5 Lies Blocking You From Discovering Your Calling

If you struggle to gain a clear understanding of your purpose, you are not alone. In a recent survey, most Beloved Women said “purpose and significance” was the number one source of their anxiety. So not only are we not sure what our purpose is, but the uncertainty of it all is causing more stress and anxiety. Now we know that is not what God has for us. But in my conversations with women, I’ve learned that there are 5 major lies stopping you from discovering your purpose in the first place. In this video, I’m not only sharing what those lies are, but I’ll share the truth to overcome them to alleviate your anxiety, and most importantly, create a clear path for you to boldly walk in your God-given purpose. Enjoy!

We all have the same purpose: to be image-bearers of God, to be light in a dark world, to know God, worship God, love God, and love others. That purpose never changes. But how we live that out individually will look different for each person and in each season. This is your calling. The challenge in discovering how to live out our purpose comes from lies that we often believe without even recognizing them.

So, in today's video, you’ll learn:

• 🛑 The 5 major lies stopping you from discovering and living out your purpose and calling.
• ⚔️ The truths you need to know AND believe to overcome each lie.
• 👠 The ONE action step you must take if you want to realize all (not some) of your God-given potential.

But first, we have to understand that our purpose comes from God, and He wants us to know what that purpose is. It’s not a mystery or a secret that He expects us to discover on our own. However, in order to get a clear understanding of our purpose from God, there are certain lies we must let go of.

Lie 1. God Can’t Use Me

The first lie that prevents us from walking boldly in our calling is that God can't use me. Now there are various reasons why someone would believe this lie. Maybe they've done what they feel is so much sin and bad in the past that they feel unredeemable, and that they are now unable to be used by God. This lie is completely untrue for several reasons. For one, if God were looking for perfect people to accomplish His purposes on Earth, He wouldn't have anyone to work with. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Your sin is no greater than anyone else's. If God can use David who was a murderer and adulterer, if He can use Moses who was also a murderer and sometimes lashed out in anger, if He can use Rahab who was a prostitute, please believe, yes, God can use you. In fact, the scripture tells us that the plans that God had for you He foreknew before you were even born. (Romans 8:29; Jeremiah 1:5) Guess what? God didn't just know the calling He put on your life, He also knew all of your shortcomings, all the mistakes you would make, all of the sin that you would participate in and He still called you for a purpose. You may feel like God can't use you, but there's nothing that God can't do.

Lie 2. I’m Not Good at Anything

The second lie stopping you from discovering your individual purpose and how you walk that out says I'm not good at anything. We know this is a lie because the scriptures clearly tell us that God has given gifts to all of those who believe in Him. (1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6, Romans 11:29)
Every single believer has gifts and talents (not just a select few) that have been bestowed upon us and entrusted to us from God for the purpose of building up His kingdom. Maybe you grew up constantly hearing criticism about everything you did or constantly hearing negativity and feeling that you were not enough and that anything that you do won't be good enough for God or anyone else. The truth is God's not going to place a call on our lives and then not equip us to actually do it. What's also true is that sometimes the things God calls us to do are things that we are not good at, but we're still called to do them anyway. God isn't only concerned with what you're good at, He's concerned with what you're faithful with. As You trust Him with your gifts, you will get better at them. What gifts has He given you? What people has He entrusted to you? What opportunities and doors has He opened for you? God wants you to steward those things well. The Bible tells us that it's in our weakness where God’s power is made perfect in our lives (2 Corinthians 12:9-11), so instead of worrying about what we’re good at or talented in, focus on what God has given you, what He's called you to do, and how you can lean on His strength to be faithful to do it. Now don't get me wrong, I truly believe in operating at a level of excellence and honing in on your gifts and your talents, but at the end of the day, we have to do the work while trusting the results are up to God. The results of our work as we answer God's call on our lives don't dictate how good or bad we are at a particular talent or gift. It's our faithfulness towards God as He honors our obedience, that will get the results that He wants and that should be our focus.

Lie 3. God Doesn’t Have a Plan for Me Like He Does for Others

The third lie that prevents us from confidently answering God's call on our lives says God doesn't have a plan or purpose for me like He does for others. Now the Bible already tells us this is not true. Just because we’re not clear on God’s plan for our lives doesn’t mean He doesn’t have a plan for us.

God is very intentional and strategic about everything that He does, even the reason why He created you. He has a plan and a purpose for you, regardless if you can see it clearly or not. You know we read about all the infamous heroes of faith in the Bible and the things that God miraculously accomplished in their lives, as they boldly answered God's call. We have to realize that when those men and women we read about in the pages of our Bibles were taking steps of faith and living those things out, they didn't know how it was going to turn out. Noah built the boat. Moses told Pharaoh to let God's people go. Rahab hid the spies. David challenged Goliath. All these people didn't know for sure exactly how everything would work out. They didn't know the exact blueprint or plan, but they stepped out on faith anyway because they didn't need to know the perfect plan, when they knew that God had a purpose and a reason for everything that He did even when it didn't make sense.

Don't get me wrong, I understand how confusing this can sometimes be. I know it didn't make sense when God called me to get a degree in business and then a master's in seminary and I had a background and interest in video production. The pieces were all over the place and it didn't make sense, but God had a plan, and now that I lead an organization and business that reaches millions of women with God's love and truth through video, it all makes sense now. I want to encourage you just because all the pieces haven't come together yet, doesn't mean that God doesn't have a plan. He does. Keep seeking God’s purpose and watch everything work out.

Lie 4. If I’m Not in Traditional Ministry, I’m Not in God’s Purpose

The fourth lie stopping you from understanding and walking in God's call on your life is that if I'm not in traditional ministry, I'm not in God's purpose. This is the one that I hate the most. I also think that this lie is the most prevalent lie that prevents Believers from truly letting their light shine wherever God places them. We often mistakenly think that in order to be used by God, we have to be a pastor or an evangelist or a Christian speaker full time, but here's the truth: the Bible tells us that God so loved the world, not just people in the church or Christian bubbles. That means that as we partner with God in response to the Great Commission, we are called to the ends of the Earth. We are to go out into the world, the workplace, the marketplace, schools, PTA meetings, and more to be a light for God. Do not let the enemy make you think that just because you're at a 9-5 or just because you work in Corporate America or just because you're often in boardrooms, God is not using you right where you are. We can't put limits on God and tell Him how His purpose and plan is supposed to play out. All we have to do is trust God where He planted us because if we don't, we'll miss all the opportunities that God is giving us to live on mission.

Lie 5. I Need a Clear Plan Before I Can Make a Move

The fifth lie that's blocking us from truly living out our God-given purpose says I need a clear plan before I can make a move. The truth is quite the opposite. The truth is you need to make a move before you will ever see the clear plan because that is how God operates. Why does He do this? If we had a clear plan from the beginning, we wouldn't be required to exercise and operate in faith. God doesn't want us to be so focused on getting everything right and perfect. He wants us to place our faith in Him. So He almost never gives us the complete plan and each step to reach and realize our call because He gives us room to operate in faith and trust Him.

Faith is so important when it comes to walking out God's call on our lives because faith is what actually empowers us to do what God calls us to do. Getting more information is not going to give you the motivation and the fuel you need to obey God. Don't get me wrong. Data is powerful and helpful to help us make wise decisions, but how many people do you know that have a lot of information, but don't act on it? How many people do you know take the time to just collect data and information so they know a lot, but they don't do a lot?

Often, we're so focused on the end goal that we forget that God desires to walk with us through the entire journey as we lean and trust Him. The Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding, but instead to trust Him with our whole heart. (Proverbs 3:5) Instead, we'll put our trust in a plan, we'll put our trust in some sort of strategy, we’ll put our trust in knowing what's going to happen next, but we are called to put our trust in God. It is in the process of walking out our calling that we are honored to be able to do just that. Purpose isn’t just in the outcome, but also in the journey itself.

Now that you have the truth to get unstuck from the lies preventing you from discovering your calling, you need a practical way to know what the call on your life is, so I invite you to watch this video where I share seven questions to ask to discover your God-given purpose.

For more encouragement, download my free Bible Study called “Worry-Free” to learn the 3 lies feeding your worry and the truth to set you free at belovedwomen.org. Thanks for watching and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and beloved.