Soon after I starting my faith journey, I had a clear sense that God had a specific purpose for my life, even though I didn’t know what it was. Alan, my church leader was even clearer. He said, ‘It’s not about what you can do for God, it’s about doing the specific thing God wants you to do.’
I was laying on my bed, one Tuesday afternoon, with my dog, Kim, and I was listening to a talk that someone had just given me. It was by a woman named Doreen Irvine and was entitled ‘From Witchcraft to Christ’. It was a fascinating story of how she used to be a highly ranked witch before she met with God. I was captivated by it. Then those 7 life-changing word words flew out of the speakers and hit me right between the eyes: ‘God called me to be an evangelist!’ These words stood out from everything else she had said.
‘That’s it! That is my purpose. It’s what God wants me to do―to become an evangelist.’ After I finished listening to the talk, I went to the phone and called Alan, the church leader. I didn’t even give him time to say ‘Hello’ before I burst out with my news.
‘Alan, I know what it is that God wants me to do.’ There was a pause … ‘God’s called me to be an evangelist.’
There was another long pause, and then Alan said, ‘Huh, okay.’
Another long pause.
‘Alan … what is an evangelist?’ I didn’t even know what one was, and he didn’t tell me!
‘We will pray that one through.’ That was his response before putting down the phone. I couldn’t understand why he had responded like that. Even though I didn’t know what an evangelist was, I knew that this was my purpose in life ― this is what God wanted me to do. I soon learnt that an evangelist is someone who communicates the Christian faith mainly to those who don’t yet have faith. And they come in all shapes, styles and sizes.
For the next six weeks it seemed that wherever I went, the word ‘evangelist’ kept coming up. I would play a tape, and it would be an evangelist speaking. I would open a book and there it was ― the word ‘evangelist’. I was at a friend’s house, with the TV playing in the background, and the programme was discussing the ‘evangelist’. I went to see my Dad, who wasn’t a Christian, and on the way out, he gave me a tape of a TV programme that he had made the night before.
‘What’s that?
‘It’s about a man called Billy Graham who is a well-known evangelist.’
Yes, this is what I became ― an evangelist!
When I think about this, there is a lesson to be learnt – you can align with your assignment.
Do you ever ask yourself the question, ‘Why am I on this Earth?’ Do you ever believe that there must be more to life than this? Do you ever get the feeling that you were born for a specific purpose? In the Bible, God says: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says God, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’
You were born with a purpose in life. It’s in your DNA. You were given an assignment that only you can do in the way that you can. God has a task for you, and you can know what it is. How?
Paul from Bible times tells us that: ‘It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are looking for’. (Eph 1:11- Message)
Listen: When you connect with God by getting him in the driving seat of your life, he takes hold of the steering wheel, and with your co-operation he can steer you to your purpose. You may not get it in the same way that I did and it may not be the same but no matter who you are, God has an assignment for YOU to align with.
Barry