Therefore since Christ has suffered in the flesh arm yourselves also with the same purpose because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.  

1 Peter 4:1

 

I have recently been studying a bible with the original Greek and Hebrew words from the bible, it has brought me so much insight to certain words, so i decided to do a study of the word purpose. I found a few scriptures where the word purpose in english was written but in Greek there were a few variations of this word.

let me give you the examples:

Side note: I am reading out of the New American Standard Bible here. Other bible translations like the King James Version, NIV,and ESV May have different words, which is why I love going to the original words used.  Im not saying here that you can't understand Gods messages through these Bible translations, with and understanding of context, but I am saying that it has helped me grow.

 

But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

Luke 7:30

The word purpose here comes from the Greek word: Boulé

Which is a noun meaning, counsel, advise, will, Decree; spoken of God

 

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

The word purpose here comes from the Greek word: Prothesis

Which is a noun meaning to purpose or plan.  A setting forth, a placing in view or openly displaying something.  If your familiar with the Holy showbread to be set before God fresh each morning in the Old Testament. (See Hebrews 9 for more information on the shewbread) Prothesis here would mean that we chose to 1st accept his purpose through christ, then we set forth ourselves before him each day.

Accepting the eternal purpose and counsel of God.

Then we come back to our headlining verse

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

1 Peter 4:1-2

The word purpose here comes from the Greek word: Ennoia

Which is a compound word meaning thoughtfulness that is moral understanding, intent of the mind. It comes from the  word en which is where we get the english, in and noùs which is mind. What is in the mind,  our intention or purpose.

 

We PURPOSE things in our minds DAILY

So what is the purpose in your mind, your heart, your soul.

 

I struggled for the longest time with waking up in the morning (early, that is).  I told myself I wasn’t a morning person and I always wished I was a morning person fault 1  I would go to bed late fault 2 when I would go to bed late I would tell myself how tired I was going to be in the morning fault 3 I set 4 alarms on my phone fault 4 

I purposed in my mind that I was sleeping in before I even went to bed!! 

My night time actions were the cause of something that I had already purposed in MY MIND. 

IM NOT A MORNING PERSON

Now how did I change that?

Though I still feel tired in the morning like any normal person, not wanting to leave their comfy bed I have learned to LOVE them.  It is my time to study that I have purposed in my mind, and heart and set aside for God because I believe that is important.  As a mom of 3 it is hard to find time in the day to read my Bible but giving God the first hour of my day to pray for help and guidance, patience, love, self control, is helping purpose the rest of my day for him…and let me tell you how much it has changed my days for not only myself but also my family.

SO…back to my morning routine or evening because really it starts there, we all live in cycles of habits of first our minds making a decision and our bodies following through with the decisions made in our minds.

Step 1

I started by eliminating this I am or I am not a morning person from my mind. THAT WAS A WASTE OF SPACE! I am a christian woman, a wife, a mom these things are more necessary for me to keep rather than Im not a morning person.

Step 2

I tried with every part of me throughout the day to get the things accomplished that I needed to in the day so it was easier to make it to bed on time at night. This is the variable because sometimes I still go to bed late…BUT I try really hard to think of the unnecessary things that I waste my time on throughout the day or night like my phone or the TV the two main things for me.  I know that when I wake up in the morning I like a clean home so I try to do that before bed.

Exersize self control throughout the day!

Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 1 Corinthians 9:25

Step 3

Bedtime Stop telling myself Im going to be tired in the morning.

Start telling myself: Your waking up a 7, your day is going to be great, have a cup of coffee, enjoy your time with God, you can wake up! You will wake up! God lead me!

Self talk= Purpose in your mind

Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.  Colossians 2:18

Do not destroy yourself with the negative self talk of your mind! Self-abasement, the belittling or humiliation of ones self. This comes in more forms than just telling myself I’m going to be tired in the morning. But instead look to Christ the head of our bodies to help us with those things that we struggle with in our minds!

Step 4

Now comes the action after my purpose. I set 1 Alarm!!! not 4 but ONE!! Im not sleeping in I’m not hitting snooze. Im waking up at 7, I don’t know about you but that snooze button is such a trickster…permission to fall back asleep making it even harder for me to wake up!!

Step 5

But not so Step 5 I would also consider this part of STEP 1 because anytime we struggle with something we should

PRAY ABOUT IT!

ask for help from God, believe he can and will help you!! Don’t doubt that is purposing in your mind that he can’t help you, but purpose in your mind that he can, and he will help you, and HE WILL!!!

And there you have it, Im Not, Not a morning person, but a child of God and I love my mornings with spent with him, they take me into the rest of my day knowing that he is  with me in my thoughts and actions!

And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Mark 11:22

It is so crucial and important to understand Gods will, his purpose for us, it is not one of negativity, but one of removal of sin in our lives through Christ Jesus.  He loves us all greatly and His word provides a great deal of knowledge and understanding, but our hearts and our minds need to want it.  In order to be there we must deny our self, our flesh is made up of worldly hurts and cares searching for happiness but Christ gives us true joy and peace! So where is your heart and mind, have you been buried and risen with him to walk with a purpose.  Read Colossians 2 and 3 and ask yourself, where you stand?

Where do you rest your heart, your mind, your soul.

By: Beverly Murdock