Teen Reflections: “What is my purpose?” Kalisa asked part 2.

As we saw last week on what our true identity is; Kalisa, 19, still had a question for the old man. “What is my purpose?” Kalisa kept asking. Your purpose is not to save the world or to save your friends. It is neither to heal the sick, to prophesy, nor to raise the dead. These are byproducts of your purpose, but they aren’t your purpose. Your purpose is not to grow up, go to university, get yourself a babe, get a job, get married, have children and die. No!! All too often, we get caught up in all these things thinking they are our purpose, but they aren’t. Your purpose is intimacy and union with God. Your purpose is to surrender your all to God, and your goal should always be love and intimacy with Him. Jesus also took every opportunity to steal away and spend time alone with God to stay in connection. This was his last prayer for you as well as in John 17:20-23, that we may be united with Jesus and the Father, just as Jesus was connected with the Father. It must be a big deal if it was Jesus’ last prayer. God desires intimacy and union with you. That is your purpose, to fulfill that desire. “So, now what! Is that all?” Kalisa asked in amazement. “To truly take hold of this…First of all, you need to speak it out; there is incredible power in the spoken word. When you speak positively (you speak life), then life blooms from that; if you speak negatively (you speak death), the death is birthed from that. Life and death is in the power of the tongue (Proverb 18:21). It’s been proven even in the secular realm as, why do you think all the self-help books write on speaking positively? It works! Speak out your true identity and purpose daily. That is the first step. Now comes the hard part; unity can never come from selfishness. Therefore, you must love God more than you love yourself. There is no shortcut around this. In Matthew 16:23-25, Jesus says that “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” You must deny yourself, which means dying to your selfish desires and all you want, and follow Jesus.” “This is a big thing. It isn’t something to take lightly. Think about what it means to die to your selfish desires. Think seriously about that…You have to make a choice daily. As you make this choice, Jesus will transform you, and intimacy and unity will come. This isn’t a onetime gesture. This is a daily task. You must lay everything down daily. There is never an easy road or a short cut when it comes to the things of God, but laying down yourself and following Him is the best choice you could ever make…”The old man proceeded to pray for the boy. “Lord, I ask that you reveal yourself to Kalisa. Show him his true identity and purpose. Give him the strength and the courage to say “God, I love you more than I love myself, and I lay it all down for you.” Draw him into intimacy and unity with you. In Jesus’ Name…Amen”. The old man was Kalisa’s grandfather who is a retired pastor, from that day on his words changed Kalisa’s life totally. Quote of the Day“My true identity is in God alone, and my true purpose is in unity and intimacy with the Father.” Ends