God has created each of us with purpose—a personal calling. We all share this inward tug. So moving forward without any real sense of direction in life can’t help but be frustrating. “What am I doing for God? I just don’t know what my purpose is.” Take heart! It’s not an uncommon problem. Christians often find themselves stuck in the disappointing position of not understanding God’s intent for their life. I often sense it myself.

At times even those who have been used by God in some powerful way share this frustration. We apparently can’t just sit back and rest on our laurels. Why God doesn’t just paint us a clear picture, I can’t say. It must have something to do with that old faith thing. But though it’s clearly not easy, finding God’s purpose for our life actually isn’t out of reach. Intimacy with God holds the key.

Jesus expects us to grow spiritually. Our job is to prepare the soil of our heart to receive that growth. But it doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from pressing forward—trying to live in a manner pleasing to Him. It’s all about “presenting our bodies as a holy and living sacrifice, acceptable to God.” Making godly choices sets us on that road. Early in the process there are lots of opportunities to slip back under the spell of the old self. That’s why we must always be vigilant.

Over time, as we experience degrees of transformation, the likelihood of backsliding keeps diminishing. Be encouraged! Somewhere along the line it’s virtually impossible to get mired once again in the pit of that old self. Why? Because our character has been forever altered—who we are has changed. Once our character is transformed, we truly are no longer our former selves.

Intimacy with God needs to start somewhere—we know that! So our pursuit of God is often rooted in a sense of obligation. And that’s an okay beginning. Yet there’s something wrong if seeking Him doesn’t become a pursuit of the heart rather than merely a sense of duty. God has given us the key to intimacy: it’s His Son, Jesus! Through Him we’ve been given both the honor and the privilege of sharing His glory. What an awesome gift!

Jesus has provided the means for our relationship to bear much fruit. And the good news is that we don’t have to worry about trying to force the issue. All we need to do is cooperate and abide in Christ. He has taken our humanity into account and is in this thing with us for the long-haul. Rest assured, He will accomplish in and through us what He has purposed.

We often think our conflict with sin stems from two natures struggling within: the sin nature of our flesh set against our redeemed inner man. “My higher nature should be victorious over my lower nature,” we’re taught. So when we sin, it’s hard to understand how we could be so weak. “Shouldn’t I be something more than what I so obviously am? What’s wrong here?”

Well, let me rock the boat a little: We’re not seeing a battle between two natures here, but merely witnessing human nature in action.  What we’re really sensing is two kingdoms, each tugging at us. Our basic nature doesn’t change once we’re saved. I’m still the same old human me. What’s happened is our spirit, no longer dead because of sin, is now capable of functioning for the purpose it was created for. We’re alive to God! Our spirit has become united with the Spirit of God within.

From Free from the Power of Sin: the Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself

Like it or not, we’re all slaves. Those who live according to the flesh are hostile toward God from the very core of their being. No wonder they refuse to subject themselves to Him. Their slavery to sin renders them incapable of doing otherwise. But in the mysterious riches of God’s love Christ died for us, even while we were steeped in our slavery to sin.

In so doing, He gives us the opportunity to choose His gift of eternal life—redeeming us from sin to become His own children. Once we’ve made the decision to receive Christ, God goes into action; He immediately rescues us from the domain of darkness and transfers us to the kingdom of His Son. We become “slaves of righteousness.” We’re no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit. Even though our body is dead because of sin, our spirit is forever alive to God.