Purpose and Vision (Before you were born)

(Jer 1:5 NIV)  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

I was not sure if I was going back to the prayer series this morning, but the Lord had me to continue to flow in the vein of “Purpose and Vision” for at least one more week.  That being the case, let’s look at something the Lord told Jeremiah while he was still a young man.  The Lord said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Let the reality of this truth sink in for a minute.  Before Jeremiah was conceived in his mother’s womb the Father had already set him apart and appointed him to be a prophet unto the nations.  When the Lord told this to Jeremiah, he did what many of us do; Jeremiah attempted to give the Lord excuses as to why he could not fulfill the assignment.  Jeremiah said, “But God!  I cannot speak, for I am but a child” (v.6).  But the Lord gave him:

1.  Assurance: (v.7) “But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for you will go everywhere I will send you and whatsoever I command you, you will speak.”  The Lord reiterated Jeremiah’s purpose.  The Father wanted Jeremiah to get comfortable with his assignment.

2.  Comfort: (v.8) “Do not afraid of their faces: for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.”  Since the Father was sending Jeremiah to go, the Lord assured him that he would not need to go alone.  The Father would be with him every step of the way.  And the same holds true for us when we are doing what we are called and assigned to do.

3.  Provision: (v.9) “Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth.  And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”  Since a prophet is basically a “mouthpiece” for God – a person who speaks what the Lord is saying – the Father provided Jeremiah the words he was going to have to speak.  In other words, wherever God establishes vision, He is obligated to release provision.  Wherever He leads, He feeds; wherever He guides, He provides.

4.  A Promise: (v.12) “Then said the LORD unto me, you have well seen: for I will watch over my word to perform it.”  As a prophet, Jeremiah was going to be used of God to say uncomfortable things, but the Lord reassured him that He would back up His words with supernatural power.  The Lord Himself would make sure that every word would come to pass.  That way Jeremiah did not have to worry about what the Lord used him to say.  At the end of the day, it was going to be the Lord’s words, so it would require the Lord to bring them to pass.

So what does this mean to you today?  Two things:

1.  The Father had a plan for your life before you were ever born: The Lord did not have to wait until your birthday to come up with a plan for your life.  It’s not like the day you were bornthe Lord said, “Oh man!  What am I going to do with him/her?”  No, the Father planned for you before the foundations of the earth.  Your primary responsibility then, after accepting Jesus as Lord, is to find out what His plan for your life is.  Once you find it, you then must follow it, with a goal of finishing it before you die.

2.  His instruction is equal to His Injection: God will never instruct you to do something that He has not already injected you with.  God has impregnated us with everything we will need to succeed in our life’s assignment.  Frustration comes in when we try to do something that He has not assigned us to do.  Whatever God equips you to do, He expects you to do.  And whatever He expects you to do, He equips you to do.

Closing Confession:  Father, I thank You for thinking of me before I was ever born.  You developed a plan for my life before my mother met my father.  As a Born-Again believer, I have access to supernatural insight.  I declare, by faith, that I tap into that insight and I receive Your instruction for my life.  You reveal to me my purpose and my understanding of my purpose gives birth to divine vision.  I allow Your vision to lead me.  I don’t fight against my assignment.  As a matter of fact, I make every effort to have an alignment with my assignment, so that I can experience your provision for the vision.  You have equipped me to do all that You expect me to do and I will do it by faith!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

This is Today’s Word!  Apply it and Prosper!