Weapons of Mass Distraction. (Purpose is Pulling You)

Tia Parker
Ascent Publication
Published in
9 min readJul 26, 2017

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There are so many things fighting for our attention. Titles, people, positions, opportunities, toxic thinking, addictions, worry, depression, anxiety, “success”, greed, selfishness, and a host of other things are fighting us, harassing us in an attempt to win our attention.

Daily we allow these things to win, robbing us of fulfillment.

All of these things are destructive weapons designed to blind us from our actual identity and reason for living.

You and I have a purpose in this life.

There is a predestined plan designed by God specifically for you, and you are the ONLY person who is able to do your part.

I’m 100% sure there are others who are called and purposed to do the same thing you are called to do, but there is a uniqueness about you and a sphere of influence that is specific to who you are.

To believe you have a purpose you must first understand that your very being was created by a higher being.

God, who is the higher being created you with a predestined assignment. Predestined means there is a predetermined assignment over your life that predates your birth. Before God formed you in your mothers womb, He knew you and established a reason for your birth. You are NOT a mistake!

The first purpose of the assignment on your life is to prove the very heart and mind of God.

Our purpose is designed to meet a need. Your life is a response to a specific need in the earth. Not only is your life a response to a specific need in the earth, but it’s for a specific time.

We will never find out what we’re supposed to be doing or who we are if we constantly allow life’s distractions to take us off of the path to purpose and fulfillment.

God’s number one desire is for each of us to know Him, to see Him in and through the express image of His heart, character and mind in the person of Jesus Christ.

The plan of the enemy of our souls, the jealous accuser, the prideful one, is to convince you and I that we don’t need or want Jesus.

How does he do this?

Depending on who you are and where you’re from, he has many different ways to deceive you.

Today the number one way is to convince you that following Jesus isn’t the way to go when the secret lives of the people who are so called “leaders” in the church are put on display for the world to see. People who profess to know Jesus, but their lives and teachings are contrary to the life of Jesus that is recorded in the Bible.

Some “believers” take certain portions of the Bible and bash others with it, they use it to oppress people and they pervert the word which is supposed to bring liberty. Rather than bring liberty they create confusion and bondage, turning so many people off from Christ. God is not pleased with the people who mishandle His word, and He does not co-sign their actions. Their time will come, you’ve seen some of their exposure plastered all across media.

Christ did get angry with the religious sect, he rebuked them for the way they handled sinners, forgetting they themselves were sinners as well. Christ called them white washed tombs full of dead men’s bones. Their outer appearance looked “holy”, but their hearts were corrupt.

Keep in mind each of us are sinners, needing a savior. Not one of us is perfect.

Christ handled the sinners who were aware of who they really were differently from how He handled the hypocrite who claimed to know the LORD.

Yes He had a harsh truth to share with them concerning their final destiny if they didn’t accept the free gift of salvation through His life, sacrifice and resurrection, but He taught the kingdom of God with love, patience, power and compassion to the people who were considered outcast.

Jesus never condemned people, He exposed the sin nature and showed them they needed a perfect sacrifice and He is it.

Not only did Christ talk a lot, but He demonstrated His love. Look at how He interacted with the woman at the well, she was a prostitute.

What about the woman who was caught in the act of adultery? He didn’t condemn her. He set her free! He told her that her sins were forgiven, and instructed her to sin no more. I’m sure her encounter with Christ changed her life.

How about the thief who was on the cross right next to Him, who asked Jesus to remember him when He entered into His kingdom? This man was a criminal, but the moment he professed who Christ was, Jesus said TRULY today you WILL be with me in paradise.

Jesus changes lives for the better, He doesn’t condemn. The Bible says that Jesus is the “express image of God’s person”. Simply put, Jesus is God in human flesh, the only begotten Son full of Mercy and truth.

This is Jesus, this is the Savior of the world. Find out who God is for yourself and see that you and I desperately need Him.

It’s a horrible distraction happening right now all over the world.

Believe me when I tell you, God is not slack concerning the people who misrepresent Him.

Try to find a leader who is truly teaching what is written and whose life matches with their speech.

If we don’t know who we are, we’ll never know what our purpose is. Your purpose is apart of your identity, it fits your character.

The thing is it’s the character that you discover when you seek to know God, and in seeking God you find you.

This is why we can’t be distracted by people’s lives not matching up, they’re just false teachers/prophets.

God is real.

That person you want in your life who doesn’t belong is a distraction for you. Those friends who really don’t understand the person you’re becoming aren’t bad people, they’re just not good for your life.

You know God, you know what you’re called to do. You’ve moved beyond the distraction of false leaders, you know Him for yourself and you’re clear on your purpose.

But……

You lack patience as relates to a mate, so you like to fill that empty space here and there with a warm body.

This isn’t wise at all, because it’s a detour and a distraction taking you off course. You’re not supposed to be yoked up with that person. You’re supposed to be with the person who ignites a fire in you that causes you to pursue the purpose and plan of God for your life.

I guarantee you that’s not what they are assigned to do.

The enemy is so strategic and we have to be even more strategic. I’m struggling with a distraction right now and my purpose is pulling me harder and harder.

I know this person isn’t good for me right now, but I want to go against my better judgement. Going against my better judgement is actually rebelling against purpose and in doing so I’m sacrificing true fulfillment.

How many of us sacrifice true fulfillment because we don’t have the patience to wait for what is right, so we settle for what we want right now?

I am tired of settling for what is right now!

Why just settle for an education that impresses people, when God called you to change the region you live in by giving you the influence to breakthrough the educational system and rebuild it?

Why live a mediocre life when your Father God is the very embodiment of wisdom, excellence and truth?

If you are tapped into God and are aware of Jesus being your Savior, there is a purpose pulling you and it won’t stop.

You’ve been feeling anxious lately about your life, unsure of what to do next.

That’s purpose desperately asking for your attention.

Peace, joy, love, fulfillment, and hope are all wrapped up in your purpose.

The first layer of purpose is to find out who God is and establish a relationship with Him. The second layer is really intertwined with the first, discover who you really are. The third layer is to discover the reason you were born, your purpose already exists inside of you, it’s predetermined.

You just have to discover it.

That thing that nags you and pulls at your heart when you see or hear about it, tap into it and attempt to understand why it pulls at you so hard.

The way you feel when you see a child in need, tap into that.

You don’t know why on earth you get so agitated when you hear someone use incorrect grammar, you may be called to write or be an English instructor, tap into that.

You have a heart for the outcast, tap into that.

When you hear about an international tragedy, something in you wants to go and help. Ask yourself why you feel that way. I bet your purpose has something to do with it.

At about 17 I discovered I had a heart for people. I would become concerned about strangers. It felt really weird at first, but as I got older I realized it was a gift from God I needed to embrace.

By 18 or 19 I realized God had blessed me with the ability to influence people, that was a bit scary as well.

When you’ve been given influence over people’s lives, you have to be sure that you’re giving sound advice based off of facts not “feelings”.

I’m still growing into my purpose, it grows with me as I become older.

As you walk out the will and plan God has for your life, it will not be easy but it’s so worth it.

There will be times you’ll feel like an outcast, you’ll feel lonely and misunderstood, it’s alright your purpose is worth it.

The sad truth is most of us won’t realize our full potential in life because we don’t like to step out on faith completely.

We don’t like change and we loathe being uncomfortable.

Most of the time your purpose will have you in positions that are uncomfortable, because it’s actually stretching you and causing you to reach higher.

Full potential never happens in a comfortable place.

Just being saved is enough for most of us, but it’s so much more to it. There is a whole life in Jesus that we are destined to discover.

Jesus said to His followers “these things will you do and greater things than these shall you do because I am going back to the Father”.

Jesus raised dead bodies, healed people in an instant, fed crowds of people with tiny amounts of food, caused a radical religious revolution and shook the whole world up!

This kind of power and impact requires a change that many of us aren’t willing to make.

Our purpose in life is to first glorify God and second show His heart to the world who desperately needs Him.

Life is more about what we can do for others, and less about what we can do for ourselves. It’s a process, none of us are overnight wonders, I still make left turns at times, but each day I wake up I understand it’s one day closer to being more like Christ. It’s one day closer to fulfillment and living out my purpose.

This blog, connecting with you weekly is a part of my purpose. Sharing with you brings a fulfillment to my life that nothing can match.

Knowing that I have provoked you to thought, understanding that I have shared Jesus with you and caused you to consider what your inner life looks like. Knowing that I am impacting at least one person blows my mind!

I’m just a girl from the inner city of Baltimore attempting to live out my purpose.

If I can answer the call, so can you.

I’m deciding to take the leap, it’s not going to happen over night. Right now I am fighting a distraction.

Some days I give in to it, because it’s easier to throw in the towel, it’s hard to fight against yourself.

Today I’m a little stronger than I was on yesterday and tomorrow I’ll be even more stronger.

If I exercise the wisdom and self control God gave me I can be a step closer to realizing my full potential in Him and in life.

The real enemy of purpose is the INNER ME.

The question I want us to walk away with on today is what is worth true fulfillment?

Would you rather just “get by” in life or do you want to excel?

It’s not easy, but it’s doable.

Excelling in life might not be what you think it is. Remember God’s thoughts are not like ours.

Answer the pull of purpose and do what you were born to do! Go ahead and impact the world! Only a few of us will. How about you and I be apart of the few?

I’m praying for you guys!

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Tia Parker
Ascent Publication

I am a Baltimore native, mother of one son, a poet, an encourager and a lover of people! Welcome to The Passionate Pursuit of Wisdom!