THE THREE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEMS FACING MEN TODAY…

A TRILOGY

By:  Vince D’Acchioli

Answering The Two Most Important Questions In Life.

PROBLEM #3: Men have opportunities to success, so why aren't we succeeding?

In my first two articles I talked about overcoming the “Cycle Of Hopelessness” and the importance of an intimate relationship with God.  Both of these messages are critical forerunners for what I will be addressing in this third and final article.

In my new book, Wired to Work, (Huntington House Publishers), I address what I call the two most important questions in life; How am I wired uniquely and Why am I here?  Throughout my years of teaching and studying human behavior, I have come to realize that until we get the answers to these two critical questions, we will never be hitting on all cylinders.

The first question has to do with discovering how God made you and the second has you understanding your purpose in life…what is God calling you to do?

Allow me to begin by setting a Biblical foundation for this.  In our ministry we have developed what I call our Three Unalterable Facts:

Fact #1:  God knows you and has created you for a special purpose.

Fact #2:  God has given you special gifts toward the satisfaction of His purpose.

Fact #3:  God wants you to discover what His purpose is.

Let’s take a look at each one individually… 

Fact #1:  God knows you and has created you for a special purpose.

The Bible says In Jeremiah 1:5,  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  Of course we know that this is God speaking to Jeremiah.  We need to understand that God wants to say this to everyone who calls upon Him.

Here are some powerful verses that further validate this idea:

Isaiah 44:2 

Ps. 139:13-17

Eph. 1:11

Eph. 2: 10

Prov. 23:18

Jeremiah 29:11

Fact #2:  God has given you special gifts toward the satisfaction of His purpose.

Romans 12:4-6 says, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us…” 

The Bible makes it clear that we are not all the same.  We have different gifts—or temperaments—designed to assist us with our assigned task.  Look at what it says in first Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms…”

Fact #3:  God wants you to discover what His purpose is.

Ephesians 1:18 states, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…”

God has called you for a special purpose.  He has a plan or vision for your life. 

How Am I Wired?

Understanding how God has made us uniquely is one of the most important things we can do.  Most of us never come upon this information and often the result is not only spiritual dryness but vocational confusion. 

The Bible has always held the secrets to discovering how God has made us.  In Romans we find what are referred to as the seven natural or personal gifts.  These are sometimes called our motivational or charasmata gifts.  These specific gifts have to do with our temperament or natural bent.  They are our spiritual DNA if you will.

Rather then taking the time to fully explore this, I would like to suggest a very important exercise for you.  Set this article aside and take just a moment to go to our ministry web site, www.otm.org.  Once there, click on interactive resources, and you will find a link to our natural gift test.  The test will take only about fifteen minutes and, when complete, you may print out the results.  By doing this, you will gain some very useful information that will not only help you in your Christian walk but also in your vocational pursuits.

Once you have discovered a little more about your natural gifts, or how you are wired, the next step is discovering God’s purpose for your life.

Why Am I here?

As a student, I struggled my way through school.  Most of the teaching I received seemed to go in one ear and out the other.  Feeling completely discouraged, I dropped out.  Nothing seemed to register until I entered the business world and caught a vision and passion for my work.  With a new and heightened sense of motivation I returned to school and enrolled in day and evening courses that were centered around my newfound passion.  The result was straight A’s.  This is just one example of the power of a strong vision.

Let’s look at another example.  When Cindy and I were newlyweds, we set out to look for a new van that could tow our boat.  It did not take long to find the perfect one.  It was a bright orange Chevy van with mag wheels and chrome side pipes.  It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.  We both wanted to buy it, but soon discovered that we were thirty dollars a month short of making the payments.  At the time, that was considered quite a lot of money.  Needless to say, Cindy and I went home disappointed that day.

At the same time that all of this was taking place, I was battling a bad habit.  I was smoking four packs of cigarettes a day.  I had made numerous attempts to quit with no success.  Cigarettes at that time cost about twenty-five cents a pack.  At that price, four packs a day amounted to thirty dollars a month, the exact amount we would need to buy that van.

So, I went to Cindy with a brilliant idea.  I said, “Cindy, if I quit smoking we could afford that van.”  Of course she was thrilled with that idea and quickly agreed.  My commitment had been made, and it was time to head off to the dealership.  But before I was able to get one foot out the door, Cindy stopped me and suggested, “I think it would be best if you quit smoking first.”  I was so close!  The issue was that I had behaved myself into a problem, and wisely enough, Cindy knew that I could not just talk myself out of it.  There needed to be evidence of change.

Here is the bottom line for this true story.  That night I put down a four pack a day habit and never picked up another cigarette again.  I wanted that van so badly—the vision was so strong—that I was able to chip away that nasty habit.  This same power to overcome is available in every area of our life, but only when coupled with true vision.

To this day I find this principle powerfully at work.  In my case it began with a van.  Today it is an ongoing discovery of God’s great purpose for my life; an unfolding of His vision.  That is the ultimate motivation.

Discovering His Plan

There are “Four Factors” that need to line up before you can be sure you are sensing God’s call or purpose in your life.  They are as follows:

1.      Read it in the Word

2.      Hear it by His Spirit

3.      Affirm it with wise, Godly counsel

4.      See it in your circumstances

Let’s take a closer look at each factor:

Read It In The Word

There are some people who believe that they can close their eyes—allow their Bible to flop open—point to a place on the page and God will show them a verse that will guide them.  I am not saying that God can’t do that—He can do anything He likes.  However, my experience suggests that this action borders more on superstition then on any common sense application of God’s Word.  When I suggest reading it in the Word, I am referring to seeing a pattern of God revealing something to you over significant time spent reading your Bible.  Is there a message that is jumping off the pages?

Hear It By His Spirit

This is always the most difficult thing for me.  I know that God speaks to us—my problem is that my mind is so active that it is hard for me to hear that still small voice.  Someone once reminded me that wherever we go there are thousands of radio waves in the air.  Just because we can’t see them does not minimize their existence.  All we need is the right receiver to get tuned in.  The same is true with hearing God.  We must get “tuned in” to His voice.

Affirm It With Wise, Godly Counsel

Seek out your most mature Christian friends and loved ones.  Find out if they agree with the direction that you are thinking of heading.  My only caution here is to be discriminating and wise in choosing your counsel.  I do believe that it takes a certain level of maturity in our relationship with God in order to discern whether something may be right for another person.

See It In Your Circumstances

Oftentimes life’s circumstances provide a way for God to send us a signal of what He wants us to do.  Is there something going on in your life which might indicate a new course or direction? Is there something that God is trying to get through to you?

I strongly suggest that you need all four of these areas to line up before pressing forward.  I could tell you some tragic stories about people who impulsively reacted to two or three of these only to discover they were headed down the wrong path.

Stepping Out Can Point The Way

Another way that we can help discover God's purpose for our life is to exercise our natural gifts.  Sometimes as we step out and use the gifts God has given us, He reveals His greater purpose.  If you took the natural gift test you have probably identified at least some of your characteristics or strongest areas of giftedness.  Now it’s time to put that information to good use!  If you have a ministry or mercy gift—volunteer for a mission trip or visit a hospital.  If you are more inclined toward administration or teaching—take on a project or start a Bible study or small group.

In all of this, let me encourage you to also be patient.  In Habakkuk 2:3 it says, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay…”

Vision’s Ultimate Promise

Michelangelo, the great painter and sculptor was once asked how he was able to create such masterful statues.  His answer was something like, “I am not sure how it works exactly—but I am able to see the vision of the beautiful statue in the marble even before it is extracted from the rock quarry.  You see, once I catch the vision, the rest is very simple—I just chip away what does not belong.”

That is the great promise of God’s wonderful vision for us.  Once we catch it, we are never the same.  I have witnessed it in my own life and in the lives of countless others.  Don’t give up.  Pursue God and His plan for your life.  Use your gifts first and foremost to glorify Him and you will soon discover an unmatched sense of personal fulfillment!

For more information on this subject you can contact On Target Ministries at P.O. Box 1654, Monument, CO. 80132 or call toll free 800-367-6364

To order the book Wired To Work you can contact Huntington House at 800-749-4009