Career vs. Purpose vs. Ministry

Career vs. Purpose vs. Ministry 

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I wanted my Pinky Promise sisters to share what the Lord placed on their heart. And, my sister (and cousin by marriage), April Wesley shared something so powerful.
Check it out.
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I was prompted to complete this blog when one of my well-respected friends (an entrepreneur, non-profit organizer, world traveler, speaker, and preacher) recently sent a message for well wishes on my birthday and ended with "Purpose looks good on you." She is well-versed in the dynamic nature of purpose, but her statement made me think of an open issue or misconception in the Body of Christ. It is a topic and thought process that I've had to work through in my own life to understand God's plan and pathway (purpose) for my life. "Do people always equate purpose to something 'ministry' related, such as writing books or starting an organized ministry; or, do people recognize that purpose is multifaceted and can result in many purpose paths (outside of what is commonly perceived as 'ministry')?" Also, "can my job or career be my purpose? Is it a part of my purpose? Am I really living in my purpose if I haven't left my job and started my own ministry or business?" Affectionately, I started writing. I began to develop what you're currently reading in hopes to address these misconceptions. This post is for those that struggle with where their career life fits in with their purpose and how it relates to ministry.

Let's start with the title...career first, purpose in the middle, and ministry last. It's strategically placed in that order, not to put career over purpose or ministry, or say that ministry is underneath it all, but to say that purpose is the glue that motivates these endeavors. God's purpose for your life can indeed be experienced in a career, but it is likely not the only way that He will reveal His intended gifts through you. It's a purpose pathway in your life. Because your career or job is a part of your daily life, it is apart of your ministry. Your life is your ministry, period, including every activity, task, action, and interaction within it. Don't be confused. We have unfortunately secluded and regarded ministry to be what happens on a stage or impactful to a larger audience when we should know there is only an audience of One (God) that we serve and produce for.

In this Christian moment in time, it appears to be an overwhelming consensus that if you're working a 9-5 job or career, you're not truly following God's will for your life. I believe we've gained this perception because we've looked at someone else's path and concluded that if "purpose" was birthed when they left their 9-5 jobs, that should be our story too. Not so. If God appointed you to that 9-5 job or career and you KNOW you're supposed to be there, stay there! I believe we've equated purpose as the "blossoming of opportunity" that happens after we've obeyed God and possibly left our jobs without really consulting God. No, purpose is obedience to WHATEVER God has ordered you to and not measured by who's looking, clapping for us, or agreeing with us. Now, I'm not saying that it's okay to stay in a job or place where God has not ordained you to be and you're remaining there to satisfy your own fleshly desires. I'm telling you to be where God has equipped you to be and wants you to learn. You're clearly there to further your spiritual, personal, and professional development. Even for those who have been told to leave their jobs to explore and act on a new purpose path, I'm absolutely positive that if you were to sit down with them, they would tell you that their ministry is the life they lived before there was a spotlight or newly found purpose opportunity. It didn't start or stop with their decision to be obedient for probably the umpteenth time. Their purpose started at their very first "Yes!" to God!

Everybody is on a stage, whether we realize it or not. God is looking to see how we perform in the purpose pathways He's assigned to us. Purpose does not equal fame or fortune. It equals obedience. Thus, if God placed peace in your heart to pursue a career as a physical therapist, an attorney, realtor, blogger, or musical artist, that's what you must do and do it unto the Lord!

Again, purpose is multifaceted. It is not one particular event, business, passion, or desire in your heart. It is EVERY piece of talent, passion, and God led appointment that He has divinely placed inside of you. When you are led by God, nothing goes wasted. NOTHING. Stop allowing people to put purpose in a box and say that it's only "ministry" if it is packaged and presented a certain way. NO. Your ENTIRE life is ministry! You're constantly being watched by someone and either representing God or not representing God.

Before I even knew about "purpose" and how it is currently presented/appears (along with its associated pressures), I knew about God's peace. I knew when I was 16 and entering into college what my major would be because God gave me peace about the choice. It was for His purpose. When I was 20 and applying to graduate school, God gave me peace about which schools I was to apply to as well as gave me peace to not be anxious about being accepted because the original peace at 16 had already prepared the purpose of acceptance. At 23, I followed the peace to move to a city that God wanted me to not only develop in my career but most importantly, my character. At 27, I followed God's peace in moving to my current city in which every plan and piece of development prior purposed me for His current plan here. From there, I've written two books and started Queenship Restored but that's still not my ultimate and final purpose. I KNOW he has many more purpose paths to take me on and develop!  But guess what? You won't have to force other purpose pathways that don't align with what you know to do now. For example, for the longest, my focus was solely fulfilling my career goals and responsibilities, thinking that was my only reason on this earth. As I started growing in God, He showed me that my passion for design and travel were there for a purpose and would not go to waste. Fast forward about 5 years later, I've been invited to lead design for Pinky Promise and my pastors have welcomed me to travel all over the world as their Director of International Affairs. How's that for never going to school or having a "plan" for either one! Your gifts WILL make room for you! Talk about God fruitfully creating and fulfilling your purpose paths. Nothing goes to waste!

If you work a 9-5 or career and have peace about currently being there but know that God has more for you, you ARE currently operating in purpose and God will eventually reveal that new pathway of purpose (whether it's to start your own consulting firm, non-profit in your current area of work, or go and get that PhD). Again, purpose is NOT just one thing, talent, passion, or desire....it's the combination of these (that is God-ordained) that makes you, you and fulfilling to your time here on this earth. It's literally your "purpose" of being here on earth, to do all of it. We shouldn't stop striving to fulfill everything (whether a career and/or small business and/or media, and/or whatever else God has given us) until we literally DIE. Then we're done fulfilling our purpose!

Just because you're only "practicing" a certain talent or passion in one thing at this moment does not mean that it will be your last and only. So don't be quick to forfeit a part of your purpose to match your faith journey to someone else's. If God has ordained you to go to school and be an attorney, computer programmer, engineer, physician, or HR personnel, do that purpose as unto the Lord! Some people are truly called to work these positions for the rest of their traditional working years or lives. I cannot tell you how many medical professionals' stories I've encountered where they literally worked daily in their careers until their dying day. They believed they were called to their careers and literally served as unto the Lord. It makes sense. We need all of the many career paths for this world to operate, from the CEOs to physicians to environmental services personnel to the professional tree cutters!

As a neurologic physical therapist myself, I KNOW I've been called to my profession. It was the first organized purpose pathway I was called to and has taught me great discipline, specificity, and compassion that carries on into all of my other purposes God has created me to do. I may not do it for the rest of my life, but its training and practice daily prepares me for each new thing God stretches me to do and places on my plate! See, my career is purposeful! Moreover, it serves a purpose as provision for any new thing (writing books, starting a company) that God may assign to my life. If He purposes you to do something, He already provides purposeful provision as well! This is why we must not get weary! ALL THINGS work for the good of those that are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)! Stop comparing your life to someone else's!

In conclusion, I provided the many purpose pathways of my friend at the start of the blog to show how multifaceted purpose can be. It is not one path and is supposed to be a unique all-encompassing, individualized plan for you. Allow God to begin to reveal how your God-given passions and desires are a part of your purpose and faith journey. He knows how to mold the specifics into unimaginable ways and actions. Continue to allow Him to appoint you, direct you, and keep you content in His Will. All things will continue to unfold in its proper time (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Love you!

-April D. Wesley
(IG: @aprildwesley)
#QRWisdom


Before I chime out of my sister/friend/cousin's AMAZING blog, I wanted to introduce and update you on a few things present and upcoming on my end!

1) I have 2 books out currently. My first release, "Queenship Restored: The Reconciliation of the Alpha Woman" is properly titled to address the need for women to have a transformed mindset restored to a Godly queen (what God has called for women to be) vs. pursuing and continuing the often demanded societal alpha women mindset. My latest book is entitled, "Severing Soul Ties," a book that addresses the many ungodly soul ties we can be bound to, including people, ideals, positions, roles, tasks, material possessions, and even our own insecurities. This book is for the person who wants to identify the Truth about soul ties, is tired of living bound to them, and desires to be eternally severed from every type of soul tie. Each book can be found on my website, queenshiprestored.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble! Shipping is available WORLDWIDE!

2) I will be going on tour with my company, Queenship Restored, to 6 major US cities for the 2017 "Severing Soul Ties" Book Tour & Lecture Series! The tour will be traveling to Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Brooklyn, Miami, and Los Angeles! Registration and details are free and can be searched on the eventbrite.com search bar under "'Severing Soul Ties' Book Tour & Lecture Series-enter respective city." The tour will be traveling to Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Brooklyn, Miami, and Los Angeles (refer to the flier below for further details)! Each tour location will have individual experiences, but the consistent schedule of events will include book excerpt readings, lectures on Spirit-led soul tie topics, discussions, Q&A, book signings, and product purchase availability! If you are in any of these cities or surrounding areas, please register! There will be limited seating and availability for attendance so register NOW! I can't wait to see everyone, sever soul ties, and continue freedom from soul tie bondage in the coming months!

How Your Social Media Can Influence People Away From Jesus

This morning in my prayer time, I was studying Galatians. I came across a story and it made me ponder this question, "How are we living? And, what are we posting on social media?" Who are we silently influencing away from Christ with our example?'
Check this out:

Galatians 2:11-21
But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 
When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 

Ok, let's first look at that scripture. Peter just switched it up on the Gentiles! His goal was that he was SUPPOSED to show Gentiles AND Jews that we are all one through Jesus Christ now. But, because he was afraid of what his friends thought, he compromised and wouldn't eat with them anymore. How many times are we compromising when certain friends come around? Maybe, you're cussin' a little bit more. Maybe, you're talking about the guys you're dating when you know good and well you are trying to be single and focused on God. Maybe you show a little extra cleavage when you are going out to dinner with certain friends because they always stay "turnt up." Maybe you gossip and bash othe people that you really love, just to fit in. You do these things because you don't want to seem "holier" than thou -- and plus, you aren't hanging out with your Pinky Promise small group. Those are a different type of friends. You gotta turn on the "Christian" language around those friends because YOU know that those friends will convict you to do the right thing. So, because Peter was AFRAID of what people THOUGHT of him, he adjusted his position. He didn't want to deal with the criticism for doing the right thing. He was literally undoing his role in ministry in that moment. Which, takes us to the next scripture.

13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Whoa.

AS a RESULT, other Jewish believers FOLLOWED after Peters BAD example. Did you know that what you post on social media and how you live is influencing people? You are literally showing people that "its ok" to show your boobs and your butt off. It's ok to go on vacation with my boo and stay in the same hotel room. (which is another blog that I will do later). It's ok for me to turn up. It's ok for me to talk about gettin' this money non-stop. It's ok for me to sin openly. Not only is your sin hurting YOU but it is hurting all 5,242 followers that are watching you. You may be thinking, Heather - what does that have to do with me? We are all responsible for doing our own part, I cannot force them to follow what I'm doing." But, love, some people may be BABIES in Christ. And, they may be looking at you as an example and they are confused by your scriptures one day and why you are posting photos in your t-shirt and your panties the next day. You are planting seeds.You are influencing people. We are ALL influencing someone.

Lets keep reading:
14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

Ahh! What FREEDOM! We are made RIGHT by our faith in Jesus Christ. So, here, Paul is rebuking Peter by telling him that he can sit with the Gentiles because we are all made right by Jesus Christ and our faith in Him, not keeping the Jewish law. I LOVE that Paul lovingly called him out. Are you willing to pull your friends aside in LOVE and share the truth with them?

Now, you may be thinking - Heather, I have faith in Jesus! I do! But, why are you coming for my photos and my little boyfriend? Why are you coming for me? I can gossip here and there! It's ok to bash people! I can create fake profiles on social media and tell people "how I really feel." Heather, I can do what I want to do.

Love, Galatians 5:24 - "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed their passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. You are not the lusts of your flesh. You are not the lusts of your past. You are not a money chaser. You are not led by your feelings. You are not who you used to be! You are a new creation in Christ Jesus! Praise GOD!!

Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ.It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

You are not your past. You are not how you used to dress and the places that you used to go. Most times, we hold onto bad ways of thinking and we tag scriptures to our disobedience. Did you know that even demons believe in Jesus? It's not enough to just KNOW, but it's time to really LIVE this thing out. How you're living RIGHT now, whether privately or publically, MATTERS. Peter influenced so many people in that ONE act. So, I challenge you today to look at who you follow on social media and who you are in relationship with in real life. Some of us will be quick to go on a unfollowing spree from bad examples but we will keep a man in our bed that ain't supposed to be there. Or, we will sit in our marriage, complaining about everything that our spouse isn't doing while exalt ourselves higher and higher. Unfollow those people on social media that are negatively influencing you. Turn off those hot mess TV shows that ONLY plant seeds of drama. Turn off that secular music. And, tune into Jesus. Grab your word and sit at His feet. A tree is idenified by it's fruit and if you find that you don't have any fruit of the spirit, it's time to change that and start developing some fruit on your tree.

Social media has proven to us that we absolutely have time for Jesus, we just don't have the desire. If you can scroll on social media for 2-3 hours a day  - you can carve out an hour to sit at the feet of our Daddy. He longs to lead and guide you. He longs to help you to renew your mind concerning marriage, children, courtship, work, life and your purpose!

Stay focused. God is with you.

Just a few things:

1. Find my (5) books (including my NEW book, "The Purpose Room"), purity rings, shirts & all that good stuff via www.pinkypromiseboutiques.com!

2. We have developed an APP! Think: daily post notifications + weekly devotionals, recipes and so much more! It's out NOW for iphones + Androids. Under: Heather & Cornelius Lindsey: Today With the Lindsey's

3.  If you live in Atlanta, I want to invite you to our church. Join us on Sundays at 10:30am. Our churches name is: "The Gathering Oasis"  215 W Wieuca Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30327 - The Galloway School in the Amiptheater

4. Register for the 2017 Pinky Promise in Atlanta, GA! It sold out last year so you don't want to miss out! We are almost SOLD OUT! www.pinkypromiseconference.com

5. As always, you can join a Pinky Promise group locally! There's about 50,000 ladies that have joined! Find a group near you by joining & checking out the intro page! Join here: www.PinkyPromiseMovement.com

6. We are headed on a Revival Tour to London and Capetown. Register here: www.lindseyevents.com 

7. I have a TV Show on the Word Network! Make sure that you tune in every Saturday at 6:30pm EST! Also, download the (The Word Network App) You can stream it live there. You can find all of the playbacks of the show on my Youtube channel HERE.
God loves you like crazy,
Love always,