Our mission at Impact Purpose and Destiny is to help people and organizations discover their purpose and fulfill their destiny through intimacy with God and identifying who they are and why they were created. We understand that every human is created by God and is perfectly created and shaped to fulfill the purpose for which God created them. Two key scriptures that give us a road map on our journey of destiny discovery are 2 Peter 1.3-4 and Ephesians 2.8-10.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. - 2 Peter 1.3-4
Verse three of 2 Peter 1 tells us that God has given us “all things” that pertain to our life and living for Him. But, the key is found in the following clause, “through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”
The word “knowledge” here literally means, “contact-knowledge”, a first-hand, experiential knowing. The key for us to embrace the truth that God has given (past-tense) us everything that we need only becomes real to us as we pursue and intimate, personal relationship with God the Father. It is through this “contact-knowledge” that we begin to understand and experience the truth of 2 Peter 1.3-4. Intimacy with God is the gateway to purpose and destiny discovery.
Ephesians 2.8-10 tells us:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
This scripture speaks of three more markers along the road of destiny discovery: Identity, Purpose and Destiny.
“For we are His workmanship.” Identity. This scripture identifies who we are and to whom we belong. We are not an accident. We are not just a number. We are not just the sum of random happenstances, circumstances and experiences. No, we are His workmanship. We are His masterpiece. We are His tapestry, perfectly woven by Him. As we start to understand this truth, we are beginning to position ourselves into who we really are, who Christ really is in us and what is the hope of our calling (Ephesians 1.18).
“Created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Purpose. This scripture reminds us that we are not saved by our good works (vs. 8-9), but we are saved for good works (vs. 10). When we receive Christ and the work that He accomplished on the cross, we receive it by faith, it has nothing to do with any works that we accomplished. But, Christ did die so that we could then live for Him, for good works. Our salvation is much more than an assurance of our eternal destination. Salvation restores us back to our original position and purpose, here on this earth. We are restored to a position that was lost in the garden, but was restored at Calvary. Eternal life and life more abundant (John 10.10) does not start when we get to heaven, it starts at salvation. There are good works that God purposes to accomplish through us here on this earth. There are purposes (good works) that we are perfectly created and positioned to accomplish here on earth.
“That we should walk in them.” Destiny. Our destiny is to have a personal, intimate relationship with God the Father, who perfectly created us to accomplish His purposes in our life. Christ died on the cross so that we could again have access to this relationship. As we walk in it, we begin to understand who we are and the purposes that God created us to fulfill. As we begin to recognize, embrace and pursue these purposes, we are stepping into our destiny. We were created for good works…that we should walk in them. This is returning back to our original purpose. This is destiny discovery.
Our prayer for you is found in Ephesians 1.16-23:
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Lets dig a little deeper into these four markers: Intimacy, Identity, Purpose and Destiny.
Intimacy
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15.4-5)
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17.3)
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3.7-11)
Intimacy. Relationship with God. This is “The How” of purpose and destiny discovery. If we do not have a personal, intimate, continual relationship with God the Father (intimacy), we will never be in a position to know, understand and embrace who we are (identity), much less fulfill all that God has for us (purpose and destiny).
Is our ministry and work for the Lord or from the Lord? The answer to that question makes all the difference. “For the Lord” alone is works based. Working “from the Lord” is relationship based. One has the mentality of a servant, the other the mentality of a son/daughter (Luke 15.11-32). He is the vine, we are the branches. Whoever abides in Him bears much fruit, for apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15.4-5). Intimacy is the key to bearing much fruit. Relationship with our Father is the doorway to destiny.
Identity
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1.26-28)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1.12)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (2 Peter 1.9)
Identity. Recognizing the truth about yourself and others. This is “The Who” of purpose and destiny discovery. When we are born again, the enemy no longer has any say in our eternal destiny, but he will do everything he can to stop us from fulfilling our purposes on this earth.
One way in which he does this is by lying to us about who we really are, the comprehensiveness of what Christ did on the cross and who Christ is inside of us. He can not keep us out of heaven, but he can (if we let him) keep us from the knowledge of our true identity, who we are in Christ and who Christ is in us. But, if we, through intimacy with the Father, grasp our true identity, we are positioning ourselves to discover our purpose, bringing heaven down here to earth (Matthew 6.10).
Purpose
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jer 29.11)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.18-20)
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us (Ephesians 3.20)
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2.13)
Purpose. Receiving your calling. This is “The Why” of purpose and destiny discovery. God saved us because He loves us (John 3.16-17). His salvation includes restoring us back to His original design and purpose. God’s original design and purpose for mankind was to bring His kingdom (His reign) to the entire earth (Genesis 1.26-28). That purpose has not changed.
Before time, God had a purpose. He took a unique piece of that purpose and wrapped a perfectly woven tapestry of His handiwork around it and called it you. Our goal at Impact Purpose and Destiny is to work with you to discovery the reality of the Apostle Paul’s prayer, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1.17-20)
The model prayer, that Jesus taught us to pray, says, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6.10). God’s purpose has not changed (bringing His kingdom to the earth) and neither has the means that He chose to accomplish that purpose…Us.
Destiny
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16.3)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them (Romans 12.1-6)
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4.11-16)
Destiny. Realizing your purpose. This the “The What/Where” of purpose and destiny discovery. To “realize” means more than just “becoming fully aware of something as a fact”, it also means “causing something to happen”. Understanding our purpose is not the end, it must be “realized” in space and time. God has perfectly created and shaped us to “realize” His purposes in the space and in the time that He ordained us to walk.
As we pursue an intimate relationship with the Father, we begin to grow in contact-knowledge of who God is (our Father), who we are (His beloved children) and the comprehensiveness of the cross (the enemy is totally defeated and we are totally free). We begin to pursue our true purpose. We begin to bring heaven down to earth. Lives are saved. People are set free. Relationships are reconciled. Communities are transformed. Future generations are impacted. His kingdom is coming. Our destiny is being realized. This is the goal of purpose and destiny discovery. And in the the end, we can say as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4.7-8:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
And we can look forward to hearing these words from our Lord Jesus Christ:
“Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”