Master Your Mind: 5 Steps to Embrace Your Divine Calling

Who are you really? Have you ever asked yourself that question in earnest?

Most of us are so focused on what we do day-to-day—often struggling to meet the expectations of others—that we don’t stop to ask who we are created to be. I am convinced that if we focus more on our character—rather than our career or the company we keep—we would be living more meaningful and impactful lives. We would be able to tap into the unique strengths and creative potential with which we have each been endowed. We would move beyond the cookie-cutter lives that so many have found to be shallow and unfulfilling.

As you focus on discovering who you truly are, your five characteristics will be linked to the topics of Embracing, Agreeing, Capitalizing, Belonging, and Becoming.

As you progress through this fast and begin to discover who God made you to be, you will be faced with the task of Embracing your authentic self. In order to do this, the characteristic of Faith will help you, keeping you rooted and grounded in authenticity.

When it comes to your value and identity, who are you Agreeing with? God says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. When you agree with Him, it prompts you to respond with another powerful characteristic—Gratitude for all He has given you.

When you understand who you really are, you can begin Capitalizing on your unique strengths and talents. These were given to you by God to specifically equip you for your unique Destiny.

Many people struggle today because they lack a sense of Belonging. They are lonely because they cannot be themselves around others. When you are living in your true Identity, the relationships you have with others will also be more authentic.

Becoming involves a process of growth, and the template is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the perfect example of a Man who lived with Purpose, and as you wrap up this week on authentic identity, your own sense of purpose should begin to be revealed to you.

Faith

For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ (Hebrews 3:14 NLT).

This week we are addressing the characteristics of an authentic person having to do with the importance of identity. Last week, we talked about the characteristics

of “focus” and “order”—focusing our thoughts by ordering our day. Some days this seems to come easier than others. It’s not always easy to master your time and your mind in the most effective manner. This is where faith comes in.

Believing faith will keep you rooted and grounded in authenticity. It is by faith you preserve your soul. The writer of Hebrews wrote: “We are of those who believe and by faith preserve the soul” (Hebrews 10:39 AMP). Take charge of your day, your thoughts—and your soul—by faith.

“I’ve grown certain that the root of all fear is that we’ve been forced to deny who we are.”

—Frances Moore Lappe

Action Steps

• Stir up your faith every moment of every day. Write down things that encourage your faith and place them where you can see them daily.

• Pinpoint those things you struggle with on a day- to-day basis that keep you from making the most of your time or distract you in the arena of your mind. How can you start removing these distractions?

• Exercise your faith—declare what you need and confess victory over the hindrances keeping your authentic self from shining through.

Through Him we received both the generous gift of His life and the urgent task of passing it on to others…. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! (Romans 1:5-6)

Gratitude

Serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of [mind and] heart [in gratitude] for the abundance of all [with which He had blessed you] (Deuteronomy 28:47 AMP).

our thought life is critical to the health of your soul. And there’s nothing more critical to the health of your thought life than your attitude! You’ve heard it said that attitude determines altitude. Today, I want to propose that it’s an attitude of gratitude that determines the degree to which you will be able to live true to your authentic self.

How grateful are you for who God created you to be? Gratitude for your unique combination of strengths, abilities, and special gifts will enable you to stay true to your calling.

Look for opportunities to be grateful and to show gratitude! “Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude” (Colossians 4:2).

Just as you can never “out-bless” God, you can never thank Him enough either.

“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!”

—Henry Ward Beecher

Action Steps

• What five strengths, abilities, or talents about your- self are you grateful for?

• List five opportunities or outcomes that you have not yet experienced that you can preemptively be grateful for? (Now you are building faith!)

• Who are the people in your life you are especially grateful for? What can you do to make this known to them—and when?

• How much time do you invest praising and thanking God, focusing on all the good gifts and blessings He has bestowed—versus the time you spend focusing on all that is wrong and not what you imagine it should be?

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him (1 Timothy 1:12 NLT).

Destiny

I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

Today I want to talk about destiny as it relates to living authentically. Your divine self has a divine destiny! Over and over in the Bible we read how God orchestrates our destinies—how He has called and anointed all who would “only believe” (Mark 5:36 NKJV) to step forward and “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6 NIV) in taking possession of all He has prepared for them.

To live true to your authentic self, you must continually choose to focus on your prospective future as opposed to your current position. Your present self is but the bud of the full flower you are destined to become—but it’s up to you to decide whether or not you will bloom.

Your destiny is decision-oriented. If you do not like where you are, make a decision to be somewhere else. You are always only one decision away from living the life of your dreams.

“Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”

—William Jennings Bryan

Action Steps

• What do you hear God saying about who He has called you to be?

• Paint a picture in your mind of your greatest possible future—write down what you see.

You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny (Psalm 73:24 NLT).