Listen for God’s call. Create silent spaces in your life so you can actively listen for God to call you to serve Him in various ways. Eliminate unnecessary noise in your life by making sure that you don’t give more time or energy to anything other than your relationship with God. Make pursuing God your top priority. Know that God will communicate with you in a way that’s uniquely suited to you and what He wants you to do. Listen for His call through the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, the counsel of godly friends, nature, the circumstances of your life, dreams, visions or impulses. As you seek your calling, give yourself permission to be who you really are (instead of who you think someone else wants you to be) and invite God to develop your character. Write down what you think God is calling you to do, tell someone you trust about it, and plan how to act on that guidance in a practical way.

Envision the future. Ask God to give you a vision for what He wants your life to become. Know that if it’s God’s vision, it’s worth pursuing. Remember that vision: enables you to focus on what is not yet as if it were already present, gives you an image of the future that frees you from the distracting and competing demands of life, and helps you focus on an achievable end that is fulfilled in service to others. Let your vision motivate you to take redemptive action in the world, and sustain you as you work to serve others. Make sure your vision is big enough to require God for it to be fulfilled, and big enough to inspire others to join you.

Discover your purpose. Recognize that you’re not here by accident; you’re here because you have something that the world needs. Pray for God to help you understand His purpose for your life. Discover your interests, natural talents, and spiritual gifts and consider how they point you toward God’s purpose for your life.

Define your mission. Think and pray about your mission – what specific actions you should take to live out your purpose in the world. Once you figure out your mission, accept it by taking action. Remember that what God calls you to do, He equips you to accomplish. Be sure to rely on God’s power working through you rather than just your own efforts. Let your experiences help confirm and develop your mission.

Release your gifts and talents. Use the spiritual gifts and natural talents that God has given you to contribute to the world in all the ways He leads you to do so. Accept the unique person God created you to be rather than comparing yourself to others. Become the best you can be, so you can give the best you can give to make the world a better place.

Get your priorities straight. Make your first priority nurturing a close, dynamic relationship with God by spending time with Him above all else every day. Next, learn how to love yourself by seeing yourself as God sees you, and love other people by living in significant relationships with them. Finally, make a commitment to the world around you by serving in the ways God calls you to serve.