by Marissa Star

“It doesn’t take years … it takes choices.”
Anonymous

How many times have you heard words like "purpose" or "destiny" and something on the inside of you something jumped up and down, but the way those words specifically pertained to you seemed distant and hard to grasp?

We were each born with an innate awareness that we hold a little piece of something special that’s uniquely our own. We naturally gravitate towards finding meaning for our lives, because we are designed to gravitate towards God. He has a specific plan for each of our lives, and we have the opportunity to partner with Him to achieve it. And when we do, dreams awaken. The idea that we can be so much more than we ever thought starts stirring in our spirits. That’s not to say that feelings of insecurity and fear don’t present themselves as obstacles … they do. But you are not alone. Jesus offers to always hold your hand through the journey. And the destiny that once seemed so far off will begin to lie within your grasp once you intentionally make the choice to pursue your God-given purpose. As new pieces of your destiny unfold daily, you begin to gain a clearer picture of who you are created to be.

Here’s a practical acronym to help you respond to that something on the inside of you that jumps whenever you hear words like "purpose" or "destiny." D.I.V.A.—Decide; Investigate; Venture; Activate.

Decide.
First, decide to pursue your purpose by discovering the unique giftings and strengths the Lord has given you. Romans 8:6–8 says it beautifully:

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Investigate.
It’s time to take what you’ve discovered about yourself to the next level. There are several tools and resources that can help you investigate your spiritual gifts and the strengths innate to your personality. StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath is a great tool that walks you through an in-depth survey to help you asses your God-given strengths and learn how to best utilize them. Another great resource is What Type Am I?: The Myers-Brigg Type Indication Made Easy by Renee Baron. There are also numerous personality tests that help you better understand yourself based on your unique disposition and how you relate to others.

You should never rely on these completely, but they can serve as tools to help you understand yourself and your strengths through the leading of the Holy Spirit. With His wisdom, you can identify arenas where you can engage your strengths and giftings. When the seed in your heart is watered by faith and simple choices, you’ll begin to see it break forth with signs of new life

Venture.
Once you’ve decided to pursue your purpose and identify your strengths, you get to take your new revelations and all you’ve discovered and step out into the unknown. You initiate your giftings by serving if you’re called to serve, encouraging if you’re called to encourage, teaching when you’re called to teach, prophesying if you’re called to prophesy and so on. It’s as simple giving yourself the permission to be today who you want to be tomorrow.

I love the definition of venture—(verb)) to take a risk; to dare. It may feel like a risk to you, but God is holding your hand and cheering you on to be who He called you to be. He desires to set you in place and see you flourish.

Activate.
Finally, you activate your purpose by walking it out. As you do this, you start to see your purpose come to full bloom. It’s like a credit card you get in the mail but can’t use till you activate it. You don’t receive the benefits until you commit to the agreement and enter into full activation. Your local church has many opportunities for you to contribute your unique gifts and strengths, whether through serving, leading, contributing, praying, giving, caring, etc. God has created a place in His kingdom just for you with your name on it. Your place was never created to look like anyone else’s place. He is fully aware of your personality and created your place to perfectly frame the unique masterpiece that’s you.

I encourage you to ponder and deeply reflect on your purpose. Allow your heart to gravitate towards what He has destined for you. Dare to dream. Dare to realize your dreams with God. Dare to D.I.V.A.