The Revelation of Purpose  

If we want to know our purpose, we must go to the Source—to the Person who created us, and that Person is God. God’s Holy Spirit is the One who reveals His mysteries to us, and if we are hungry to discover our purpose in life, He is willing to disclose it. He will show us the truth of who we are and the reason for our existence.

There is a significant difference between the process of “discovering” something and the process of receiving revelation. Discovering involves acquiring knowledge through studies, research, experiments, statistics, and so on. It also refers to seeking out what is unknown. Receiving revelation, on the other hand, is a supernatural process in which our spiritual senses are opened to God and our understanding is enlightened.

When we receive revelation, this knowledge comes directly from God by the Holy Spirit. As we have seen, God does give us indicators of our purpose that involve natural processes of observing and analyzing, but we must set those indicators alongside the revelation of His purpose for us in order to confirm our calling.

The process of receiving revelation is vital for us to understand because many people confuse the purpose of their life with the profession for which they prepared in college or trade school. The two may well coincide. However, education is a function of the natural realm, while purpose, although it operates in the natural, has spiritual characteristics, and its effect is supernatural and eternal. Therefore, education may prepare us for a job, but it does not prepare us for a purpose.

Receiving Revealed Knowledge

How does the revelation of God’s purpose come to us? 

The Holy Spirit is in charge of revealing our unique, unrepeatable, and eternal purpose. The Spirit chooses the way in which He reveals our purpose, and it is different for each person. Is there anything we can do to cooperate with Him in the revelation of this purpose? Can we prepare our spiritual senses to be open to receiving His knowledge? Yes, we can! Here are some vital guidelines for doing so:

Know God

No one can know their purpose without first knowing God. When we know Him, we find out who we are, and we turn our hearts toward His purposes. We need to seek the Lord because aligning ourselves with the one true God is the only way we can really understand what we were created for. We must dedicate time and effort to knowing Him better, to understanding His plans and our role in them.

When we truly know God, we stop questioning and resisting His will for us. Whoever questions the voice of God has a problem because they are not in harmony with His heart and mind. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). With this metaphor of sheep, the Lord is referring to the people who have a covenant with Him, those who know His heart, His love, and His teachings, and who obey them faithfully and wholeheartedly.

The best way to know God is to recognize His voice, and one of the means by which God speaks to us is through His written Word. In the Scriptures, God reveals who He is. He Himself inspired the Scriptures to make Himself known to mankind. When we know God’s Word, we will know Him, because His Word tells us His nature and will.

In addition to knowing God’s Word, we need to be in continuous communion with Him through prayer, fasting, and seeking Him daily. “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14).

If we want to know our purpose, we must come to know God in a deeper way, and a significant means by which we do this is by worshipping Him. It is during worship that God reveals Himself to us, and in that revelation comes the knowledge of our purpose. As our relationship with God grows, we will receive more revelation of our calling.

Be in the Right Environment

To fulfill our purpose, we must be in the right environment—spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and geographically. If someone is in an environment that does not cultivate, nourish, or develop their purpose, they will be unable to accomplish it.

Think about the current environments in which you live, in all aspects of your life. What are you doing to prepare and adjust these environments for the nurturing of your purpose? Your preparation can range from simple matters, such as having better organization in your workspace, to greater issues, like discerning which friends and associates with whom you should spend your time. Recognize that if you are not in the right environment, you will be hindered from achieving your purpose.

Serve a Vision

The idea of “vision” is often defined as how we see our future. However, in terms of purpose, vision is God’s perspective on our future. It is what He reveals to us as we develop an intimate relationship with Him.

If we want to know our purpose, we must be committed to a vision. Whatever vision you have—whether it is to be a doctor, firefighter, scientist, builder, musician, businessperson, writer, nurse, pastor, or apostle—it is almost always necessary to begin by serving the vision of someone else and being faithful in that capacity. Often, by serving someone else’s vision, we can find the place of our own purpose because vision is the point where purpose begins. 

We can say that our purpose reflects who we are, but our vision guides us to where we are going. We must have a strong vision to be able to reach our destiny.

Receive a Supernatural Encounter

I believe God reveals and confirms our purpose by using supernatural means, such as a dream, a vision, a sign, a prophetic word, or a supernatural encounter. We can receive a revelation of our destiny through a supernatural encounter directly initiated by God. The pattern we see throughout the Scriptures is that God presents Himself to His people through such encounters. In those meetings, He reveals people’s purposes and callings. A supernatural encounter makes God “real” to us. He Himself becomes the reality in which we live. After an encounter, He is more real to us than any opposition, persecution, disappointment, or even blessing.

Supernatural encounters transform your heart, reveal your purpose, and activate your calling. If you want an encounter with God, you must be hungry for Him and eager to know His purpose for you. Through encounters, God makes you a bearer of His presence, purpose, and power. Ask the Lord to open your spiritual senses to perceive what He wants to reveal to you.

All of the above involves a process that is often lengthy but has incalculable value because, through it, our character is formed and we are prepared to be successful in fulfilling our destiny in God.