Living Unlimited: Walking in God’s Purpose

What does it truly mean to live a life that reflects God’s will? This article explores how walking in God’s purpose means surrendering our plans, embracing His direction, and using our gifts to glorify Him. Through Scripture, personal reflection, and practical steps, you’ll be encouraged to live fully aligned with His calling.

 

When I was in high school, my church youth group went on a mission trip to Tampa, Florida. While we were there, we volunteered at a daycare. The facilities badly needed repair, and other odds and ends.

Over the week, our ragtag team of about 20 teenagers and a handful of adults, built a playground, painted rooms, remodeled closets, plastered walls, repaired floors, did yard work, clipped Campbell’s soup labels, and handled a host of other tasks. We also had the opportunity to interact with the kids, one of the trip’s greatest blessings.

One day, while waiting for my colleague to fix something in a classroom closet, the teacher handed me a little girl who couldn’t have been more than six months old. As I held her in my arms, not sure of what to do, I started asking the teacher questions about the little girl and her story.

She explained that the girl, like many of the children in the daycare, had experienced a tough start to life. This little child had been born with a large amount of drugs in her system and was still suffering the effects. I looked down at her, nestled in the crook of my arm, and felt overwhelmed with gratitude … for my own life but also for the moment God had placed me in.

It was then that I began to truly understand the power of God’s purpose. Not just in theory, but also in action. I wanted to live within His purpose by serving others in whatever ways He led.

Years later, the specifics of how I serve others have changed, but the desire to walk in God’s purposes remains. And living in God’s purpose that He has for your life is something you can do, too.

What Does It Mean to Live in God’s Purpose

Living in God’s purpose can look different for each of us, but the goal is always the same: to glorify God. Whether you’re building a playground, leading a meeting, raising children, writing songs, or volunteering in the community, if you’re doing it with a heart surrendered to God and walking in obedience, you are living on purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV) reminds us:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

God didn’t create you haphazardly. He designed you with intention, equipping us with gifts, passions, and experiences that align with His masterplan. And the work He’s prepared for you to do is good and meaningful, whether it’s behind the scenes or in the spotlight.

It’s Not Always What You Expect

God often works in unexpected ways, and your prayers will often not be answered immediately or in the way you hoped. However, your job is to be available and ready to step up in obedience when God calls. Step back and trust Him with controlling the outcome. Romans 8:28 reminds us that:

“All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

That includes seasons of waiting, disappointment, or redirection.

Sometimes God uses your gifts in ways you didn’t anticipate. Other times, He may stretch you into areas outside your comfort zones. But if you’re walking with Him, you can trust His plan is better than anything you could have orchestrated.

Practical Ways to Walk in God’s Purpose

Living in God’s purpose doesn’t require a perfect life or a ministry title. All it requires is a heart that’s willing to follow. Here are some easy, practical steps to help you walk in His purpose every day:

• Pray – Ask God to reveal His will and give you courage to follow it.
• Read the Bible – Let His Word guide your decisions and sharpen your understanding of His ways.
• Serve others – Purpose is often discovered in service, not in self-seeking.
• Put God first – Align your priorities with His, and seek His Kingdom above all.
• Follow His commands – Obedience is how we show our love for God
• Practice kindness – Reflect God’s character by showing compassion and grace.
• Discover your gifts and strengths – Pay attention to how God has uniquely wired you.
• Find what you’re passionate about – God often works through the desires He’s placed in your heart.
• Invite others into your life – Purpose is lived out in relationship. Discipleship, community, and encouragement all flow from connection.

Micah 6:8 puts it simply:

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” That’s not just a call to righteousness, it’s a roadmap to purposeful living.

Walking with Him Every Step of the Way

Your purpose isn’t a one-time revelation; it’s a daily decision to walk with Jesus, listen to His Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and trust that God is working through you (Philippians 2:13). From the time you were created, God has had a purpose for you. And when you live with that awareness, every step you take becomes sacred. As Colossians 2:6 says, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”

For me, that moment in Tampa, holding a fragile baby girl with an uncertain future, wasn’t just a mission trip memory. It was a glimpse of what it means to be in the center of God’s purpose. Not because I had all the answers (side note: I don’t), but because I was available.

Your life, like mine, may take many twists and turns, but don’t limit what God can do through you. Stay open to His voice, trust His leading, and walk in step with His Words. When you live with the aim of glorifying Him, His purpose will shine through your life … and the world will notice.

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This is Part 3 of a three-part “Living Unlimited” Series.
Part 1 | Living Unlimited: Overflowing Grace
Part 2 | Living Unlimited: Secure in Who You Are

 

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