The Battle of Unfulfilled Purposes: PART 3 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

In PART THREE of this series, we continue to examine the giants we must face in the Battle of Unfulfilled Purposes. We have been looking at the Giants of FEELINGS and FRUSTRATION. Trouble and trials have a way of revealing the weaknesses of our securities. When the weakness is discovered, depression and discouragement are in the shadows. Discouragement leads to not fulfilling the purpose of your life if you quit, give up, or don’t even try to start or begin a task. A decisive person, on the other hand, has the ability to make the right decision and stick with it. If the decision is based upon his or her circumstances, the decision will change when the circumstances change. If the decision is based upon logical reasoning, the decision is altered when new information is presented. If the decision is based upon feelings, the decision will vary with emotions. When a person has a goal or a purpose, he is not as easily swayed from a good, perhaps unpopular decision or difficult circumstances. The person with a purpose is usually totally committed to the task that needs to be accomplished and sticks with the task until it is finished. This is especially true when you have a spiritual purpose for living. Another factor of why God's purpose for Christians goes unfulfilled is because they have become apathetic, unconcerned, and uninterested in the things of God. They want to remain in the "Comfort Zone" and just float through life like fallen leaves, going with the flow of a mountain stream. They have no zeal or fire in their hearts for God's will and plans. They are losing the Battle of FERVORLESSNESS and FLOATING through Life. We address what apathy does to the Christian and the consequences. We also examine the Giants of FAITHLESSNESS and FAILURE to Worship God. If you are unwilling to surrender your life to the Lord, live for Him, and worship Him, then God's purpose for your life will be unfulfilled because these matters are essential if you are going to make your life count for Christ. You are not going to fulfill God's plan and will for you as long as you are resisting Him and have a strained relationship with Him. It is not easy for us to surrender because we have to fight ourselves and our desires to yield. Yet, it is the surrendered Christian that God uses. The founder and leader of the Salvation Army, William Booth, said, "The greatness of a man's power is in the measure of his surrender." Being surrendered is like a leaf caught in a gentle stream that has released its grip on a branch and allowed the current to guide it through sun-dappled waters. This message was preached on Wednesday night August 6, 2025, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.