What is my God-given purpose in life? How do I find meaning in what I do? What is God’s purpose for me?

Have you ever asked any of these questions before? Because I am right there with you.

These are some of the big questions that seem to always linger in the back of our minds. Every so often, make their way to the surface. They are questions we all have, and for good reason.

There are actually great questions to be asking.

Why?

Because it shows that you aren’t satisfied with just cruising on through life. But rather you desire to be intentional about living with passion, purpose and meaning!

Regardless of whether someone knows God or not, God designed each of us with a purpose. Therefore, each of us have an inbuilt longing and desire to discover what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose. It’s just that not everyone is looking in the right place.

If you want to know how to find God’s purpose for your life, you first have to know who you are in Christ.

Let me show you why.

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Every Design Has A Purpose

I got a coffee machine for my birthday a few years back.

Hands down, one of my favourite birthday gifts to date.

I cannot tell you just how excited I was to get this machine. I was so ready to start making barista-like coffees, with photo-worthy latte art every morning!

Then reality hit hard.

I pulled the machine out of it’s box, and set it on my bench. I hadn’t opted for a set-and-forget machine or pod-style machine, but rather one that had all the bells and whistles to make sure I could have full control over how the coffee was made.

The only issue was that I had never had any real experience with actually making coffees.

However, I was up for the challenge. So, after watching YouTube tutorials on repeat and flipping back and forth through the instruction manual, I finally had my first (semi-decent) cup of coffee.

Two years on, my coffees taste way better, but my latte art is still that of a first grader.

What has this got to do with anything?

You see the purpose of the machine is to make coffee.

But I couldn’t make the coffee until I first got to know the machine.

Are you catching on?

Designed for a Unique Purpose

In order to get this machine to make the perfect cup of coffee, I first needed to truly understand how the machine was designed to function. From the coffee bean grind to the milk temperature, everything had to be just right.

I’m sure most of us have experienced what it’s like when someone skips the getting-to-know-you phase of a coffee machine, and goes straight to the making coffee part. You don’t have to be a coffee connoisseur to spot an awful coffee…

This is like what happens when we skip straight to trying to work out our purpose, without first knowing who we are.

We get caught up in the hurry of the world, that we try to find meaning and purpose in doing. And let’s be clear, doing things for God is not an awful thing. However, we can so easily waste time doing things that God never designed or intended us to do.

God is more concerned about who you are, than what you do.

So if you want to find your purpose in life, you need to start with first knowing who you are.

Want to delve into the beauty of who you are in Christ? Join the 5 part video series Daughters of the King: Unveiling Identity, to help you uncover the fullness of life that Jesus calls you to.

What is our Identity as a Child of God

Our sense of identity is more complex and nuanced than the latest Taylor Swift song. Which always has you guessing and wondering what you will find next.

So how do we actually know or discover what our identity is?

The world tells us that we are the authors of our identity. Whether it’s through our roles, careers or status in society, or from searching deep inside ourselves, the world gives a false sense of identity. The truth about your identity in Christ, is that it only comes from God.

Even within the church, there is evidence of misplaced identity. There is a striving to create the perfect “Christian” identity. We get caught up in trying to have the greatest religious practises, the best looking Sunday services or the most refined theology.

If your identity as a Christian is defined by your religious practises or denominational difference, then dear friend, you are missing out on the beauty and fullness of life that God has called you to!

Because your identity is not what you do, think or believe, but rather your identity is who God says you are.

You might also like What is means to be fully loved and known by God.

Your New identity as a Child of God

The Old Testament made it very clear that humanity cannot live a perfect and holy life on their own, which is why God sent his son, Jesus, to die for our sins.

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

Romans 2:3-4

When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are adopted into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5) and given a new identity as a child of God (John 1:12-13). He redeems and restores all the brokenness, and gives you life – and life to the full! (John 10:10)

The Bible is full of scriptures about who God says you are. You can find out more about what the God says your Identity in Christ is here.

Discovering your identity as a child of God, is one of the most beautiful and life-giving things you could ever learn about yourself. Because God created you on purpose, for a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11).

What is your God-given Purpose?

There is such an emphasis and pressure put on discovering our purpose. But just as any true coffee connoisseur would tell you, the process is just as important as the cup of coffee it produces.

When we begin to truly value the process, we are able to embrace the beauty of journeying with God. He isn’t a business manager, hiring out workers to get jobs done, but rather a loving Father who wants a deep, intimate relationship with his children.

God invites us to co-labor with him (1 Corinthians 3:9), not the other way around. We don’t travel along in life, asking God to join us in what we are doing, but rather we are to ask God what he is doing, and join him.

We are all called to need more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

So start here.

Starting With Your Identity

Learn to live a life surrendered to Jesus. Learn to let go of your old self and become the person he calls you to be.

Instead of completing the latest Find My Purpose quiz, or hoping your 5-year-plan will find your purpose, start earnestly seeking to understand who God says you are.

Discover your purpose by learning to listen to the tender voice of the Holy Spirit. Learn to walk in step with him and uncover the beauty and fullness of life that he calls you to. Learn how to hear God’s voice more here.

It is from that place of intimately knowing God and who he says you are, that the purpose in which he calls you will be revealed.

Want to delve into the beauty of who you are in Christ? Join our online course, Daughters of the King: Unveiling Identity, to uncover the fullness of life that Jesus calls you to.