Make time to thank Him out loud today!

Prayer Focus

Father, continue to align us to your vision and equip us for Your action.  Break our hearts for what break yours and fill us with your joy.  May we live for you today praising you for all your mighty works!   In the Name of Jesus, Amen!