Living Free: Finding God's Purpose And Creating The Life You Want

By Jeanna Moschenrose

Do you feel that your life is racing by, yet you're not accomplishing the things you really value or the dreams of your heart? Are you always busy and stressed but without fulfillment, joy, and sense of accomplishment? This book can help you center on your main purpose and values and to be more intentional in your daily life. The author encourages readers to have greater faith and to become resilient and persevering in times of disappointment, crises, and setbacks. You can have an amazing life based on God's purpose and by creating the life you really want. Get ready for change, adventure, and new possibilities in your life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781643008905

Book preview

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Living Free

Finding God’s Purpose And Creating The Life You Want

Jeanna Moschenrose

ISBN 978-1-64300-889-9 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64300-890-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2018 Jeanna Moschenrose

All rights reserved

First Edition

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 publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books, Inc.

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Chapter 1

Finding Yourself and Your Purpose

You are amazing! You may not feel that way right now, but you really are. The Bible says you are God’s masterpiece. You are a unique person—physically, mentally, and spiritually. You have a fingerprint, voice, personality, DNA, and background of experiences that are different from anyone else. No one else in the world is quite like you. No one else can fill that special place or purpose of your destiny.

Your life story is distinctive. Perhaps your life story has had abuse, sadness, a lot of trouble, and chaos. Remember, the butterfly doesn’t have a great beginning! The butterfly begins life as a caterpillar—crawling along in the dirt—so easily crushed. Then, change begins to take place.

The caterpillar starts spinning a cocoon (chrysalis). Then, at the right time, a beautiful butterfly emerges—free, appreciated, loved, no longer easily crushed on the ground but able to fly. Like the butterfly confined in the chrysalis, you may be feeling isolated, restricted by your situation and environment, yet longing for freedom to be all that you can be. This book can help you start spinning your chrysalis for spiritual, emotional, and circumstantial change. This is a time for self-reflection, redirection, and planning for the future life you really want. Get ready for an adventure!

Your past does not determine or limit your future. You have all kinds of possibilities and options. You were created to have joy, peace, fun, success, and fulfillment in a blessed life.

Jesus said He came to earth so you could have life to its fullest (John 10:10). He didn’t come to condemn, judge, or criticize you but, to guide you so you could have the best life possible on earth. The Bible gives the imagery of the good, kind Shepherd who goes out even in dangerous places to find one lost sheep. Then He gently puts the sheep on His shoulders and carries it back to a safe place (Luke 15:3–7). Have you gotten lost from the Shepherd like the sheep? Are you off the track—even perhaps in a dangerous place? The Jesus as The Good Shepherd is looking for you with love and concern.

The abundant life is available for you. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). Delight implies enjoyment in spending time with God, not just reading and praying but sharing your day, your thoughts, your concerns—giving Him thanks, sharing your heart and your life. Psalm 16:11 says that in His presence is fullness of joy. Zephaniah 3:17 says that God takes great delight in us, that He quiets us with His love, and rejoices over us with singing. How could God be excited and joyful over you? It is because of His great love for you and the plans He has for your life.

Am I saying that you can create the perfect life and get everything you want and never have any more problems? No, but I am saying that when you are in sync with God’s purpose in your life, you will have inner joy, peace, and fulfillment, and that the needs of your life—even the true desire of your heart—will be satisfied. God invites you today into His presence to spend time with Him; to receive joy and direction for your life. He offers His love, peace, hope, and wisdom for a life beyond what you can even imagine now.

If you are incarcerated, remember you are more than a number. You’re a person with a heart and mind. You have beauty and dignity and goodness and creativity within you for great possibilities. You have a special purpose and destiny. There have been writers, motivational speakers, business owners, transition house directors, and women in other vocations who were once incarcerated but are now successful and helping others. One woman was incarcerated seven years for drug-related crimes now has her own TV program and does motivational speaking in women’s prisons. Couldn’t you also be successful? Are you thinking of hindrances and reasons why you couldn’t be successful? Don’t you think these successful women also had difficult obstacles to overcome? Yet they did it! And you can do it too.

There is a well-known legend about the phoenix bird who arises out of flames and ashes to be regenerated or reborn. The phoenix symbolizes how one can arise out of devastating circumstances that seem impossible to overcome, to arise to a new life and soar again. In Christian faith, the eagle is similarly used as an illustration. The eagle goes through a molting process in which it loses its feathers, looks terrible, and cannot fly. Yet in time, the eagle gets feathers again, is renewed, and soars high in the sky. The molting process isn’t the end; it’s only a transition. You can be inspired by the phoenix and eagle illustrations to arise out of the ashes of your life to soar in a new life. The Bible says God will give beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3).

A beautiful, sparkling diamond develops in the darkness of a coal mine. A pearl develops in the agitation inside an oyster. A flower grows from a seed planted in the ground. Could it be that through the difficult circumstances and experiences in your life, you are developing as precious as a diamond or pearl? Wherever you are today, you can experience dramatic change, a transition into a new life, a life better than you have ever known.

Take time to focus on yourself and to think about who you are and the life you want. What are your hopes and dreams? Often, in the routines, busyness, and stress of life, people lose themselves. They lose consciousness of who they are and what their real values and desires are. They stop believing in their dreams. They stop hoping for change. They settle for mediocracy or even less. Life becomes a cycle of routines, entertaining activities, and just paying the bills. Dreams are forgotten. Priorities get confused. Are you ready for a life that is more than that? A life that has passion and meaning? Finding who you are and your purpose will bring joy, hope, and excitement about the future.

God took Joseph from being a prisoner to being a ruler over an entire nation. God took David from being a shepherd to being king over Israel. God took Esther from being an orphaned, little Jewish girl to being queen over Persia, and she saved the Jewish nation from destruction. God took Moses from hiding out as a lawbreaker in a foreign land to being leader of several million Israelites out of slavery. You may never be a queen or king or leader over many people, but I do know this: God has a destiny for your life. With God, things that seem impossible become possible. God has "good plans and a future of hope for you (Jeremiah 29:11)!

Your life journey is your story which you are writing today and will continue to write tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and the rest of your life. You write the story. The story you write can have an amazing future, regardless of your past and where you are today. The story you write will depend on your heart, and the thoughts of your mind which will influence your reactions, choices, and behaviors. The story you write depends on you.

Chapter 2

Recognizing and Developing Your Potential

Your life purpose will involve three areas: (1) spiritual, (2) relational, and (3) vocational. The spiritual aspect refers to your relationship with God, your beliefs, and your world view. Jesus said the most important commandment is to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Many people believe God and the Bible intellectually, but they do not really love God or develop a lifestyle relationship with Him. God wants to share your life. God cares about your feelings, your dreams, your desires, and your needs. He wants your trust as well as your love and worship. Micah 6:8 and Ecclesiastes 5:19 say that the whole duty of a person is to love God, live justly, to enjoy his or her work.

The relational aspect of your purpose relates to what Jesus said was the second greatest commandment—to love others as we love ourselves. This commandment implies that we are created to love ourselves, yet in the context of our supreme love for God and our love for others. The relationships you have had throughout your life have influenced who you are today. You did not choose what race, culture, geographic location, or family in which you were born. If you came from an abusive or addictive family, does that mean that everything that happened to you in your family was God’s plan for you? No, I don’t think so. People have choices. Sometimes,