Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Prov 19:21 NIV Living with purpose is the only way to really live. What is a Life Purpose Statement? It's a statement that summarizes God's purposes for your life. It's a statement that points the direction of your life. It's a statement that defines "success" for you. It's a statement that clarifies your roles. It's a statement that expresses your shape.(spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences) One day God will review your answers to these life questions. Did you put Jesus at the center of your life? Did you develop his character? Did you devote your life to serving others? Did you communicate his message and fulfill his mission? Did you love and participate in his family? These are the only issues that will count. "Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ." Phil 1:27 Like Esther, God created you "for such a time as this" Esther 4:14...

l. "Love God with all your heart"
2. "Love your neighbor as yourself"
3. "Go and make disciples"
4. "baptize them into...
5. "teach them to do all things...

Blessed are the balanced; they shall outlast everyone.

For your spiritual health you need to regularly check the five vital signs of worship, fellowship, growth in character, ministry, and mission.

You owe it to future generations to preserve the testimony of how God helped you fulfill his purposes on earth.

Passing along the purpose of life is more than an obligation; it's one of life's greatest privileges.

You will be either a world-class Christian or a worldly Christian.
Worldly Christian - it's a "me first" faith, its about how can God make my life more comfortable?
World-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a mission.

The only barrier is the way we think. Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking. Begin asking the Holy Spirit to help you to think of the spiritual need of unbelievers whenever you talk to them.

Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers.

Many Christians have missed God's plan for their lives because they have never even asked God if he wanted them to serve as a missionary somewhere.

God wants to speak to the world through you.

Your Life Message
Your testimony:the story of how you began a relationship with Jesus
Your life lessons: the most important lessons God has taught you
Your godly passions: the issues God shaped you to care about most
The Good News: the message of salvation

You cannot keep yourself from talking about what you care about most.

We must learn to love lost people the way God does. Your mission field is all around you. Don't miss the opportunities God is giving you.  The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important that anything else you will ever achieve in life. Only people are going to last forever.

As I reflect on my personal story, who does God want me to share it with?

God is at work in the world, and he wants you to join him. Your ministry is your service to believers, and your mission is your service to unbelievers.

He created us for: to love him, to be part of his family, to become like him, to serve him, and to tell others about him.

Nothing else we do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God.

What keeps me from telling others the Good New?

Usually we deny our weaknesses, defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them.  This prevents God from using them the way he desires.

A weakness is any limitation that you inherited or have no power to change.

He wants to take your greatest weakness and transform it.

Vulnerability is emotionally liberating.

Pretentiousness repels but authenticity attracts and vulnerability is the pathway to intimacy.

Our strenghts create competition, but our weaknesses create community.

"My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9a

To be a servant requires a mental shift, a change in your attitudes. God is always more interested in why we do something than in what we do. Attitudes count more than achievements.

Real servants don't try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for his purposes.

I am, by nature, selfish. Humility is a daily struggle, a lesson I must relearn over and over.

Any time spent criticizing others is time that could be spent ministering.

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation.

We serve God by serving others.

While knowing your shape is important for serving God, having the heart of a servant is even more important.

Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you're needed at the moment.

God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are.

He shaped you for a purpose, and he expects you to make the most of what you have been given.

You will never know what your're good at until you try. When it doesn't work out, call it an "experiment," not a failure. You will eventually learn what you're good at.

Fail to use what you've been given and you'll lose it. Use the ability you've got and God will increase it

Only you can be you.

People are always more encouraged when we share how God's grace helped us in weakness than when we brag about our strengths.

God has a place in his church where your specialties can shine and you can make a difference. It's up to you to find that place.

The world would be a very boring place if we were all plain vanilla.

You will be most effective when ou use your spiritual gifts and abililties in the area of your heart's desire, and in a way that best expresses your personality and experiences.