Life is Not Easy, But God Uses Everything

There have been times in my life that I have struggled with my own identity. I have felt the pressure that I must have a title or assignment to feel significant. There were times in my younger years where I struggled with not living in a metropolitan region of America. I felt reduced. I felt insignificant. I felt like others did not recognize the value of where I served.

At times, this created a discontentment that was unhealthy. While the struggle was real, it became apparent that it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks relating to these kinds of things. What matters is that you know and live out God’s purpose for your life. When you choose to live out God’s purpose for your life, while titles and assignments and opportunities are nice, you will find joy and happiness regardless of the specifics, because you are living purposefully.

Finding Purpose

Recently, we conducted a professional survey with our entire church. One of the many questions we asked our congregation that day was the following: What topic would be of most interest to you during a Sunday sermon? We received responses from several thousand people. Other than teaching through books of the Bible, as I have done regularly through the years, there were two topics people asked us to address: finding purpose and marriage.

You cannot live fit spiritually if you do not live purposefully. Without purpose, people live aimlessly. I have become convinced the need to live with purpose is greater than the survey may have revealed. People want to know their life matters.

Yes, God is at work in your life. Did you know that Romans 8:28 informs us that in each and every part of your life, God is at work? These things work together or cooperate to produce a greater effect than they could individually. God works through all things in concert together.

God is always orchestrating everything in your life to work together for your benefit. He sets His heart toward all of us who love Him intimately and pursue Him passionately. God’s intention and will is always good and always best for you.

I have to stop and qualify this, because it is very important for us to understand. Everything that happens to you is not good, but God uses everything for your ultimate good.

God’s Purpose for You

Regardless of who you are, where you are, or what you do in your life, if you are a Christian, God is always moving you to His eternal high purpose: Making you more like Jesus Christ. He created you to live your life with God’s purpose always on your mind, becoming like Jesus Christ.

The only way you will ever feel fulfilled is to know that God is always sovereignly and lovingly using everything in your life to make you more like Jesus Christ, for His glory.

Whoever you are and whatever your current circumstances, pursue God’s purpose for your life. Through every season of your life, from good to bad to mediocre, pursue God’s purpose. Now and in the future, pursue God’s purpose with a great expectation that God is working in your life, believe Him for your future with hope.

Life is not easy; it is full of challenges and even some losses. Job deeply believed what we need to believe: I believe nothing can hinder God’s purpose for my life! He trusted this because he knew God could do anything. Do you? While some people may experience a level of restoration as Job did, others may live to the end faithfully yet lose their lives as mentioned in Hebrews 11. For both groups, the ultimate promise is that God’s eternal purposes will come to fruition. The way you view God will determine how you view everything else in your life, including your problems, challenges, and even losses.

Please understand this clearly—what God wants to do, He will do. God is unstoppable! Therefore, each of us should declare this personally: I believe nothing can hinder God’s purpose for my life! Yes, God is able! He is unstoppable!

Now is the Time to Lead,

Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, National Day of Prayer

This article is an adapted excerpt from Living Fit: Make Your Life Count by Pursuing a Healthy You by Ronnie W. Floyd.