Owning the Power of Purpose X Sarah Jakes Roberts
Sometimes we feel pressured by the world to have everything figured out, to pop out of the womb with purpose in our hands ready to take on every challenge that comes. But if we are honest with ourselves, having a strong grasp on our purpose is not always the case. Sometimes purpose can be staring us right in the face and we don’t see it. That is why we have to have a healthy foundation before we even think about mastering our purpose. We MUST find comfort in who we are before we figure out why we are. Watch the FULL “Power in Purpose” devotional on the Woman Evolve TV App. POWER MOVES: ThePowerMovesBook.com ThePowerMovesTour.com REGISTER for WE24: womanevolveconference.com Stay plugged into the Woman Evolve community: Download the APP: Woman Evolve www.womanevolve.com www.womanevolve.tv download the app from any mobile device’s app store, first 7 days are FREE! Want to support this ministry? Text WEGIVE to (833) 611-9066 FOLLOW US ON THE SOCIALS: Instagram: Woman Evolve and Sarah Jakes Roberts Twitter: Woman Evolve and SJakesRoberts Facebook: Woman Evolve and Sarah Jakes Roberts
we do not become history makers unless
we are empowered by something that is
bigger than us to do something that is
going to change the world or change the
future for someone coming behind us and
thinking about history and power we’ve
decided to label this month
revolutionary power but we want to focus
on five things in specific in which
revolutionary power shows up in our life
so I’m doing this podcast with kadine
Ellis and and she’s talking about her
life and she’s talking about her family
you guys already saw the podcast so I
won’t go into her whole story but
there’s this moment that stood out to me
and In This Moment kadine says that she
was waiting on purpose she was waiting
on purpose to like hit her and to come
in with the flag and announced that it
had arrived not realizing that she was
literally standing in her purpose and
didn’t even realize it it’s kind of like
being on a field trip with your kids or
your cousins or your nieces and your
nephews cuz I know children not some of
y’all’s Ministry yet and God bless you
for it okay but you’re in the car and
what dides the kids say over and over
again are we there yet are we there yet
are we there yet they ask it over and
over again but the moment you pull into
the garage and you are finally at
wherever you’re supposed to be maybe
it’s home maybe it’s a relative’s house
they’re knocked out in the back sleep
they missed that along the journey all
while they were asking are we there yet
are we there yet that they were making
progress and not only were we making
progress when we arrived they didn’t
even realize it I feel like that’s what
happens to us when it comes to purpose
we’re so anxious to get there are we
there yet are we there yet is this it
when is it coming when are we going to
get there and then if we aren’t careful
we’ll look up and we’ll miss the fact
that this very moment we’re standing in
is full of purpose as you know the woman
evolv team sends out a to go plate every
week it’s called our tog go plate and
it’s a breakdown a devotional of
different women in the Bible who have
demonstrated revolutionary something
right this month we’re talking about
revolutionary power with Deborah Deborah
was the first woman judge for the
children of Israel and I love this
narrative about Deborah because it tells
us about a woman walking in her power as
we launch women’s History Month at woman
evolve we’re going to be sharing
different aspect of Deborah’s story of
everyday women’s story but also perhaps
pieces and glimpses of your story so I’m
going to turn to a scripture in the
Bible that is about Deborah’s life I’ve
got it up here on my laptop but I also
you know me I like to pull it up in the
word I don’t know why I don’t know if it
just feels a little bit more oily or
something when I got my Bible I don’t
know but I just want to pull this open
so in judges 4 judges 4 and 5 they
introduce us to Deborah Deborah is a
prophetes the wife of lapidoth was
judging Israel at that time in judges 4
and 5 says and and she would sit under
the palm tree of Deborah between Rama
and bethl in the mountains of Ephraim
and the children of Israel came up to
her for judgment I have this Vision in
my mind of Deborah sitting underneath a
tree St and queenly owning her power
owning her purpose and allowing those
who were in need of her purpose to come
to her isn’t that a vision isn’t that
what we all want we want to sit
comfortably in our power and our purpose
waiting for those who need us to be
attracted to us but you know there are
some nuances in this story that I think
are going to be beneficial for you if
you’re seeking to live a life full of
power and purpose the first thing is
that she’s sitting Deborah is not
anxious she’s not chasing after those
who may need her she’s not sticking her
nose in other people’s situation to
determine whether or not they need her
to judge it she is sitting comfortably
in who she is waiting for the need to
arise for her to utilize the gifts and
the talents that are assigned to her
name so many of us want purpose but we
aren’t comfortable within our own skin
as a matter of fact we believe that if I
have purpose then I will be comfortable
not recognizing that purpose is not a
Band-Aid it is not a cozy little blanket
it is not a pillow that’s going to keep
you nice and warm and cuddly at night
purpose requires there’s everything you
have and don’t have so before you embark
on the Journey of purpose you got to be
comfortable with what you’re starting
with I want to talk to you the person
who has a weakness who has a struggle
who has an insecurity that they think
purpose will heal I want to let you know
this in the most kind most empathetic
way
possible purpose will not be your
surgeon purpose will be the tool that
you use in order to do surgery for other
people which means instead of asking for
purpose to come and make you whole and
for purpose to make you feel better we
have to ask the deeper question and that
deeper question is why am I aching so
bad for this validation or affirmation
or acknowledgement or fame that I think
will come with purpose how can I be
comfortable with who I am now where I am
positioned now so that when it is time
for me to live in my my purpose I don’t
abuse the purpose because of my
insecurity I want to share some of my
notes with
you part of the reason why it’s so
important for us to find ourselves in a
place of comfort when moving into
purpose is because purpose is for the
long call so okay let’s do an exercise
right I want you to think about your
life I want you to think about your life
and I want you to think about the areas
of your life that you feel like purpose
will somehow how heal it will make you
feel more fulfilled and it will make you
feel more valuable it’ll make you feel
more worthy now I want you to consider
that purpose is actually the thing that
may make you feel more insecure me
finding my purpose me finding the thing
that I believe God created me to do
meant me confronting so many of my
insecurities and so many of my anxieties
that I still have moments now where I’m
like I don’t know if I can do this but
before I discover purpose I was
completely fine living in my comfort
zone I was just content as content can
be but in order for us to go the Long
Haul we have to know first Comfort
Comfort teaches us where home is Comfort
teaches us how to live in a state of
contentment it helps us to not abuse
purpose because we found a way to be
comfortable before it but from that
place of comfort we are stretched into
our purpose because purpose is for the
long call you need a balance of comfort
and confrontation in order to do purpose
well Comfort is where we retrieve to
it’s where we what’s the retreat to
comfort is where we Retreat to when
purpose has been taxing purpose is not
supposed to exhaust you 24/7 purpose is
not supposed to deplete you you got to
do purpose for the long call debor said
what I’m not going to do is sit
underneath this sun what I’m not going
to do is stand up all day if I’m going
to be in purpose I’m going to find a way
to make sure that I’m comfortable you
need comfort and and confrontation and
so first let’s Master the art of comfort
let’s get comfortable where we are and
then let us not shrink when it is time
for us to confront the fears inade
inadequacies and insecurities that make
us feel like I can’t be in purpose this
beautiful dance of comfort confrontation
produces purpose that goes the long call
so I never want you to be in a position
where you
are regret in where you are now or
grieving where you are now find comfort
in it find Joy find a way to celebrate
it and then also when those moments come
for you to speak up when those moments
come for you to put out a new idea when
you have to build that website when you
have to expose your gifts and talents to
other people those are the moments where
it’s going to feel like confrontation I
don’t want anyone to see this area of
deficiency I don’t want anyone to see
this area of weakness those are the
areas that help you to strengthen your
power in purpose I love that kadine had
to work through so much to get to a
place where she finally found purpose to
me that is such a testimony to what we
must all go through in order to find
ourselves positioned in a place of
purpose we have moments where it’s scary
but then we’re comforted by those who
God has brought into our life for a
season there’s one more scripture I want
to share with you and this one I think
is going to be very helpful because it
just underscores the idea of finding
finding comfort with where you are
before you are introduced to why you are
did you hear that you got to find
comfort with where you are you got to
find comfort with who you are before you
figure out why you are I’m going to
prove it to you in the New Testament
Jesus comes up to Simon Peter Simon
Peter’s fishing minding his business and
Jesus says to him follow me and I will
make you Fishers of Men now it seems
like a simp simp Le sentence but what if
Peter would have been hating being a
fisherman what if he’s like I hate
fishing I hate sitting out here I hate
waiting on something to catch the hook I
hate pulling in the net I hate
everything about my life because it
doesn’t seem meaningful he would have
Miss the bridge that would lead him to
purpose Jesus had to trust not just in
who he was calling Simon Peter to be but
also trust that he could build from who
Peter was in that moment because Peter
had a healthy Consciousness on who he
was in that moment when Jesus says I’m
going to make you a fisher of men he was
able to take that next step it was still
new it was still foreign he was still
going to have to become a student again
but he was equipped with the foundation
of knowing I have had comfort in this
life before I have found a way to be
content with who I am right now and if
God says I’m going to take who you are
right now and I’m just going to
demonstrate it and and allow it to be
seen in a different area a different
Arena then I’m going to trust that even
with the awkwardness even with the
uncomfortable in this that God Wast
nothing who you are right now wherever
you are right now it’s purposeful you my
friend are there yet you’re here you’re
exactly where you need to be for this
moment everything God’s going to do in
your life and through your life he’s
going to do it with the pieces that you
have right now so my prayer for you my
hope my Earnest
expectation is that you would lean into
the power that exists in this moment the
power that reveals your strength the
power that reveals your
insecurities the power that reveals how
God is developing you and if I can just
tell you one thing you don’t have to be
envious of other people in purpose
you don’t have to be jealous you don’t
have to feel like you’ve been forgotten