The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation
In a world filled with a lot of talk, we want to have meaningful, biblical conversations with those God has entrusted to us. Join Tosha Williams and the Family Disciple Me ministry for Devotion Driven Discipleship conversation starters that will encourage you to "Seek Him Speak Him" in your own life.
Family Disciple Me is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Christian ministry dedicated to catalyzing Devotion Driven Discipleship in our own lives and homes as well as around the world.
For more information, visit familydiscipleme.org
The Family Disciple Me Podcast // Discipleship Starts With a Conversation
LIFE VERSES | Frame Your Purpose | Convo #4 in "Finding Scriptures That Shape Your Story"
Have you ever questioned your purpose or wondered why you're here? You're not alone. For centuries, people have searched for meaning in their work, relationships, and achievements—yet many still struggle to understand their reason for being.
Psalm 138:8 offers a powerful perspective: "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." This isn't wishful thinking but a promise anchored in God's steadfast love. As King David declared, God doesn't abandon the work of His hands—He has established a purpose for each of us and works through us to fulfill it. Your life isn't random; you weren't sent into chaos. You were intentionally created with a divine calling.
When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, God often highlights verses that become life verses—passages that frame our calling and purpose. I discovered mine in June 1985 when Philippians 1:20 leaped from the page: "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." This verse has guided me through decades, providing direction even in uncomfortable situations. Over time, God expanded my understanding to include "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." These words continue to shape my purpose to live boldly for Christ regardless of circumstances.
We can also speak purpose into others who question their value. Share scriptures like Psalm 20:5—"May he give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose"—with those around you, especially the next generation. Help them understand they're here by divine appointment with a meaningful purpose. Finding your God-given purpose begins with spending time in His Word, asking what He's saying to you and how He wants you to respond. I encourage you to discover the Scripture that speaks to your calling and let it guide your journey. Remember, the Lord will fulfill His purpose for you because His steadfast love endures forever. Will you open your heart to discover it today?
The accompanying devotion-driven discipleship guide that goes along with this podcast episode will be available on the Family Disciple Me app (SOON TO BE RELEASED!!!)
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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.
Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org
What is your purpose in life? That's a question that people have been asking for centuries, and it's one that can leave us either really motivated or unsettled. People look for purpose in so many ways. Some people look for purpose in their work, or in their families, or in their relationships or in their achievements, and then there's other people that don't find their purpose and aren't even sure why they're here at all. Thing is, god's Word tells us something really important about purpose, and that is that God has a purpose for you and he has a purpose for me.
Speaker 0:Today, as we continue in our Life Verses collection of conversations, as we are searching the scriptures to shape our stories, we come to a really important conversation about this very thing, and we're calling it Frame your Purpose. Our key verse today is found in Psalm 138, verse 8, and it says the Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Your steadfast love, o Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. I love this verse so much. King David wrote this verse as a declaration about his trust in God. Notice his confidence. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. This isn't just wishful thinking. This is anchored in God's steadfast love. This, by the way, is also a promise from God's Word. But the thing is, because God's love endures forever, he doesn't abandon the work of His hands. He doesn't abandon you. He doesn't abandon me. So this verse can remind us that purpose is not something that we just have to figure out or invent. This verse reminds us that our purpose is something that God himself establishes and then works with us and through us to carry out in our lives. How does this truth hit you right now? How does this truth sink into your heart that God has a purpose for your life? He is not random. He is not just sending us out into the chaos of this world. He hasn't just created us and then forgotten us and forsaken us. No, he loves us so much and he guarantees that His plan will come to pass in our lives. So when we open the Bible, when we're finding scriptures that shape our stories, I think it's really important that we hold on to this truth that he is accomplishing something in us and through us. And as we look at his word, we can say God, what are you saying to me here? What are you calling me to? How do you want me to respond to you?
Speaker 0:I find that sometimes he highlights Scripture in such a way that it becomes a sort of life verse, a verse that frames how I see myself, a verse that frames my calling, a verse that frames my purpose in Him. This is exactly what happened to me when I had just finished middle school, way back June 1, 1985. As I was spending time in God's Word, I found my life verse in Philippians 1, verse 20, and it says I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that, now as always, christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. I don't remember why that verse leapt out at me, but it did. I marked it, I wrote it in my journal which, incidentally, I pull out every once in a while to remind me. But that verse that God impressed upon my heart, it became the verse that he's used to shape and guide my story.
Speaker 0:I recite that verse in so many different translations because it speaks to me in so many different ways as I look at the nuances of the words. But over the decades I've returned to that verse again and again to reset myself, to reframe my life, to re-engage the boldness and the calling that God has placed on my life and over time I have found that he's expanded my life verse from verse 20 into verse 21 that says For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. That's not easy In life or death, in living large for Him or dying to myself. Whatever comes and, honestly, whatever doesn't come that I hoped would come, I want to be a person whose life is framed by that purpose to live boldly for Christ. Even today, right now, that verse shapes me Because, quite honestly, it's not comfortable for me to sit here in front of this microphone and camera. And yet God has called me not to be ashamed. He's called me not to shrink back in fear. He's called me not to let the struggle or the obstacles lead me into living lesser when His purpose for me is greater.
Speaker 0:Scripture has shaped my story by framing my purpose with the help of a life verse, and that's why I'm so passionate about this conversation collection, because I believe that when we lean into Scripture, when we spend time with God and His Word, he is going to use it to shape our stories. So what about you? How is Scripture shaping your story today? How is scripture shaping your story today? What do you better know about your purpose as you spend time in God's word and then align your heart to that. Have you found that purpose yet? Have you found that scripture that guides you into that yet have you even looked for it? I encourage you to do that every single time you go to Scripture. And thing is, this isn't just for us. It's also about how we encourage others.
Speaker 0:So many other people in this world, so many people around us, are wrestling with their purpose, wondering why they're here, wondering if their lives even matter. What if we spoke over them? The blessing of scriptures like Psalm, chapter 20, verse 5, may he give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose. What if we speak over them? The scripture promise that says God himself will equip you with everything good that you may do his will working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. What if we shared things like those scriptures with the next generation and breathed life into them, helping them frame their purpose, knowing that they're not here by accident it's not a coincidence that they're here at this time of history but they have a meaningful, intentional purpose that's designed by the Creator Himself. That's the kind of hope and encouragement that this world needs today. That's the kind of purpose that needs to be spoken into the next generation. Thing is sharing God's Word in this way. It doesn't have to be intimidating. It can be as simple as reassuring somebody in their value, in their worth, in their God-given uniqueness, and reminding them that he's working out His purpose in their lives too.
Speaker 0:So I want to encourage you Open the Family Disciple Me app and go to the Discipleship Conversation Guide that goes along with this particular episode. Spend some time with the Lord about this scripture that we quoted at the top of this podcast episode. Seek Him, ask Him the questions. God, what are you saying to me through scripture? What are you telling me about this verse that matters to my life? Why is it so important, god, how do you want me to respond to this truth? Seek Him in these ways and then turn around and speak him into somebody else's life.
Speaker 0:As you take all of this into a conversation with someone else, the scriptures can shape not only your story but theirs as well. So, friend, go with God, be encouraged. Be encouraged. You have a purpose. Find that purpose in God's Word, find a scripture that describes your story, that God has put in your life, on your heart and make that one of your life verses. I know that he's going to use that in your heart and in your days to come as much as he's used my life verse in my life, in my days, in my years, in my story. I pray blessings over you that you will boldly, confidently live out the calling and the purpose that God has for your life, because here's the thing the Lord will fulfill His purpose for you. He will not forsake the work of His hands because His steadfast love for you, my friend, for me, for those entrusted to us, his steadfast love endures for all generations. Oh friend, go with God today. I'll see you in the next episode.