How to Live a Life of Impact
John Piper once said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” Can you imagine just three? Ordinary people will recognize three of the 10,000 things in their lives that the Lord is doing, but I believe that the Lord calls on us to be more than ordinary. In point, He calls on me and you as his children to live an extra-ordinary life of impact.
Matter of fact I will never forget the time in 2007 when He called on me in a dream to live an extraordinary life of impact. The dream as I can remember it was a directive from God or a higher power I felt, telling me to “wake up and to be grateful for the things that I have and so much so that I should be giving back.” Can you imagine, at 20, having such a dream? At that immediate time I could not even believe the dream out of fear, but once I let go of the fear, I was no longer afraid to carry out the directive that was given to me in a dream. I went on to raise awareness and funding about forgotten issues of the world that stem from inequality, poverty, race, health, and natural disasters with a group that I founded known as Students about the Business of Change on the campus of the University of Rhode Island. The Lord called on me then and He is calling on me now to live an extraordinary life of impact just as He is calling on you! I am sure that you are screaming at the top of your lungs right now but how…how do I even begin to live a life of impact.
I would say that the answer is simple but it is not in the sense that there is not one way to arrive at living a life of great impact, but I know it is simpler than you think. First thing is first you want to ask yourself the following questions:
- How is your life right now?
- Are you living a life of great impact or rather an average one at that?
- Are you satisfied with where you are on your life journey, or are you asking God to open new doors for you?
- Have you been misappropriating the resources God placed in your life?
- Do you want to live an extraordinary life for His glory or for your pleasure?
After you have answered those questions honestly we can move on to the real work that needs to take place.
The real work calls on you to do the following:
- You have got to amplify your vision
Stop thinking small. Our God is a great God and there is nothing too small or too great for Him to achieve. Our God is big so I encourage you to increase your faith to match your mighty God, who can do amazing things.
- Know that your true identity rests in Him
In the image of God, you my friend were created to live on this earth for His glory, where He saved you and your true identity rests in knowing that.
- Define your self-image
Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself the following:
- What do I want my life to really look like or become?
- As a person, what kind do I want to be?
- How can I serve God greater?
By answering these questions you will be able to define and to visualize what your extraordinary life is supposed to encompass and embody.
- Know that you are not your past
To overcome the past, you have to start by knowing that you are not your past failures. As a member of the flesh have you or will you sin? Of course, but the Lord has forgiven you so it’s time that you forgive yourself.
- Break the expected routine of your life
You know that same old job that you are doing, that same bad decision, that same bad attitude that you have…just that same, same, same break it and dare to do something different that goes beyond the ordinary.
- Prepare
It is really just that simple….you have to prepare for an opportunity and for success by:
- Searching for new ways to get what you want out of life
- Once you have determined which opportunity to pursue begin planting seeds in your area
- And focus on managing your area on a weekly basis
- Leave a legacy of impact
Albert Pike once said, “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us, what we have done for others and the world, remains and is immortal.” From that quote I gather that our lives are meant to be a blessing to other people. Our purpose in life is to direct people to know the Savior, to worship God and to fellowship with other believers and to minister to others around the world. When we come to the realization that our lives are not for us, it is then that we truly begin to life a life of tremendous impact.
As always I thank you for reading. Until next time, take care and be true.
