Purpose Driven Life

Jonathan is learning new things everyday from a book called The Purpose Driven Life... =D

What Drives Your Life?

The Man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder-a waif, a nothing, a no man. - Thomas Carlyle

Everyone's Life is driven by something, but what is the driving force of your life? You may be driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline, a painful memory, a haunting fear, or an unconscious belief. There are lots of circumstances, vaules and emotions that can drive your life. Below are the the most common ones.

Driven by Guilt
These people spent their entire lives running from regrets and hiding in their shame. Guilt-driven people are manipulated by memories. They allow their past to control their future. We are products of our past, but not prisoners of it. God's Purpose is not limited by our past. He turned Moses who is a murderer into a leader! God specializes in giving people a fresh start!

Driven by Resentment and Anger
These people hold on to hurts and never get over them. Instead of releasing their pain through forgiveness, they rehearse it over and over in their minds. Listen! Those who have hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment. Your past is past! Nothing can change it. You are only hurting yourself with your own bitterness. Learn from it, and then let it go.

Driven by Fear
Their Fear may a result of a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, growing up in a high control home. Fear-Driven people often miss out great opportunities because they are afraid to venture out. Instead they play safe, avoiding risks and trying to maintain the status quo. Fear will keep you from what God intend you to be. You must move against it with Faith and Love!

Driven by Materialism
This drive to want more is base on the misconceptions that having more will bring more happiness, more important, more secure. Possessions only provide temporary happiness because things don't change, we eventually get bored with them and then want newer and better versions. Wealth can be lost instantly through a variety of uncontrollable factors. Real security can only be found in that which cannot be taken from you - Your Relationship with God.

Driven by the Need for Approval
They allow the expectations of parents or spouses or children or teachers or friends to control their lives. Some are driven by peer pressure, always worried by what others might think. People who usually follow the crowd usually get lost in it. One key to failure is trying to please everyone. Being Controlled by the opinions of others is a way to miss God's purposes for your life f0r Jesus say, " No one can serve two masters."


Therefore it is important we have our purpose from God. Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction and events without a reason. Without purpose, life is trivial, petty and pointless.

The Benefits of Purpose Driven Life

Knowing your Purpose gives Meaning to your Life

• When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything, without it, nothing is bearable. Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose life have no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.


• Hope comes from having a purpose. If you have felt hopeless, hold on! Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose.
  
• For God says, " I know what I am planning for you.... I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future."


• You may be facing an impossible situation, but the Bible says, " God is able to do far more then we would ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes."

Knowing your Purpose Simplifies your Life

• Your Purpose defines what you do and what you don't do. Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren't.


• You just have to ask, " Does this activity help me fulfill one of God's purpose for my life?"


• Without a purpose you have no foundation on which you base decisions, allocate your time, and use your resources. You will tend to make choices based on circumstances, pressures and your mood at the moment. People who don't know their purpose try to do too much and that causes stress, fatigue and conflict.


• It is impossible to do everything people want you to do.


• We only have enough time for God will.

Knowing your Purpose Focuses your Life

• People become effective by being selective when they have a purpose and concentrate effort and energy on what is important.


• Without a clear purpose, you keep changing directions, jobs, relationships, churches - hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You might think, " Maybe this time will be different", but it doesn't help solve your real problem - a lack of focus and purpose.


• If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Do, not only the right activities but the ones that matter most!

Knowing your Purpose Motivates your Life

• Purpose always produce passion.


• Therefore it is important to have a purpose in Life. It keeps you going on, working and striving hard for what God have for you.

Knowing your Purpose Prepares you for Enternity

• Many people spent their lives trying to create a legacy on Earth. They want to be remembered when they are gone, but fail to realise that all achievements are eventually surpassed, records are broken, reputations fade.


• What matter is not what other say about your Life but what God say when you go to heaven. We are not put on Earth to be rememebered but rather to prepare for enternity!


• All that God gave us, Gifts, Talents, opportunities, energy, relationships and resources, we use it for our purpose to fulfill our Destiny!
  
  Isaiah 26:3
  
  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.