Four Keys to Living a Life of Fulfillment - Abundant Path Lifestyle and Wellness Community

Let’s accept that these statements are probably factual for the vast majority of people.

Self-help is mostly ineffective.
Having a big “Why” is often not enough to get people moving towards the vision for their lives.
Circumstantially, it’s more challenging for some people to overcome their obstacles than others.

Self-improvement and personal development isn’t a cure-all, and it does not guarantee you’ll achieve any of the outcomes you want. When you closely examine the people in your life, you don’t see a ton of people living the life that God intended them to live. Why is this? In Napoleon Hill’s book Outwitting the Devil, he writes that 2 out of every 100 people (2 Percent) will live out their purpose and follow through with their goals. Let that sink in. That means 98 percent of the people we know do not live the life God intended for them to live.

What I have learned is most people drift through life. Think about a child who sits on a float in the ocean. His mother tells him to stay close. She sits back and enjoys the sun for a few minutes, and next thing you know, she looks up and realizes her child has allowed the current to pull him away from her. Life does that to all of us. Everyday living is like swimming against the ocean current, and if we are not careful, we will get pulled away from our trajectory. I would imagine that a lot of people have been thrown off course by the tsunami of COVID-19. If it hasn’t affected you financially, it’s most probably had some impact on your emotional and spiritual health.

So, what’s the secret to living the life of a two-percenter? This sounds simple, but it can be broken down into these four keys: knowing God, finding Freedom, discovering your purpose, and making a difference.

1) Know God

Here’s a timeless spiritual truth. God wants to know us intimately. Being a Christian is not about practicing religion. God wants an authentic relationship with us. John 1:14 states, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God, in the person of His son Jesus, came to eradicate the gap that existed between God and us because of sin. Matthew 1:23 says, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).” When we put our trust fully in the finished work of Christ, we no longer have the burden of dealing with our sin problem. God has provided the solution. But he didn’t defeat sin and death so that we could go to Heaven. He wants us to enjoy the benefits now. Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we can now “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” We have access to our Heavenly Father right now.

2) Find Freedom

Sadly, many Christians have received forgiveness because of the blood of Jesus, but they still allow baggage from their past to hold them back from reaching their God-given potential. God wants us to live full, productive lives, and the way that the sanctification process works is through relationships with other Christ-followers. Satan does not give up territory easily, so for all believers, it is vital to be in a Christian community where you experience fellowship, worship, prayer, and a regular supply of God’s word. Getting connected to a Bible-believing church is non-negotiable. God did not intend for us to do life alone. In Genesis, the first thing that God said that wasn’t good wasn’t sin; it was isolation. “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Genesis 2:18

There’s a church on every corner, but not all churches are created equal. There is a lot of false teaching occurring in the church, and one key component of when a church has abandoned Biblical authority is decay in morality within the church. If you are eager to connect to a life-giving, Bible-believing Church, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

3) Discover Your Purpose

You were not an accident. God made each one of us on purpose and for a purpose. Life makes the most sense when we discover His purpose for us.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139: 13-16

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.” Discovering your purpose is vital to experiencing a life of contentment and joy. If you haven’t reached that point in life where you know without a doubt why God put you here, I would invite you to get connected to a local church that offers a class/course on discovering your spiritual gifts. How God wires us points us in the direction of how God wants to use us.

4) Make An Eternal Difference.

God’s ultimate plan for us is that we would make an eternal difference in the lives of others. In this age of social justice, it’s essential to understand that justice, apart from the Gospel, is injustice. It isn’t enough to go out and do good works. If we work the soup kitchen every day but don’t tell those at the soup kitchen about Jesus, they go to Hell with a full stomach.

The world will do everything in its power to direct our time, talent, and treasure to many different causes. There are many great organizations out there, everything from the United Way, to the Red Cross, to the American Cancer Society. Those organizations do good work, but since I only have so many dollars to go around, I only give to places that marry social justice with the Gospel. My church, Church of the Highlands, is where I tithe most of my money. I also give to a ministry that I helped start called Bigtime Ministries. Another organization that I am passionate about is A-21. Right now, over 40 million people are victims of human trafficking, and the mission of A-21 is to rescue those caught in this web of modern-day slavery and bring to justice those who would prey on the most vulnerable.

There is no greater joy than making a difference for eternity. On my worst day, knowing that I have been part of leading hundreds of students to Christ and equipping them to do ministry in their schools and communities has kept me moving with passion and fulfillment.

I can’t remember a time in my life where there has been this much uncertainty. An unsettled election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and social unrest have contributed to increased anxiety levels for many people. Now more than ever, people need a lifeline. I believe this time is leading us into the next Great Awakening. I feel more people will come to know Christ in my lifetime than all other generations combined.

As Christ-followers, let’s not just settle for bringing them to Jesus. Let’s show people how they can leave their past behind and find Freedom from bad habits, addictions, unforgiveness, and toxic relationships. Let’s help those around us discover their purpose by tapping into their spiritual gifts. And ultimately, let’s mobilize the body of Christ to go out and make an eternal difference. The harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few. Let’s pray to the Lord of the harvest that he would continue to raise workers who will unite to transform our broken world.

To God Be the Glory!

Bill Garner