Life Purpose: A Beginner's Guide

By Josephine Ngatia

A simple guide to knowing and fulfilling your God-given purpose in life.

Life purpose has become a "hot topic" in recent times with many wanting to know theirs. There are many perspectives on life purpose with the Christian one being rare. Life Purpose: A Beginner's guide seeks to give you the Christian perspective of Life Purpose.

Life Purpose: A Beginner's Guide will show you where to start and give you a greater understanding of the life purpose journey. If you are going to be a solution provider to the world, you must know what solution God has called you to provide by knowing what He created you to do.

God did not intend for you to struggle to know His purpose for your life, He only expected you to go to Him, and He would reveal it to you. Life purpose is a journey, and it unfolds over time. It cannot be understood in one day. But as you sit at the feet of Christ, He will explain everything to you.

This book will guide you on:

• Where to begin the quest for your life purpose
• Understanding the relationship between your life purpose and career
• How to plug into a larger vision
• What life purpose is and not

When you know your life purpose, you never have to wonder why you are on earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordPower Publishing Kenya
• Release date: Sep 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386856597

Josephine Ngatia

Josephine Ngatia is a Freelance Writer, who specializes in content related to Christian teaching, life purpose, self-awareness and work. She is the author of Life Purpose: A Beginner's Guide, a Christian book that guides the reader who is in search of their life purpose.  Josephine believes that God created each one of us for a purpose and has equipped us with gifts (spiritual and natural) and talents to fulfill it. Each one of us has a God-given platform to execute their life purpose work and provide a solution to this world. Her life purpose is to take others through the journey of life purpose and self-awareness using her gift of writing. Josephine lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

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ABOUT THIS BOOK

Life Purpose: A Beginner’s Guide is a book that directs you to the giver of purpose, God Almighty. No man can tell you what your life purpose is. Only God can.

This book acts as a guide as you seek God for your earthly assignment. It shows you the important things along the life purpose journey.

There is much to be said about life purpose, however this book focuses on the starting point. Too much information at a go will only bring you confusion. Take this journey step by step.

This book is ideal for anyone who wants to seek God to know their purpose. There is a lot of information on the internet about what life purpose is and how to find it. Despite this, many are still confused about why they are on earth. This book takes you back to God's word to show you that life purpose originated with Him.

God is your Creator and giver of your life purpose.

This book will not tell you what your life purpose is, it will only guide you as you find out what it is.

INTRODUCTION

Life purpose is a conversation that has become quite popular these days. But despite its popularity, not many seem to know much about it. The conversations have been centered on questions and speculations, the answers proving to be of no much help.

Much has been said about the discovery of life’s purpose yet; few ever get onto the journey. Many have been left wondering where to begin. Others have concluded that it is too difficult to pursue life’s purpose. As for those who do get to know their life purpose, there seem to be too many obstacles, and some people end up retreating to the familiarity of a job.

What is life purpose anyway? There have been many descriptions of what life purpose is.  Some clear, others confusing. God is the Creator of mankind, and before He formed each of us in our mother’s womb, He knew us. He set each one of us apart before birth for the work that He wanted us to do. He wanted each of our lives to accomplish something.

The work that God assigned each of us to do is called Life Purpose. It is actually God’s purpose for your life. It is the reason why He created you.

The Bible is filled with stories of life purpose. Before God created Moses, Jeremiah, Samson, John the Baptist and Paul among others, He knew what He wanted each one of them to accomplish on earth. It was for the benefit of others. Whether you know your life purpose or not, you do have one. God informed Jeremiah that He appointed him to be a prophet to the nations. Up until that time Jeremiah didn’t know. The fact that he didn’t know doesn’t mean that the calling to be a prophet was not on him.

Jeremiah 1:4-5

The word of the Lord came to me saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

As a prophet, he had a purpose: God sent him to nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10).

Since God created you for a purpose, He is the One who will reveal it to you. He knows why He created you. Man cannot tell you your life purpose. If he could, then the glory would go to him and not God, and your life purpose would lose its authenticity. Paul confirms this in his letter to the Galatians when he says that he is an apostle and not sent by man but by God.

Galatians 1:1

Paul, an apostle-sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.

After Paul got born again, he recognized the calling on his life and acknowledged that it was from God. He also came to know that he was set apart from birth to fulfill his purpose, yet he had not known this when he was persecuting those who believed in Jesus. He mentions that he did not consult any man to know his purpose, it was God who revealed it to him. We are to seek God to know our life’s purpose.

Galatians 1:15-16

But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I  might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man.

The temptation is high to look to man to know your life’s purpose, but man can only guide you or confirm to you (under the direction of the Holy Spirit).

Purpose borne from human wisdom is limited in its scope of achieving what God intends. Human wisdom is lower than divine wisdom. Purpose originating from the human mind will only have the meaning that you attach to it. It does not fulfill the eternal longing in you that is fulfilled by divine purpose.

Fulfilling your life purpose is a journey. Only God can walk you through that journey and show you the way. He knows the beginning and the end and knows what accomplishing your life’s purpose successfully looks like.

1. WHY LIFE PURPOSE?

Now that you understand the origin of life purpose, why is it important to know and fulfill it?

You were set apart from birth to fulfill your life purpose

God set you apart from birth to fulfill His purpose for your life. There is a specific assignment He has on earth and appoints you to be the one to do it. Ephesians 2:10 tells us:

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

God prepared this work for you in advance and has been taking you through a journey of preparation. From birth till now He has been directing your path and leading you to the purpose for which He has called you. There are many examples of people in the Bible who were set apart from birth for a specific purpose.

Moses: He was to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10)

John the Baptist: He came to prepare people for the Lord. (Luke 1:16-17)

Solomon: He was to build a temple for the Lord (in addition to being Israel’s king). (1 Chronicles 22:9-10)

Samson: He was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. (Judges 13:5)