Unfulfilled? Tired? Create a Fulfilled Life and Find Purpose

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It’s time to live in victory! You no longer need to feel unfulfilled! It’s time to live the life God has called you to live! Do you know what God has called you to do? Do you know where He is taking you? Or are you so caught up in just trying to survive this season you are in that it’s impossible to see anything else? We are diving into 2 tactical ways to learn where God is taking your life, what you are called to do and get some passion back in your life!

You can read the first part in this series here. We talked about shifting our perspective of the situation and things that are surrounding us, and changing the way we speak and think. Now, read 2 more tactical things for you to do so you can start living out what God has called you to.

Listen to the full episode here:

Hey Mama!

God doesn’t want you to feel unfulfilled. He doesn’t go into things half hearted, he didn’t say one day, “you know? I think I’m gonna make a Jessica today, maybe she will do something with her life, we’ll see what happens. I’ll just toss some of these random gifts her way and see what she comes up with over time. Let’s give her a spiritual gifting of administration, some prophecy, and then give her some great art skills. I have no idea how she can put that all together but I’m feeling a bit crazy today so let’s just see what happens. There you go Jessica! Let’s see what you do with your life with these things.”

NO!

He had a plan in place, and knew your name, knew what very specific gifts, talents and passions He was going to give you, and He knew exactly what He had planned for those gifts, talents and passions long before you were ever actually created. Perhaps you feel unfulfilled, because you aren’t living out the purpose you were created for?

You have a big calling on your life, God goes all in with everything He created. That includes you!

You have a big calling on your life, God goes all in with everything He created. That includes you!
-Jen McGraw

Don’t Be Unfulfilled…God Has a Purpose!

Genesis 1:14 says “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;”

God created everything, He had a purpose for it all from the start. He had a purpose for each light he placed in the sky with intentionality, for each creature and plant He created, and all of them were created with perfection. Why would you be any different? If He put so much thought and intentionality into creating an ant, or a beetle, or a daisy, you have so much more purpose and intentionality behind your creation! God created us to be in communion with Him! Plants and animals can’t do that. You are so much more special than the ant or the daisy. He was intentional with all of His creations and He was intentional with YOU! Are you in communion with Him? That’s a great place to start to see the unfulfilled feeling dissipate.

Where Do I Start?

Wondering where to start to figure out your purpose and get that unfulfilled feeling out of your life? When you figure out the purpose you were created for and start to walk that out, your unfulfilled life will start to transform.

Grab a pen and paper. Write out your passions and dreams, skills. Getting it out on paper is the best place to start.

What are you passionate about?
What skills come easy and naturally to you?
Has God given you any dreams about what He has planned for you? Placed a strong desire in your heart for something specific?
Maybe you don’t realize it came from God, but you have this ache to do something specific in your life that may be from God. What is that ache inside?

God gave me an ache, a longing for something more. When you think of being unfulfilled, my life was the epitome of unfulfilment. It took years but as I sought after Him, the ache left. I found my calling. I found what I was created for and I began to pursue it whole heartedly! Listen to the episode to hear all about it.

Alright, I wrote it out, I’m still unfulfilled. What’s next?

The next step is to find out what spiritual giftings God has given you. We all have them.

The bible is specific about things called spiritual giftings. These are specific things God has placed in you so you can live out what He has called you to do. They point to the direction He is taking you. If you don’t know what yours are, I strongly encourage you to study them. You can read through them and study what the bible says about each, and if in your study you aren’t able to determine what gifts (there are usually multiple) He has given you to operate in, then ask your home church if they have a link for a spiritual giftings test you can take. I’m going to go through what the spiritual gifts are and I want you to grab a pen and paper and make notes on what stand out to you, what resonates with you that you think He has placed in you.

You are so much more special than the ant or the daisy. He was intentional with all of His creations and He was intentional with YOU!
-Jen McGraw

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills….And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”
I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28

Types of gifts:

Administration

refers to a shipmaster or captain
to steer or to rule or govern
presents the image of steering a ship
can guide a group of people to a specific goal
related to the gift of leadership
goal or task oriented through organization
focused on details.

Apostles

mission is to plant new ministries and churches
go into places where the Gospel is not preached, like a missionary
raise up and develop leaders
often have many different spiritual gifts
influencers
typically entrepreneurial
take risks and perform difficult tasks
leaders that lead other leaders

Discernment

able to distinguish, or judge a person, statement, situation, or environment
ability to distinguish between spirits
distinguish if something is of God, the devil, if it is of the world
distinguish if it is of the flesh or of the Holy Spirit in a given situation

Evangelism

All of us are called to reach out to the lost. That is part of the great commission that we are all created for. But some are given extra faith and effectiveness in this area. The Greek word for evangelists means “one who brings good news.”

able to overcome the normal fear of rejection
continually seek out relationships with those who don’t know Jesus
open to the leading of the Holy Spirit to approach different people
passionate about stepping out of their comfort zone to see other’s lives transformed

Exhortation

also referred to as the “gift of encouragement.”
strengthen and encourage those who are having a hard time in their faith
can uplift and motivate others
challenge others to foster spiritual growth

Faith

confidence, certainty and trust that comes through a close relationship with God
have a trust and confidence in God that allows them to live boldly for Him and manifest that faith in mighty ways.
trust that God is and good
take Him at His Word and put their lives in His hands completely
expect God to move
not surprised when He answers a prayer or performs a miracle

Giving

to give. sincerely, generously and without pretense or hypocrisy
no expectation to get anything in return
long to help meet the various needs of the church and its ministries, missionaries, or of people who are lacking
goal is to encourage and provide, giving all credit to God’s love and provision
love to share with others the blessings God has given them
typically very hospitable
seek out ways and opportunities to help others
excellent stewards and will often adjust their lifestyles in order to give more

Healing

compassionate toward the sick and pray over them regularly
have great faith and trust that God can and will heal
ultimate concern is the spiritual well-being of those being healed and their relationship with Jesus

Interpretation

The spiritual gift of interpretation of tongues is found alongside the gift of speaking in tongues. The Greek word for interpretation is hermeneia and simply means to interpret, explain, or expound some message that is not able to be understood in a natural way.

supernatural ability to understand and explain messages uttered in an unknown language
God reveals the meaning of the words or message being spoken and allows the interpreter to communicate its meaning to those who need to hear it
When this happens, the church is edified and God is glorified

Words of Knowledge

has an understanding of the things in this world and in our lives that is founded in the Gospel and rooted in the Scriptures
closely related to the gift of wisdom
used to bring about understanding and to inform the church or individual believers
usually well-versed in the Scriptures
can retain the truth and communicate it effectively at the appropriate times
can see how the truth connects to every situation and circumstance

Leadership

can lead, assist, protect and to care for others
loves to care for others
more people oriented than task oriented
leads people into deeper relationship with Christ and each other
base their success on how well they help others succeed and grow in their spiritual walk with Jesus
able to accomplish many different tasks and objectives
lead relationally and with a deep concern for the well-being of others
are visionary and less concerned with mundane details
many are entrepreneurial and willing to take risks
will go to great lengths to protect those under their care
well-equipped to lead through crisis situations

Mercy

more patient and compassionate to others than is typical
concern for the physical as well as spiritual need of those hurting
have great empathy for others in their difficulties
able to come alongside people over extended periods of time and see them through their healing process
truly and literally the hands and feet of God to the afflicted
able to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15) and “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2)
sensitive to the feelings and circumstances of others
can quickly discern when someone is not doing well
good listeners and feel the need to be there for others

Pastor/Shepherd

In the Bible, shepherds had many responsibilities when it came to both the sheep and the sheep’s owner.ultimately, They watched for predators, protected them from anything that would attack them, cared for the sick and hurt sheep. If the sheep ventured off they would seek them out and bring them back. The sheep knew the shepherd’s voice so clearly they would know it was him in any situation. Pastors are called shepherds because they have very similar responsibilities.

care for the spiritual well-being of a church
servant leaders
have a mixture of abilities that allows them to serve the needs of an entire community
teach the Word of God to the church
directly linked to the gift of teaching
loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ and puts it at the center of their life and ministry
do not seek fame or recognition for themselves
humble and service minded

The Gift of Prophecy

ability to receive a divinely inspired message and deliver it to others
this gift is for the benefit of both believers and unbelievers and is a sign that God is truly among His church
sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit
humble
passion to study the Scriptures

Service

also known as the gift of helping
longs to help meet the needs of the church
sees beyond their own needs
committed to the spread the Gospel
serve in ways that benefit others with different gifts and ministries
have a heart devoted to Jesus and a desire to follow His command
do not seek recognition or a position in authority they just love to help
content with serving in the background knowing that their contribution will bless others

Teaching

entrusted with the task of effectively communicating what the Bible says
love to study the Word of God for extended periods of time
consume the Scriptures as food for their hearts, souls and minds
get joy and satisfaction in seeing others learn and apply the truth in their life
hate when the Word of God is used out of context or with ill intent
love the truth and speak the truth in love

Out of all these gifts did any specific ones speak to you? Write those down! Again, if you don’t know your spiritual gifts, talk with a leader in your church and see if they have a link for you to take a spiritual gifts test, you can also just search online and there are tons of different ones you can access for free. This is not an all encompassing list of the spiritual gifts and their characteristics. It’s just a portion to get you started.

Get Rid of the Unfulfilled Feeling!

Next, for your homework, I want you to spend some time in prayer. Ask God to reveal to you the gifts He has given you. Your spiritual gifts, your talents, the special things He has given you that are special to you. Ask Him to show you what your God given dreams and passions are. He will reveal it to you! He doesn’t want you to feel unfulfilled anymore. God wants passion, love, excitement and joy in your life!

Write out the list and pray over it. Ask Him to show you what He has planned for you to use these for. Now, He may not reveal to you everything. You may just get snip its over time because He doesn’t always want us to know the big picture, or maybe we can see the big picture but we have no knowledge of the individual steps to get there. That second one was and still is me.

I know where I am ending up, I know where my family is ending up, but the steps to get there, I have no idea. God reveals them to me as they come. He knows me so well, He knows that if I knew the steps to get to the end goal, I’d try to make them happen on my own instead of waiting for Him, so I wait. Where are you at? Do you know the end goal? Do you have a vision He has given you for your life? Or are you just trying to figure out what you are supposed to be doing with this life He has given you?

God Doesn’t Want You Feeling Unfulfilled

Go through these 2 steps and spend time in prayer. You will get there! If you want some help to walk through it, if you need some guidance, direction, and an outside perspective. I’m happy to help! Sometimes you just need someone with a godly outside perspective on your situation, on your current season. God has given me a great ability to see things others don’t, to teach, coach, and walk others through where they are at, to where God has called them to be. It truly is my passion, I had no idea I would be here. But God did!

Speaking engagements, Creating content for a podcast, a blog, social media, pinterest, writing a book, these were all the furthest thing from my mind when I was envisioning what God would have me do. Coaching women that are overwhelmed, lost and struggling to live the life they want, the life God has for them, I had no idea I would be here. I knew I was supposed to help women, moms, and kids. When I see the transformation in peoples lives, see that lightbulb click, see them begin to flourish and that joy light them up again, help them to be the mom they want to be, the wife they want to be, and the amazing woman God has called them to be, it lights me up. That is truly my passion and God had it all figured out long before I did.

What Are You Passionate About?

What are your gifts? Passions? Vision for you life that God has placed in you? There is a reason they are there. Work through these steps and the steps in the previous blog to help you figure it out! God has amazing things in store for you! I’m praying for amazing revelation to come your way as you work through these.