The Purpose Phenomenon: The rich simplicity of being yourself by overcoming fear, shame, and anger to enjoy a fulfilled and meaningful life.

By Shanza Jonker

Our purpose is like gravity; it is a force of attraction to the source of fulfilment. This book is a pragmatic guide to help you with the ethos of your destiny; to plan for your future, prepare for what is needed to be done and then to start building your future with more joy and greater fulfillment than ever before.You'll be able to identify fulfillment-hindrances which are emotional triggers that can cause you to fall back into addictions, toxic behavior, accumulative mental and emotional destructive patterns. I will teach you how to use the Word of God to overcome fear, shame, and anger so that your life can glow and bloom with joy, hope, fulfillment and contentment. It will equip you to make sense of the smoldering discontent in your life and how you can move forward. This book is grounded in scripture and supported by an integrity model that I have used to break free from the unfulfillment trap that hinders us from living joyful and contented lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Oct 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780228818632

Shanza Jonker

I am a Kingdom Financier, zealous about the Word of God and passionate about helping people discovering their identity and purpose in life. I am sharing my own personal integrity-model that I have used to step into my destiny. I am just an ordinary person, serving an extraordinary God.

Book preview

The Purpose Phenomenon

Copyright © 2019 by Shanza Jonker

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-1867-0 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-1862-5 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-1863-2 (eBook)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

HOW THE PURPOSE MODEL WORKS

CHAPTER 1 – POSITIONING

CHAPTER 2 – UNSHAKABLE

CHAPTER 3 – REPENTANCE

CHAPTER 4 – PROCESS

CHAPTER 5 – ORIGIN

CHAPTER 6 – SERVANTHOOD

CHAPTER 7 – ELEVATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

FOOTNOTES

ENDNOTES

The Purpose Phenomenon

The rich simplicity of being yourself

by overcoming fear, shame, and anger

to enjoy a fulfilled and meaningful life.

Shanza Jonker

[e-mail]

www.shanzajonker.com

PRAISE FOR THE PURPOSE PHENOMENON

Shanza is gifted at using the written word to make it easy for people to discover their purpose in life. Her grasp of scripture—combined with a deep understanding of human nature—will set you on the pathway to freedom and focus. Ignore this gem of a book at your own peril!

—Jeff Spadafora, author of The Joy Model: A Step-by-Step Guide to Peace, Purpose and Balance

The Publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher for the life of this book.

Scriptures marked (NLT) are taken from the HOLY BILE, NEW LIVING TRANSLATION, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked (MSG) are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scriptures marked (GNB) are taken from the GOOD NEWS BIBLE: Scriptures taken from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible© American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.

Scriptures marked (NIV) are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION: Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

Scriptures marked (NKJV) are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION: Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked (ESV) are taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION: Scriptures taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION ® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.

Scriptures marked (KJV) are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible.

For speaking events or workshops, please send an email to [e-mail]

I am dedicating this book to my brother, Henry

I never knew the significance of surrendering your mind, will, and emotions to God, until that sad day when I saw your dreams die with you. I wasn’t aware of your pain and endless pursuit to find meaning and fulfillment in life. Once, in my dreams, you told me to stop running away from my fears, so I’ve decided to listen. I have started this journey for you, my precious brother.

INTRODUCTION

It is said that gravity is a natural phenomenon. So is purpose. It is the very essence of our being, the reason for having dreams and goals, the reason for having hope in our hearts about the future, and finding fulfillment and contentment in life.

This book is a pragmatic guide to help you understand one of the greatest phenomena: your life’s purpose. It will equip you to make sense of the smoldering discontent in your life and how you can move forward.

This book is grounded in scripture and supported by an integrity model that I have used to break free from the unfulfillment trap that hinders us from living joyful and contented lives.

Purpose is the reason for the upward or downward pull that we experience every day—the feeling that you have can either make or break you in your spirit. It can hurt or harm others. But if purpose is fulfilled, we bloom and flourish, leaving a legacy for our successors to pass it forward again, and it restores hope to face yet another day in this broken world.

If you have reached an ultimate level of frustration, and you feel so drained and confused, to a point that one can say this is your last lifeline, then give me the honor of serving you with the special gift that the Holy Spirit has blessed me with to help discover where to go from here.

It is never too early or too late in your life to discover the truth about your destiny. Let’s do this together and continue to pass this gift of fulfillment forward.

HOW THE PURPOSE MODEL WORKS

Colossians 2:9-10 The Message (MSG)

Everything of God gets expressed in Him, so you can see and hear Him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

HOW IT WORKS

Ephesians 4:14-16 The Message (MSG)

God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Our purpose is like gravity; it is a force of attraction to the source of fulfillment. Jesus said that we should come to Him if we are thirsty and drink until we’re satisfied.¹ Only God can bring true meaning and fulfillment to your life. If you’re stuck in a space where there’s no gravity, you are simply floating through life and it’s all so meaningless, like a dead swamp.² And you’ll find there’s a constant battle within your heart, There must be more to this life. What is missing from my life?

This Purpose Model is like an oasis that you find in a desert. It’s usually discovered when you’ve spent some time wandering in the scorching sun, having little to no strength left, and your body is desperate for shelter and nourishment.

Psalm 107:4-9 The Message (MSG)

Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time; He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live. So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. He poured great draughts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.

Purpose becomes a journey of discovering how every small detail, every step, and every decision have sculpted your life up to this point and beyond. If you had a past like me, filled with disappointment, failure, anxiety, fear, anger, shame, and a battle to survive one shipwreck after the other, then you’ll have compassion when I say this: looking at your future with hope is almost impossible. I have shed a million tears a day just to get to this place, where I have made a decision to fight for a meaningful life, a life that I know will make a change in this sad, dying world.³

Matthew 19:26 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus looked at them intently and said, Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.

God has taught me through His Word how to look at my future through His eyes, the eyes of your Creator.⁴ As a child from the age of four years old, I was exposed to uncontrollable, traumatic, and painful situations. My world didn’t feel like a safe place. I was supposed to be a normal little girl, playing with my dolls and not become a victim so early in this cruel world.

Both my parents were absolutely wonderful but, due to unforeseen circumstances, my world, as well as theirs, was turned upside down when they found out I was molested for six years. Things also didn’t get easier when my parents were declared bankrupt and having to witness how everything gets taken away from your family was devastating to me. I started stealing food at school, especially sweets, to treat myself to the life I witnessed others enjoying around me.

My dad had to work long hours to make ends meet, and my mom got very ill at that time due to the stress, and she couldn’t always nurture us in a way that any mother would have wanted to do for her children. Still to this day, I honor them for their love, courage, and fortitude to provide for us in tough conditions, keeping our family glued together, and for teaching us how to trust God, even when our world falls apart with unanswered questions and hurtful events that make no sense.

When I turned six, we were in a terrible motor accident, and I suffered a head injury. At the age of seven, shortly after my stitches were removed from my head injury, a dog attacked me and bit me in the face. That’s when I lost faith that I would ever feel protected, and I couldn’t believe that I would ever be a person of worth and that I too had a special place in this world.

I had to wear an eyepatch on my right eye for almost a year and, as a result, I hated looking at myself. I felt so ugly and worthless. That’s where my biggest identity crisis developed. As a teenager, I got obsessed with criminal serial killer stories and started to have a phobia that I was going to die at the age of 18.

My adopted brother committed suicide when I was 21 years old. He hanged himself on Family Day, and as I looked at him with great sorrow and agony, I realized that we all wanted a place of belonging and even if my parents gave him all the love they were able to give, it still wasn’t enough. He was empty, he was lonely, he was searching for his own family’s love and affection, and he was searching for meaning, which he couldn’t find.

I became a loose cannon indulging myself in sex, pornography, alcohol and drugs, exploring my sexuality with other women, and expressing myself as a goth. I carried so much anger, fear, and shame in my heart and all that cascaded into all my relationships, even with God. I actually considered a career in criminal forensic pathology, because I felt it was safer for me to be around dead people who couldn’t hurt me anymore.

When I gave my heart to the Lord, I remember the first assignment that God gave me. He told me not to read anymore criminal stories and that I should only read His Word until He gives me permission to read something else. If you are familiar with the Old Testament, then you will agree with me when I say there are some gruesome events recorded. And, looking back, that may be the reason why the Word was so captivating for me at first. God knew exactly which part of His Word would grab my attention. So, that’s exactly what I did. I still had my fear, anger, and shame, but God made me look through the lens of His Word to slowly help change the outlook I had about life, myself, and my purpose. Purpose is indeed a process of transformation, a projection towards perfection.

Psalm 18:28 New Living Translation (NLT)

You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.

If you don’t look at your future from God’s perspective, then you will be absorbed by lies and deceit,⁵ which will always lead you astray and away from the plan⁶ that God has predestined for your life.⁷

We equate our dignity (what I am worth) with the sum value of the fortification of stories we tell about our identity (who I am), we create a no-win scenario that will always lead to disillusionment and pain. ~ Christopher L. Heuertzi

As you continue through the different seasons of your life, you will find that not all of us have exactly the same life story, or even so, have the same needs, but we all have the same battle in life. It is the fight of faith⁸ to fulfill our individual needs,⁹ as well as the needs of others.¹⁰

You might wonder what general needs look like to feel fulfilled and content in life. There are nine basic types of needs that Father Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert have summarized in Discovering The Enneagram;ii

1.The need to be perfect

2.The need to be needed

3.The need to succeed

4.The need to be special

5.The need to perceive or understand

6.The need to be sure or certain

7.The need to avoid pain

8.The need to be against

9.The need to avoid

These needs are the essence of why we feel called for a specific vocation. It originated from the need to scratch your own itch. Purpose is conceived when you understand, through God’s wisdom and knowledge, how to meet these needs.¹¹ Therefore, with every form of heartache, there is that common thread that is pulled through everyone’s lives. That thread causes us to fear and our hearts to tremble, to feel guilt and shame, or to feel so angry that it causes us to question God’s love and, to the extreme, even doubt His existence.¹²

But the Word of God gives us a solution to every problem that we face.¹³ Regardless of our past, present, personality type, basic needs, childhood wounds, influence, or the dreams we have about the future, we are all fighting the same battle of keeping the faith when times are extremely tough, when we are constantly surrounded by despair, when the odds are completely against us to succeed, and when all we have is tears for food.¹⁴ That’s where the vocation gets activated, and your darkest valley becomes someone else’s brightest alley when you are in a purpose position.

1 Peter 2:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

You need to learn a unified response as the Body of Christ to stay in that great circle of salvation and to hold tightly to God’s Word when the torrents of life beat against the walls of your heart,¹⁵ constantly trying to overwhelm or crush you,¹⁶ or pushing you to the edge of falling back into addiction, disillusionment, or into that pit of destruction. But, when you have Jesus as your Redeemer and you have the confidence that God is on your side, that will help you to stand up after every hard knock that life swings at you,¹⁷ and you can dust yourself off and get back into the ring to fight for your destiny, fight for your dreams, fight for your children, fight for your marriage, or fight for the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

Purpose is a fight, and you’ll only discover it at the cost of your old self dying (the False Self), and becoming everything that God created you to be (your True Self).¹⁸

This purpose model will help you to develop mature behavioral responses regardless of the hardships you endure.¹⁹ It is all about learning how to become anchored in hope, love, and faith to have a lasting impact in this life,²⁰ especially in times when you are losing your grip on what truly matters, when your feet are slipping and your dreams are fading.²¹ That’s when you have to navigate your way out of despair and encourage yourself in the Lord, your God.²²

What really matter is that your heart stays on course by always staying close or returning back to God as your one and only source of purpose. He alone can restore your future²³ by using all the broken pieces of your life to make you and others whole again.²⁴ You were created for His pleasure, to pursue His interests through your life,²⁵ and He has planted you for His glory.²⁶ Therefore, you will only discover your Truest Self, your purpose, in and through Him alone.²⁷

Psalm 119:1-8 The Message (MSG)

You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow His directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right - you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road He set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.

But, what do we do when God’s plans seem to unfold too slowly for us?²⁸ How do we handle these delays? Wendy Pope said,

Waiting is inevitable. Waiting with hope and courage is optional. The wait is more about experiencing God than enduring the delay.iii

This model has been mapped out from the events and delays that I have experienced on the journey to finding true meaning and fulfillment. In this book, I will share how I’ve learned to pause and embrace God’s plans although it felt as if I would never see the sun shine in my life again. Yet, God persisted on pursuing me, cheering me on, through His Word, to stand up and fight for my dreams—his dreams and the dreams of others, like He is doing with you and the reason why you are reading this book. It was for such a time as this; it is time for a new start in your life, time for wholeness, time for change, time for restoration, and no better time than NOW to step into your glorious destiny.²⁹

It all starts with having a tender and responsive heart. If you still feel angry, paralyzed with fear, or ashamed of who you are, what you have done, or how you have lived your life, then simply ask God now to give you His Holy Spirit, through His son, Jesus Christ, to receive a brand-new heart that will be devoted to Him from this moment forward;

Ezekiel 11:20 The Message (MSG)

I’ll give you a new heart. I’ll put a new spirit in you. I’ll cut out your stone heart and replace it with a red-blooded, firm-muscled heart. Then you’ll obey my statutes and be careful to obey my commands. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!

I believe this model is adaptable and pliable from person to person. It is not a magical formula that will fix your problems instantly or help you to avoid any more suffering in your life. Instead, it is a guideline to help you with the ethos of your destiny, to plan for your future, to prepare for what is needed to be done, and then to start building your future with more joy and greater fulfillment than ever before.³⁰

Zechariah 8:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task!

You will discover patterns in your life that are emotional triggers derived from your past. Perhaps some are completely arbitrary, or even obliviously from childhood events. When you are able to identify these fulfillment-hindrances and you are equipped with the right responses, your life will certainly glow and bloom with joy, hope, fulfillment, and contentment. This book will equip you to learn from your past, to move past the hopelessness, disappointments, failures, fears, confusion, disillusions, and total brokenness, and towards your glorious destiny of becoming a significant person of worth in God’s Kingdom. But, I am not going to sugarcoat this for you. Purpose requires hard discipline.³¹ So, if you are ready to continue this journey with me, then keep the momentum going and let’s finish strong, having no regrets in life!³²

Hebrews 12:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

Like any product Inventor, the assembly blueprint is the only source that reveals how every part fits together. It reveals the intricate assembly line to get it to the end product. God is your Creator, and He knows how all these pieces of your life fit together—the good, the bad, and the ugly.³³ But ultimately, All roads lead to Rome and everything comes back to why Jesus Christ willingly laid His life down for us. There are many hardships in life,³⁴ but it has a refining influence on us.³⁵ We can live in the freedom of knowing that when we are living in God’s will, what we confidently hope for our future will certainly come to pass,³⁶ but we must learn to persevere through difficult times and finish the work that God has started in our lives.³⁷ It is all about your perspective; if you miss seeing the cross of Jesus Christ, you have missed the crossing that leads to fulfillment.

Galatians 3:13-14 The Message (MSG)

Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse.

THE PURPOSE MODEL

P: Positioning – It’s all about rebuilding your life on a solid foundation,³⁸ regardless of your past. It’s about getting your life in order so that God can breathe new life into your future, to awaken, refresh, and strengthen you as you face every trial that so easily derails you from staying on the right course. You will discover that these challenges and hardships will become stepping stones if you have the right godly approach, elevating you to the place of fulfillment and contentment. When you change your perspective, by no longer being absorbed by your fears and worries or being controlled by shame and anger, you position yourself in the direction that God has laid out for your future. Simply put, if you are going to Cape Town in South Africa then you won’t get there if you are situated in Johannesburg and traveling north to Egypt.

Purpose requires an action plan—soul and performance related—for a strategy to succeed.

If God gave us a world map, His Word, why do we lose our way so quickly?³⁹ How you get to Cape Town is not what