‘Refocus on God’s will and destiny’ Exercise

Do you need to refocus on God’s will and destiny for your life? I wrote this exercise for myself four years ago when I was raising little children because I felt I was dealing with the urgent all the time or getting lost in the details of life and not actually making progress towards the important – God’s destiny for my life. I created it to help me re-evaluate myself at regular intervals of time and take stock where I am at in every area of my life. The questions help me think with God and find answers to how I can get in the center of God’s will for my life and thus progressing in my destiny. It took very many hours of thinking and tweaking till I got to the below final version.

Life has a way of trying to pull us aside and away from what matters most. This exercise helps you re-center yourself in His will and helps you get answers from God on what you need to do in every area of your life by guiding you through asking questions. The exercise is designed to help you remember God’s priorities for your life and to refocus on the gifts He gave you. It helps you maximize your potential and discover where you are right now in all areas of life and how you can get to where you want to be. It helps you look at areas you might have been neglecting and come up to date with obedience in areas God has already given you instructions.

Teach me to number my days, that I may gain a heart of wisdom” Psalm 90:20

Remember, you only have one life, and each day that goes by you cannot recover again. Live every day in the light of eternity. How would you like your day to look like today if you were watching it as if in a revision mirror from eternity? God told me some years back to write the statement written below in big, bold letters, frame it and put it in a prominent place in my home:

WHAT YOU DO TODAY TRULY AFFECTS ETERNITY!

Your eternal position and rewards depend on your day to day choices here. Other people’s experience of eternity will also be affected by how you influenced them in this life. Choose wisely how you spend your time and each day as it all adds up to your entire life! Every decision on how to spend your time is a gamble with your life. Invest wisely in your eternity and that of others.

HOW TO DO THE EXERCISE:

Since we are trying to refocus on the will of God, we need to do this exercise with God, not alone, in our own strength, or we will not get out of it what God intends for us. Therefore, it is vital that you spend time with God, getting filled with His Spirit and asking Him to speak to you through the exercise and guide you on each point. You want to think with God throughout the exercise, in communion with Him, asking for His input.

Every life is different, everyone’s circumstances are different, so only God can give you the right answers to what is right for you. What might be right for you, might not be right for someone else. What God wants you to deny might be different than what He asks someone else to deny or accept as part of their lives. The leading of the Spirit is crucial to this exercise being truly effective in your life.

After you are prayed up (ideally fasting as well), go through the below questions without rushing and answer them one by one. Since the exercise deals with deep questions, you might need to do the exercise over a few days or even weeks, as you are able to. Don’t rush the process so you can finish. The goal is not so much to finish the exercise as much as it is to get all the answers you need from it to refocus well on the will of God. You might want to take just one area at a time and work thoroughly through it.

Once you have all the answers, you need to ask God what to work on that is most important, urgent or needed at this time. Then setup that task in your calendar in a date when you can start to do it.

The answers in this exercise will not help you unless the tasks related to the answers end up in your calendar. You cannot do them all at once, and don’t even try or you will end up in a heap of discouragement in just a few days. You can start working on some the Lord highlights as most important or urgent and when complete it, you can cross them off the list and take other ones to add to your calendar.

Little by little, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are re-centering yourself on the will of God and moving towards fulfilling your destiny. You will find a renewed energy and peace in your heart as you take these steps to stay focused on how God wants you to live your life and you won’t feel frustrated by life or the feeling that you are lost, confused and stuck, not going anywhere.

Trust God with His input in this exercise, even when you feel you know better or He challenges you in an area. Usually God’s way always works, even when you don’t understand it and you will be wise to trust and obey.

Living with purpose this way, you will be able to maximise your impact in this world and have little regret at the end of your life.

One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it’s worth watching…

THE EXERCISE

WHAT IS GOD’S VISION FOR MY LIFE AT PRESENT?
This question might be challenging for you to answer, especially if you are not aware of what that vision is and it’s not yet clear to you? In that case, just pass it and focus on the following points, al lot will become clearer as you take each area of your life and look at it through God’s eyes.

But if you do have an idea, jot down those ideas and try to form a conclusion in a statement on what exactly is His vision for your life.

WHERE AM I RIGHT NOW IN GOD?

This section is broken down by the typical areas of life that each of us have and the questions are aids to help you think about each area with God and thus see where you are right now in life. Be honest with yourself without condemning yourself. Just tell yourself you are doing this to do something about it and improve.

Answer the questions for each category on a piece of paper so you can use the answers later to take action.

1. RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

a. How is my prayer life doing?
b. How is my Bible reading and study life doing?
c. Am I filled with the Spirit regularly?
d. How are my faith levels in God and His Word?
e. Have I dwelt with the things He pointed out to me lately that need to change?
f. Have I done the things He asked me to do lately (or other things long overdue)?
g. Have I put things right with people that God has alerted me that need to be put right?
h. Is there a spiritual mentor I need to reconnect with and see?

2. RELATIONSHIP WITH MYSELF

a. HEALTH – What do I need to do in the area of my health?

Do I have any postponed medical issues?
Do I get enough sleep?
Am I drinking enough water?
How healthy is my diet?
Do I exercise enough?
Do I rest regularly and enough?
Are there suplements I should take?

b. EMOTIONS – How is my emotional life?

Do I feel I have a deficit of love in my heart where I am not receiving what I need from those close to me? Can I talk with them about it?
Do I need emotional healing in some area?
Do I need to put things right with someone to feel better within myself?
Do I have enough fun and relaxation? If not, how can I change that?
Do I have a healthy social life – where I spend a healthy amount of time with friends?

c. MIND – How is my the mental area of my life going?

Do I feel stressed? How can I improve this area?
Am I giving some time to educating myself in different areas?

3. RELATIONSHIP WITH MY HUSBAND
Do we communicate well?
Do we have enough time for each other?
Are we due for a date?
How can I help my husband spiritually?
How can I help my husband in the area of his health?
How can I help my husband in the area of his mental and emotional life?
How can I help my husband in the area of his social life?
How can I help my husband with his existing projects (house projects, ministry projects, his business, financial projects, etc)

4. RELATIONSHIP WITH MY CHILDREN

Answer the below questions for each of your children.

What stage of life is my child in and what needs does he/she have at this stage?
How can I help my child spiritually?
How can I help improve their health?
How can I facilitate a good healthy social life for him/her?
How can I help them in the area of their emotional life?
How can I help them develop in their giftings? What are those gifts and how can I help them develop them?
How can I help them in their academic development?
How can I help train them for adult life?

5. HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT

“Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much” Luke 16:10

What state is my home in at present?
Do I have a good daily, weekly, monthly and yearly routine in place to take care of my home?
How can I declutter more to make it easier to manage the home?
What repairs are needed? What budget do I need for them?
How can I improve the look of my home?
What improvements I could do to my home that will add value to my home?
How can I get the rest of the family to contribute in the home management?

6. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

“If, then, you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?” Luke 16:11

Are you up to date with your bills? How can you get there?
What debts do you have? How can you reduce them?
Is your book keeping and are your accounts up to date?
Did you lodge your tax returns and have you payed the tax payments?
Are there things you don’t use and need that you could sell?
How can I save money on bills? Is there a better deal out there?
How can I save money on regular expenses like groceries, etc?
What do I have and how can I use it so I don’t have to purchase something else?
Do I have regular direct debits or scheduled payments I should stop?
How can I earn more money?
Where can I safely invest part of what I earn?
Am I looking well after my investments? How can I improve?
Am I faithful in honouring God with the first fruits of my income by regular giving?
Can I enlist someone’s financial advice on my financial situation to improve it?
How can I improve my business (if owning one)?
How can I get out of rental and into owning a house (if that is a possibility)?

7. FAITHFUL WITH WHAT BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE

“And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” Luke 16:12

Do I have things I have borrowed from others that I have not returned?
Have I broken or damaged something that belongs to someone else that I need to pay for or replace?
Do I look after what others have entrusted to me? (eg: borrowed tools, rented car or furniture, a rental – if you are in a rental, do you take care of the home well, even though it’s not your own?)
Have I made promises to others that I have not yet fulfilled? (A promise is a debt to someone)

8. HONORING PARENTS
Do I contact or see my parents regularly?
What areas can I support them in where they need support?
Am I praying for them?

9. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER SIGNIFICANT ONES
(eg: grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, close friends – list them and answer the below questions for each of them)
Do I keep enough contact with them?
Am I praying for them?
How does the Lord want me to be a blessing to them in this season of life?

10. CHURCH LIFE

Am I real with my brothers or sisters or I pretend a lot?
Do I go to church for the right reasons?
Do I fellowship regularly or can I improve?
Are there other meetings apart from the Sunday meeting I should regularly attend?
Is there any area the Lord wants me to volunteer in?
How does the Lord want me to be a blessing to my brothers and sisters?

NOTE:
FROM HERE ON, THE REST OF THE SUBJECTS DO NOT APPLY TO EVERYONE, BUT MIGHT HELP YOU IF THOSE AREAS EXIST IN YOUR LIFE

11. MINISTRY WORK
What exactly is my ministry again?
Am I doing what God wants me to do or what others want me to do?
Am I filled with the Spirit regularly and take time to get from God what I need personally and for others so I have something to give?
Am I doing it with God or I run it by myself?
Have I neglected anything in it that needs attention?
Am I praying for all its aspects?
Am I giving proper attention to those who work with me in it?
Am I doing something God did not initiate that I should stop?
Am I sharing the Gospel intentionally?
Am I compromising my standards and values in order to progress in leadership or fit it with the others?
Am I taking too much time from the ministry hours to talk to others on the phone or deal with personal matters?
Am I investing in myself to educate myself in my leadership skills or in areas that affect my ministry? Is there a book I should read, a course I should do?
Am I discipling/mentoring anyone?
Am I pointing people to God or to be dependent on me?
Am I delegating enough?
Am I setting up each area of the ministry so that the knowledge on how to run it is retained and transferable easily from one person to another (in case someone needs to leave)? This will make for smooth transitions between volunteers or staff members.
Am I empowering and encouraging the volunteers/staff to transfer the knowledge they have on how to run their tasks to others in order to multiply themselves?
Am I sincerely thankful to and recognising regularly the efforts of the volunteers/staff?
Am I communicating regularly and effectively the vision to those who work with me?
Am I communicating regularly and effectively the vision to prayer and financial supporters?
Do I have enough prayer support? How can I improve this?
Do I have enough volunteer/staff support? How can I improve this?
Am I holding the ministry lightly in my heart, seeing myself only as a steward of it, in case the Lord asks me to let the ministry go, delegate it and do something else?
Am I intentionally mentoring potential leaders who could run the ministry in my absence or if the Lord asks me to let it go and do something else?

12. CAREER / JOB
Am I satisfied with the progress I am making in my career? If not, what can I change?
Should I switch jobs or seek a totally different area to work in?
Am I been faithful to the responsibilities of my role?
Am I relating well to my colleagues? How can I improve?
Am I relating well to my superiors? How can I improve?
What paths of progression in my career are presently available?
Will a promotion affect adversely other areas of my life?
Will I be able to handle the pressure that comes with a promotion (more responsibility, more pressure, longer hours, etc)?
Can I study a course that will improve my chances of progressing in my career?
Am I being a light in my work place?
Am I compromising my standards and values in order to progress in my career or fit it with the others?
Am I taking too much time from the work hours to talk to others on the phone or deal with personal matters?

13. BUSINESS
What is my goal with this business?
What areas need attention?
How can I save on expenses?
How can I reduce debt?
How can I improve sales?
Do I need more capital? How can I raise it?
How can I invest in my staff to train them so they perform better?
How can I improve cashflow?
Should I update my strategies to align with the changes in the market? What are those changes and what strategies are needed to adjust to the market environment?
Do I need to delegate more?
Can I afford another staff member?
How can I improve the image of my business?
What marketing strategies I should take? What new marketing strategies I need to learn about and implement?
How can I improve staff satisfaction?
How can I improve customer satisfaction?
How can I generate return business?
Can I setup a referral or reseller program?
How can I improve my billing so the customers pay faithfully on time?
How can I network with others or other businesses to improve my business?
Is there a study course I should do to improve myself?

14. STUDY
Where am I going with this study?
How can I earn to pay for the study?
How can I organise myself to be on time with the assignments? Do I need to drop some social engagements, hobbies, meetings I go to? Do I need to work less and get more financial support from the government to make it through this course?
Are there units I need to drop or add to my course?
How can I prepare to transition from study to employment based on the new qualifications from this course?
How can I use these skills in my business or other areas of life? (if the course is not done with employment in mind)

15. WHAT OTHER GIFTS OR ABILITIES I HAVE FROM GOD THAT I HAVE NEGLECTED AND I AM NOT USING?
What gifts do I have that I am not using?
What abilities do I have that I am not using?
What things I posses that I am not suing?

Ask God if you need to do something about them.

WHERE AM I GOING FROM HERE?

Once you have written down answers to the above questions, ask God what to focus on improving. Don’t take too many areas and tasks to do at once. You will become overwhelmed and give up the whole process very soon due to exhaustion. Keep the list and cross down the tasks you have completed (some are continuous though) and then refocus on other tasks. This is a life long journey or constant improvement and refocusing.

If you have time, once a month, once at 3 months, 6 months or a year, revisit all the questions and see if you have to readjust based on changes in your circumstances. Then re-adjust your tasks to reflect the new changes.

I would love to hear from you by commenting below on how this exercise has helped you. Be patient with yourself as you make many small changes and continue in them. Progress happens by the sum of many small changes done regularly.