Protecting Your Purpose on PURPOSE!
In a world that is overflowing with wonders and possibilities, dreams are the sparks that ignite our passions and drive us towards our goals. But isn’t it disheartening that not everyone will share in your vision or support your journey? Negative naysayers can often dampen your excitement and attempt to cloud your judgement when it comes to following your God-given purpose. But, you can’t allow them to. Philippians 3:13-14 tells us this! It reads, “I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are BEHIND, and reaching forth unto those things which are AHEAD, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high CALLING of JESUS CHRIST!” In today’s article let’s explore strategies to shield your dreams from the influences of doubters, unsupportive bystanders, divisive spirits, master manipulators, and insecure narcissists—ensuring that your path to success remains clear and unshakable.
We were all given an assignment by God. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and to not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We run into spiritual warfare and have to tune into our discernment when we begin to encounter people that purposefully try to lure us away from the course we know God has called us to run.
The Bible says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spirits, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world. We are battling against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) I can’t tell you how many times I’ve encouraged someone to shoot for the moon, follow their dreams, and never to give up. Sounds like a bunch of cliches doesn’t it? But in reality, I’m simply encouraging someone to protect their purpose on purpose by any means necessary. The problem becomes that the enemy couldn’t care LESS about how many people you’ve encouraged, he will still rest upon other’s lips to distract you from pushing towards the calling that comes from only Jesus Christ himself. In the scripture Philippians 3:13-14, the Bible reminds us that we not focusing on things that are behind us but on the greater that lies ahead. Anyone or anything that is reminding you of your past or not supportive of your vision to press ahead towards higher through Christ Jesus, needs to be left behind.
Steve Maraboli once said, “You are not defined by someone's partial view of your life, your strengths, or your history. Their inability to see or appreciate the complete version of you only limits them, not you. Stand strong in your truth and purpose and continue being your unapologetic self.” One of the strongest prayers I’ve ever prayed was the shortest prayer I ever prayed. And can you believe it was also the quickest prayer God ever answered? “Lord disconnect me from any pretenders in my life and fill me with the spirit of wisdom and discernment. Prune my life of any branch that is not producing fruit. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!”
Before I knew it, God was removing people from my life. Close family members that weren’t conducive to where I was going in that season and friends that I thought were good for me. Some people He didn’t remove from me even though it seemed like I was constantly asking God to remove the thorn from my side. But you know what He did instead? He gave me wisdom, discernment, and strength to utilize the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me and recognize the tactics of the enemy for myself. Some people He did not and hasn’t removed, because I had to do it on my own. I had to recognize that they were only controlling me, using me, or not supportive of me the entire time.
In Proverbs 26:24-25, the scripture warns us about people with manipulative and deceitful tendencies: “Whoever hates, disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart.” I take this to mean that someone can claim all day that they have your best interest at heart, want only the best for you, and are “just trying to help”, but altogether they truly do know that your path was designed and given by God. And He alone is graceful, merciful, and powerful enough to make it come to pass. They just rather their ambitions show forth more than what God has for you.
The scripture urges us to push towards the mark of the high calling of our best friend? Or is it our mother? Or maybe our high school teacher? NO! It says the calling of JESUS CHRIST. Before you were even placed in your mother’s womb, the Lord knew you—down to the number of hairs on our heads, to the paths we’d take, the wrong moves we’d make— He accounted for it all! He even accounted for the people that would try to speak ill against the purpose He assigned to you. I believe that purposes can be at times imminent, yet longing, or even seasonal. Regardless the length, it’s our duty to carry it out our assignments to completion for the kingdom of God. I’m a witness that God will bless you immensely along the way for your obedience.
I’ll end with this story. I had an experience with someone who couldn’t take no for an answer. You could tell them what your plans were or they could hear through the grapevine what your desires were—and they would still urge you, manipulate you, persuade you, and lure you into opportunities, relationships, jobs, or social events that didn’t align with what you shared your purpose was in that season. I had always found this person to be controlling, hard to tolerate, and divisive with their actions and words.
I would categorize this person to have some sort of narcissistic “god” complex—meaning that whatever they thought you should do was the right job, whatever path they saw you taking was the right way, and whatever methods you took to fulfill God purpose should be how they saw fit. They were very opportunistic—always seizing the opportunity to spend hours upon hours to tell you why you should do it the way they see it. It was so uncomfortable and irritating to my spirit. It’s like I could feel the warning that we were not the same and this person was never my cup of tea. Every verbal dissertation that was given was always laced with strong persuasion, a grand sense of self, and projection. You could hear in between every breath that in reality they are unhappy with their own status, life, job, etc. The projection was undeniable.
This person would claim they had NO IDEA what I said my purpose from God was yet would share with me their knowledge of other people they knew that was doing EXACTLY what I said God had assigned me to do as well. They would embellish these people’s journey to appear better than mine, less rigid, more profitable, or more stable. I immediately recognized the attack of the enemy. The manipulation, the pride, the control, the deceit, the condescension. They were actively and knowingly trying to push me away from my purpose.
I left that conversation and immediately saw signs that only God and I could decipher. Like a little private inside joke between God and myself— those little nuances no one can begin to understand but me. I saw signs and wonders that instantly calmed my spirit. God reminded me that none are so empty as those who are full of themselves. And I remembered my prayer, “God give me discernment to remove anyone from my life that is not bearing fruit.” Shade coming from a tree bearing no fruit could never phase me. I never seek validation from someone whose spirit, opinion, and intentions aren’t even valid.
They’ll never be an explanation from people like that for their narcissistic and evil-spirited behavior. But what I can gather is often times people that: didn’t fulfill their assignment in a particular season of their life, are insecure about where they are in life, are jealous that you have a drive to take the risk they weren’t courageous enough to take will always never truly support the vision you see. I’ve come to notice that people often project their fears into your life’s vision never believing you can actually make the moves necessary to achieve your goals. They want to know more than ever required. They’ll constantly urge you to share details with them—constantly—baiting you into revealing what God showed you about your faith walk. I imagine Joseph has no regrets, but after telling his brothers his dreams and the purpose God had for him, they were so jealous! They sold him into slavery and lied to their father about what truly happened to his son! There’s a lesson here: Not everyone needs to know the plans God has revealed to you. God will assign you specific people that are ordained to being a support system for you in life. The truth is, everybody asking you questions isn’t entitled to answers.
I can vividly remember this person often times quoting the word of God to appear trustworthy and supportive to get the information out of you that they wanted. But the scriptures were always quoted out of context or only fit their narrative. I find that some people only want to know the plans so they can know what to attack. I learned that becoming less reactive is a huge part of growth and decreasing stress. I often play the fool to the fool and remain private while they think I am probably not prepared, lost, naive, ignorant, and need help. And that is okay. If you let everything get you worked up, you're damaging your own mind, body, and spirit. Anyone that is more concerned with what you have going on and where God is taking you isn’t focused on their own life and what God is asking of them in this season of their life. In conclusion, safeguarding your purpose from those who seek to undermine it is crucial for maintaining your peace and continuing the journey God has set before you. By surrounding yourself with positive influences, setting firm boundaries, and remaining steadfast in your convictions, you can create a resilient foundation for your aspirations. Remember, your purpose is uniquely yours; it deserves protection and nurturing against ANY negativity that may come your way—no matter what or who is standing in your way. Stay committed, stay focused, and let your passion guide you to success.
Continue to let your light shine bright and go PURPOSE ON PURPOSE (P.O.P.)
Until Next Time,
Ashley
