Have you asked this important question?
Most leaders easily fill their calendars and days. Sometimes the time seems to fill itself. But too much activity can blind us to our bigger purpose behind all that activity.
There are times in life when busyness gets rather distracting, binding and exhausting. We lose focus, our calendar manages us and the good work becomes a burden. Our attitude and productivity begin to suffer… almost as much as the people around us.
Sometimes we forget to ask this important question: Why am I here?
We should ask ourselves this multiple times a day.
The key to “Why am I here?” is knowing who or what we have gone to for the answer. We’re trained to solve problems with reasoning. However, reasoning is often under the control of our carnal minds. If we ask our carnal minds we’ll get a carnal answer.
Remember, “…take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
If the carnal mind sneaks in a response (it is sneakier than we imagine), that response can reveal something about our attitude. For example, there could be a false sense of confinement or self-pity in your response. The carnal mind will aim to consume us with this response, if we do not take this thought to Christ.
“Why am I here?” is best answered by the Holy Spirit inside us. From the latter will come answers like, “I am here to meet with, walk with and glorify God.” This is the mind set on things above, which bring life and peace (Romans 8:6).
Our Father in heaven will say to us, “You are there to be vessels, instruments, and weapons of My righteousness, kindness, and love. You are there to advance My kingdom; to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
God has called us for godly reasons, even when we work ourselves into the wrong places. We are people in-process.
Let me suggest that asking “Why am I here?” and taking every thought captive is best practiced during the beginning of the day. Is meeting with and finding God worth an hour of sleep? Sure, medical experts claim that hour of sleep will help you live longer, but what do they know? God has numbered our days; who are you going to believe?
Excerpted from An Enemy Lies Within: Overcoming the Presence and Deceptions of Our Carnal Mind, by Rob Streetman and Steve Lester (inLight 2019).
Photo source: istock
 | Rob Streetman serves the body of Christ as President of two parachurch ministries: inLight Consulting (a workplace transformation ministry) and 2:2 Collective (a unity and church growth ministry). He is the author of two books: The Map Maker and A Storm is Coming. Rob’s heart desires is to encourage, edify and equip Christian leaders as disciple-makers and transformation agents—that they would become houses that stand in the storms of this life. He previously worked in various IT industry positions. Learn More » |
More on Spiritual Growth and Soul Care
- Is your church multigenerational or truly intergenerational? (by Eric Daniel)
- The leadership trap that’s holding your team back (by Jenni Catron)
- Need to express a new church brand? Do these 10 steps in order (by Mark MacDonald)
- 5 keys to writing a talk you can deliver without notes (by Carey Nieuwhof)
