How to Embrace God’s Vision for Your Future

As we transition into a new year, a question echoes in our hearts and minds: “What’s Next?” Today, I’d like to help you with that question. Not in so much a practical sense, but in seeking God’s vision for your life.

Are we willing to open ourselves to something greater? In the next few minutes, we’ll explore three spiritual practices from Romans 12, that can help us align our dreams and aspirations (maybe our New Year’s resolutions) with God’s purpose.

Lord willing, this post will help you dream a little bigger. Maybe even capturing a God-sized dream!

Aligning Our Dreams with God’s Purpose

Let’s start with a passage written by the Apostle Paul, in Romans 12:1-3, calling us to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. Then he explains what that looks like in our day-to-day lives.

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Romans 12:1-3 (ESV)

Within this passage, we can see three specific calls to action, related to seeking God’s vision for our lives. The first spiritual practice, found in verse one, relates to presenting ourselves before God, sacrificing our will to His.

#1: Be Available – God created you on purpose, for a purpose.

Responding to God’s gift of grace, found through Jesus, involves becoming a living sacrifice. By presenting every aspect of our lives to God, we become available for His greater purpose. This requires putting ourselves in environments aligned with God’s plan.

We might have to look at our schedules and remove self-centred people, places and things, opening up our calendar to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Maybe it’s not a physical environment that needs to change; maybe it’s a head-space, creating times of silence for God’s Spirit to speak.

Paul continues in verse 2 by urging us not to conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. This introduces our second practice.

#2: Be Teachable – God created you for significance, not survival.

Transformation occurs as the Holy Spirit renews our minds. Rejecting conformity to the world allows us to discern God’s will. When we pull ourselves away from the world’s influence, we can hear the greater vision that God is calling us into.

To capture this spiritual principle, we need to turn down the world’s volume. Once we turn off the podcasts, stream services, and news feeds, we can actively engage in practices like prayer, meditation, Scripture reading, and worship to hear God’s voice.

Moving on to verse 3 of Romans 12, Paul emphasizes the diversity within the body of Christ, leading to our final spiritual practice.

#3: Be Vulnerable – God created you with connection, not confinement.

Authentic relationships happen in community; more specifically, within the local church among people who support God’s purpose and vision. Breaking the isolation cycle is crucial to capture this principle.

This year, commit to join a small group or ministry team. Read through the rest of Romans 12, then take a spiritual gift assessment. Once you understand your spiritual gifting, you can start actively engaging within the local church or other Christian communities.

It’s Time to Embrace God’s Vision

As you start a new year, may this instruction inspire you to embrace the principles found in Romans 12. Make a decision this week to be available, be teachable, and be vulnerable. Live out a bigger dream and grander purpose, allowing God’s Spirit to guide you from this day forward.

Join the Conversation; Share Your Thoughts

• Which spiritual principle resonated with you the most and why?
• What’s your plan to actively present yourself before God for this coming year?
• What steps will you take to change your schedule, turn down the world’s volume, and break the isolation cycle in the next month?