Created For A Purpose

CREATED FOR A PURPOSE Choosing God Every Day Devotional

The Lord is calling all his followers into an intimate relationship with Him. He speaks of fullness of joy, peace which surpasses understanding, guiding and giving, abundance of life and so much more... that’s what I am chasing. All of it!

This is a lived through, kinda obessesed, fallen on my face but got back up again, in love, actually infatuated with Jesus kinda devotional. You’ll find a collection of thoughts, bible verses and poetry. There is also space to reflect/pray/journal/write shopping lists on each page... I’m a scribbler and love to get the thoughts out of my head so for those like me, enjoy the space :) Stay close to Jesus, keep pursuing intimacy with Him. It’s all about presence.

No matter what you’ve been through there is hope!

Love, Jane x

DWELLING PLACE

DAY 1 You are a dwelling place.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

God’s Spirit dwells in you. The Most Holy God has chosen to come and dwell in you.

Isn’t that crazy!? When I stop and think about it, I’m thankful, blown away, maybe a bit in denial at times... the One who has existed since the beginning of time, the One who created all things, the One who sustains all things has chosen to live in his people!

Let’s just stop here and meditate on this... think about what life would be like if God didn’t want to dwell in his people? What difference could that make to your everyday?

Thoughts...

AUTHORITY

DAY 2 You have authority.

If you don’t walk in your God-given authority, someone else will take it from you.

The enemy wants your authority.. are you allowing hin to have it without even realising?

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Luke 10:19

It’s important to know and function in the place Jesus has given you. We have been given a position in the Spirit above the devil. In Ephesians 6, Paul explains that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers over this present darkness. Take your place wonderful one. You are not just hiding in the shadow of the Almighty’s wings, you are above every demonic battle that comes against you.

Thoughts...

FREEDOM

DAY 3 Jesus promises us freedom... do you feel free right now?

If not, what is causing you to feel the way you are? Is it circumstances? Is it pain? Is it past experiences or disappointment?

For years, I was part of a very controlling church. One of the biggest things I remember is the elitism... the idea that our church was the best. They were the only ones with the truth and had a higher understanding of Scripture. It bred an unhealthy attitude of disunity. I remember leaving small groups and then finally the church itself and the concern was that I might go to another less spiritually mature church and be led astray. During this part of my life, I felt trapped. Freedom was a distant dream. But God still showed up... He always does and always will.

Keep your heart set towards the Lord and He will meet you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

James 4:8

Thoughts...

DELIGHT & DESIRE

DAY 4 What dreams do you have? Whether you are a big dreamer or not, we all have things we long after - whether it’s health for our family, salvation for loved ones, money to pay the bills, a nice car - we all experience deep desires and have longings.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

God promises his children that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. The next verse is interesting - commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act - if we put these dreams, desires and longings into the hands of our loving Father and trust him with them, he will act. Have you seen this in your own life?

Thoughts...

EXTRAVAGANT LOVE

DAY 5 Today I just want to sit and soak up the fact that we are all extravagantly loved.

Do you know how much God loves you. He utterly adores you. Not only does he delight in you, but he runs out to meet you... He rushes with open arms to greet you when you come to meet with Him. He sings love songs over you - you are thrilling to Him! You are beauty itself to Him. Let that soak in. Pause and take a moment to allow the greatness of God’s love for you to absorb into your heart, soul, body and mind. so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Thoughts...

FEARFULLY & WONDERFULLY MADE WONDERFULLY MADE

DAY 6 You. As you are.

Without the make up.

With the make up.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The lines the bumps The soft bits And the toned parts.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Thoughts...

DISTRACTIONS

DAY 7 Other things will try and distract you; we have an enemy. Not one to be afraid of because we have ALL authority, but he is one to be aware of.

What else is catching your attention?

What do you spend a lot of time doing in the week?

What’s a typical evening for you?

I find this the hardest for me personally.. I love to switch on the TV and just ‘chill out’ in the evening - I’ve got 3 daughters, I homeschool, I create and design content, manage social media... so as a way of switching off and ‘doing nothing’, my go-to has always been the tv. But there have been seasons in my life where the shit has hit the fan and I’ve worshipped - don’t ask me why I’ve waited til this point, but honestly, from the bottom of my heart I can tell you that my soul, spirit, mind and body felt restored and refreshed after spending time with the Lord. I love to sit and play the piano, singing out whatever is on my heart and playing whatever melody I hear in my head. Sometimes I sit in silence, other times I put on some worship music, or I journal or read the Word... there’s no one set way of spending time with the Lord so it’s important to follow your rhythms.

What are your idols? What gets in the way of you spending time with Yahweh?

Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

Thoughts...

Jonah 2:8

COME BACK

DAY 8 16 Come back, Don’t listen to the one taking you away His voice seduces you But his love for you brings harm The smooth talk And the warm feelings Won’t last when the days get colder In the unexpected storms, he’ll disappear The whispers are confusing And spoken in the hidden Your heart is unsure.

Trust your instincts and come back Listen to me and come back It’s ok to fall Like a stream that runs clear Just hear my voice and return.

Thoughts...

CULTIVATING INTIMACY

DAY 9 Are the things you are doing for Jesus taking you away from Jesus?

As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”

Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.

(Luke 10:38-42)

It’s easy to want to do loads of stuff for Jesus, and good stuff too… we were created to walk in the good works God has ready for us.

But there is a subtle twist of the truth that says you need to serve, that you have to be serving without first asking the question, ‘how is your relationship with God?’ What if serving God means you are left with no time to hide away in your room/ prayer closet?

Thoughts...

HEART POSTURE

DAY 10 Set your heart to chase after God, first and foremost.

You have been created by God for an intimate relationship with Him. When God created Adam & Eve, He was with them in the garden.. He would meet, walk and talk with them. It was all ‘very good’ (Gen 1:31) at the beginning.

The original design. Relationship. Connection.

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 27:4-5

Thoughts...

LOOK AT JESUS

DAY 11 We see time and time again, Jesus went to the mountain to pray. He went alone, he rose early, he spoke with his Father. He’s our perfect example so let’s look to him; The next morning, Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer.

Mark 1:35

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Read Mark 1:35-45 and ask God to show you things in Scripture that you’ve never noticed before. Be expectant! God’s word is living and active so it should speak to you... why did Jesus wake early to pray? Why didn’t the disciples leave him alone?

Why was the first thing Jesus said to them that they needed to move on?

Thoughts...

TIME WINDOWS

DAY 12 At some point in every day, carve out time to spend with God. It doesn’t have to be hours, it doesn’t have to be the same time, it doesn’t even have to look a certain way. Yahweh is our ever-present God so take him through the day with you. Ask for Him to reveal his presence to you at every twist and turn, in amongst the mundane and ordinary. But try and create a moment in your day that is just for you and God - where you can silence the noise of the world, the to-do lists are put down, distractions are removed and you can sit at the feet of Jesus, But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:6

Thoughts...

PEACE REMAINS

DAY 13 Alone with my thoughts.

It’s my favourite place to be.

The silence and stopping Brings rest.

My insides melt with the calm.

It can be brief and over with a crash.

An unexpected interruption And that moment is gone.

But deep in your heart The Peace remains.

You breathe in, you breathe out.

You rise to your feet.

Onwards you go A little lighter on your feet as that Rest has been planted down deep.

Thoughts...

BE HONEST WITH ABBA

DAY 14 Be honest with Abba - tell him what’s on your heart and mind. Whether it’s anger, sadness, disappointment, excitement… whatever it is, be real with him and tell him.

You matter.

God knows you inside out, He knows the depths of your heart and the words you say before they are spoken. Yet he wants to hear from you. If you feel let down by God or that He lied about something, tell him - but confess and declare the truth; Prayer: Lord, it feels like you lied (replace with what’s relevant for you) but I know that’s impossible so I confess and declare that you never would. Please restore the truth of who you are and where you were in that situation into the depths of my soul, spirit and mind..

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Psalm 139:23

Thoughts...

YOUR HEART

HEART

DAY 15 Look after yourself Take care of your heart In all things, at all times Make space to breathe Your heart is precious It’s one of a kind Ready to learn and love Watch it flourish as you pause to restore.

Take time to learn To look back and reflect You’ve grown and accomplished so much Give yourself a break In the pausing, smile Laugh in the waiting The journey is long, keep going Look after your heart

Thoughts...

LISTEN

DAY 16 There doesn’t need to be a lot of conversation when you sit with God. In Scripture, whenever Jesus spoke his words came alive. When he was unrecognisable, he spoke and his followers knew who he was. It is so important to learn to recognise the Voice of God. The disciples were afraid of the storm, and when Jesus spoke they were able to recognise his voice without seeing him. Peter joined him in the sea yet when fear overwhelmed him and he started drowing, Jesus saved him.

When a moment of fear comes up in your day, trust that Jesus will rescue you.

So Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk toward Jesus. But when he realized how high the waves were, he became frightened and started to sink.

“Save me, Lord!” he cried out.

Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and lifted him up.

Matthew 14:29-31

Thoughts...

OVERCOMER

DAY 17 When I lived without You were there When I felt alone You were there I felt God say Despair I heard God say Love When I was up You were there When I was down You were there I thought God said Break I know God said Build He’s for us Not against us He’s in us Not far off You’ve got this Together You’ll get thru this We are overcomers.

Thoughts...

WAIT

DAY 18 What do you do with loss and disappointment?

Some people turn to alcohol, drugs, binge-watching, have friends encourage them… what I’m not saying is don’t do these things, but I am saying that there is only one place to get fixed.

These moments in our life can be where we feel least like sharing our heart and pouring our emotions out before God, but these are the momemnts where it has the greatest effect. He is the only One who can fix our fragile, broken hearts. It’s a mountain we need to climb, but we have to get over ourselves and our circumstances and go meet with God. Sit. Linger. It takes time.

If there is still brokenness, then go back tomorrow. Keep going back until you are well.

On hearing this, Jesus slipped away privately by boat to be alone.

Matthew 14:13

Thoughts...

PASSION GOLD

DAY 19 Broken.

Shattered in pieces.

You’re the One who makes me whole.

Changed.

Never the same.

You’re the One who makes me new.

Even when I stumble and fall, You pick me up and Make me whole again.

Even when I trip & fall, You pick me up and Make me whole again.

Thoughts...

“ THE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR APPROVES. THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS.

DAY 20 You belong before you believe. Ever heard that expression? It essentially means that God accepts you before you do anything... Jesus chose twelve disciples to walk alongside him before they fully understood who he was. Deeper revelation and understanding came from walking with Jesus.

Do you know God loves you as you are? He sees the gold in you and is pleased when you walk in his ways... but life with God is a choice that you get to make.

Will you choose to walk with Jesus today?

“But you—who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked.

Simon Peter spoke up and said, “You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God!” Matthew 16:15-16

Thoughts...

TO THE SUNBATHER

DAY 21 Beauty deserves nothing less.

Let’s take the Light out of the box, Out of the time slots and Into our constant.

Beauty is all around, Light shines beyond where the eye can see.

It brings warmth and growth, transforming your yesterday to today.

Feel as your skin warms, Down to your toes so much that it shows.

Let your skin glow With the Light from within.

And when the sun goes behind the cloud, Know that the Light is still there.

Still at work and still caring.

You have constant Beauty within you.

Thoughts...

I CHOOSE GOD

It’s a choosing God every day kinda devotional.

Jane Streatfield was born and raised in Cornwall. She fled the nest when she was eighteen and spent fifteen years in London before God called her back to Cornwall in a rescue mission - escaping a controlling church and dead religion, Jane encountered and fell in love with the One. Created for Purpose in her first devotional.