One Life can Change a Community

Many men are waiting—waiting for God or the world to hand them purpose. They imagine that purpose will appear wrapped in the perfect job, a six-figure income, a loyal and beautiful wife, or the simple promise of happiness.

But for most men, that day never comes. The truth is, many will go to their graves still waiting. Not because God didn’t call them, but because they never moved.

It’s one of the hardest questions a man can ask himself: What is my purpose? But maybe that’s the wrong question. Perhaps the question isn’t “What’s my purpose?” but “What’s Gods purpose for me,” and “Why haven’t I started—or What am I waiting on?”

Acknowledging this point is the first step in fulfilling your purpose. But to realize the full potential of what this question truly offers you, we need to ask who should or should not be in search of their purpose?

Who is it for?

Purpose is for all men but the search for purpose is for men who:

Feel stuck, waiting for God or the world to hand them a sign.

Sense a calling, but can’t find a way to move on it.

Want to lead boldly but fear rejection or failure.

Search for sparks of fleeting inspiration.

Know they were made for more than passive observation.

If you read that list and think to yourself, “That’s me,” you’re not alone. You’re the kind of man God designed to fulfill his glory.

Before we discuss the challenges you will encounter while pursuing your purpose, let me explain why it’s the most important pursuit you will ever make but are more than likely to miss.

What is purpose?

The New Oxford Dictionary defines Purpose as the reason something is done or created or for which something exists. The “something” in the definition is the object that is being used to create or to do. That “something” is you and that means you were made for a reason and that is to create and take action. This suggests that purpose is based on the rule of three.

Rule one: Live life with intention

Rule two: Have agency in my purpose

Rule three: Find reason in both (intention and agency)

The first two rules are easy to grasp because they’re self evident, but the last rule centered on “reason” is what trips most men up because they don’t know they have the capacity to be intentional and an agent of purpose. Reason is defined as a capacity to consciously draw valid conclusions with the aim of seeking truth. We have reason because HE is the reason. Every rule we form, every law we live by, flows through HIM. Our ability to reason is a reflection of our creator. Without HIM, our reasoning collapses into everything but purpose. Therefore, to do what God intends you to do, you must seek and find HIS PURPOSE for you.

In 2002, Rick Warren wrote the now Christian cult classic: A Purpose Driven Life. He says purpose all starts with Jesus Christ. To find it means you must find HIM first. It’s in your relationship with the purpose maker where you will find what you have been quietly seeking your whole life. Rick makes this point simple to understand by quoting Colossians 1:16b, which states, “Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”

With purpose, you begin to see life through God’s lens and understand that you are here to live for HIM—for HIS glory, HIS pleasure, and HIS plans. It’s not easy to grasp because you are not at the center. But that’s the point. Purpose shifts the focus from self to source, and we have stories that bring this truth to light.

Viktor Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist from Vienna when the Nazis invaded in WW2. They took his home, his family, and his freedom. Inside the concentration camps, he watched men break under despair. Some gave up; others endured. The difference wasn’t strength, it was purpose.

Eventually, he stopped asking what life could give him and started asking what life expected of him. That question carried him through the darkness most can’t fathom.

He was later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but never won. Instead, he wrote Man’s Search for Meaning—a book born from the ashes of suffering—that went on to sell over ten million copies and inspire generations to find meaning beyond pain.

His discovery speaks to a truth that echoes Scripture: “you, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you (Isaiah 23:16). Finding purpose gives peace in times of uncertainty and the search for it is worth living for because HE is at the center.

Even though, finding HIM is the most important step in moving toward your purpose, this alone is not sufficient. While it does free you from all the chains that constrain you from your purpose, you must take action. Without taking action, you can’t carry out HIS purpose and therefore can’t fulfill yours.

Purpose is all about action

When David slew Goliath, he didn’t think that was his purpose or the first step toward it. At least scripture doesn’t make that idea demonstrably clear. He wasn’t chasing purpose—he was defending HIS purpose. He simply knew that no one should defy or dishonor the name of his God. He took action when others were paralyzed by fear. Without slaying Goliath, he misses his rise toward kingship, never seduces Bathsheba and never fathers Solomon—who’s lineage leads to the birth of the Messiah.

Action begins with conviction, a stirring of the Spirit or the conscience. It’s when something inside you says, “This isn’t right,” or “This must be done.” David felt conviction before Goliath. Nehemiah felt it when he saw the ruins of Jerusalem. Conviction is God’s whisper that demands movement.

But understanding the importance of purposeful action is not enough, because taking action is often difficult to do. In fact, you must have at least three of five attributes, which I call the 5 Cs of Purposeful Action: Conviction, Clarity, Commitment, Correction, and Continuation. These five attributes spring board purpose. When it comes to purpose:

1. Conviction starts it; 2. Clarity defines it; 3. Commitment sustains it; 4. Correction refines it and; 5. Continuation fulfills it.

Without three of the five Cs, you will give up on your purpose. King Saul is a perfect example. He had everything a man could ask for: position, power, and the calling of God Himself. He started with conviction and clarity, chosen to lead Israel into victory. But conviction without commitment, and clarity without correction, is a slow collapse. Over time, he was moved more by fear than by God’s instructions and it was his lack of continuation toward his faith that marked the beginning of his fall. Don’t be Saul!

Why most men fail to act

Approaching life with HIS purpose in mind requires motion, and motion requires courage. Yet most men today are immobile. They wait for perfect timing, perfect signs, perfect certainty. But purpose never begins with perfection; it begins with conviction.

Men fail to take action because modern life conditions them to be observers, not initiators. We scroll, compare, analyze, and wait for permission that never comes. Social order teaches men to stay within their “circle,” to avoid risk, to pursue what feels safe and familiar. But growth, and Godly purpose, lives outside that circle. You cannot fulfill divine purpose while clinging to familiar comfort. Consider that almost all God’s prophets uprooted themselves from where they grew up. Home represents safety, identity, and what we already understand. Purpose demands leaving your comfort zone.

The man who hesitates at the moment of opportunity lacks two of the three below:
• Conviction—he doesn’t know what he truly stands for.
• Clarity—he can’t see what the next right step is.
• Commitment—he starts but doesn’t stay the course.
• Correction—he refuses to learn from missteps.
• Continuation—he gives up before the seed bears fruit.

So he sits still, watching potential pass by, rationalizing his inaction as patience or prudence. But waiting becomes a habit, and habit becomes identity. Purpose takes a back seat while distractions steer the path.

Purposeful Action is not natural—it’s spiritual. The moment a man acts, he breaks the gravity of fear. God honors movement because movement signals faith. Every step forward is a declaration that you trust the One who orders the path. As you walk in HIS path, HE directs your steps and guides you along the journey.

I have seen it many times in my life even when I was lost. It usually happens when I get a deep desire to act in way that glorifies God. Sometimes it is simply to share his word or to love others in the way he requires. At other times, it’s a complete shift in mindset, thought patterns, or behaviors.

I have not only seen it in myself, but also in others. For example, a friend of mine couldn’t understand how he was able to afford his beautiful home. He knew they couldn’t normally afford that particular home but they got an abnormal deal for a brand new home. It wasn’t until years later that he fully understood why. His home was not only where he taught his children about God, but it was the center of a much needed men’s ministry he had been working on in the background for over a decade. Miracles spring when you take action and walk on faith. Eventually, what seems impossible before becomes routine. It becomes routine because it confirms who HE is and what HE has for you.

How to know if your purpose is God’s purpose

Distinguishing your purpose from God’s purpose isn’t easy. Imagine having goals that feel righteous. They feel right because they reflect good intentions and even Godly deeds. Maybe you volunteer, coach a soccer team, or mentor kids on the weekends. You feel fulfilled. You tell yourself, this must be my purpose. You’re helping children, building community, and honoring God through service.

But purpose isn’t always found in what feels good; it’s revealed in what God has called you to do. Sometimes what we call purpose is just altruism or preference wrapped in productivity. True purpose begins when obedience overrides comfort, when we stop asking what we want to do for God and start asking what God wants to do through us.

One way to know if it’s truly your purpose is to recognize that it will require much of you. It won’t flatter your comfort; it will test your character. Purpose rarely comes dressed in ease—it comes dressed in endurance. It’s the hard road, not the easy one.

Often, God’s purpose isn’t opportunity—it’s costly. Consider every prophet in Scripture. None of them chose the comfortable path.
• Noah built an ark for decades while the world mocked him.
• Moses returned to Egypt, the place of his fear, to confront Pharaoh.
• Jeremiah was thrown into a pit for speaking truth.
• Jonah ran from God because he didn’t want to obey.
• Even Jesus, the Son of God, prayed that the cup might pass from Him.

God’s purpose will stretch your patience, test your faith, and often lead you where you’d rather not go. But that’s how you know it’s from Him. The path HE ordains will always cost you something you wouldn’t willingly give, your pride, your control, your comfort. Yet, on the other side of that cost is transformation.

Conquering through purpose

Every man must face his Goliath. The fear, failure, or comfort that dares to stand between you and the purpose God called you to live. But victory doesn’t come from avoiding the fight; it comes from stepping into it.

You were not created to drift, to wait for permission, or to watch life happen. You were made in the image of a Creator who moves mountains and parts seas. That same Spirit lives in you.

Purpose is the daily choice to act when others hesitate, to trust when others doubt, and to rise when others retreat. Every time you take a faithful step, Heaven takes note.

So walk boldly. And when the road feels steep, remember, it’s part of the process.