The King Said Occupy

The King Said Occupy is a timely and a friendly reminder that we were created and saved for God's purpose, given gifts, and instructed to occupy until King Jesus comes.

To illustrate this idea, Dr Ndaba begins with a inspiring account of a defining moment he experienced in his first year of university which nudged into the adventurous journey of purpose.

His journey of pursuing purpose had to be preceded by a divinely inspired shift in his identity-the idea he had of who he is. He calls this process "identity formation" and unpacks it in chapter one, where he dives deep into the complex and multifaceted nature of identity. He challenges the dominant view of identity as something we discover out there, rather than something we actively form based on what we choose to believe about who we are. He submits that the key to becoming who God destined you to be is ensuring that the influence of your environment and experiences on what you believe about yourself has to pass through the filter of the Word of God.

Dr Ndaba acknowledges that there are various forces, other than one's idea of who they are, that have implications for living a purpose-driven life. He discusses these in chapter two, where he distinguishes between external motivational forces (envy, pressure, and motivation) and intrinsic motivational forces (inspiration and passion). In this chapter, readers learn that longevity in the pursuit of purpose is largely determined by which of these forces pushes them. The core message of this chapter can be summed up in this one line: "motivation can get you started, but it is passion that will keep you going." While he emphasizes the power of passion in the pursuit of purpose, he also warns that passion can be hijacked by the enemy for the advancement of his evil agendas. This necessitates that passion be subjected to the authority of God and only yielded to when it leads to the path of purpose.

Both identity formation and yielding to the push of passion require a shift in what happens between a person's two ears. This idea is explored in chapter three, where Dr Ndaba looks at the baby elephant syndrome and the power of a changed mind. In this chapter, he asks hard questions about what individuals think and say about themselves to challenge readers to think about their thoughts and how those thoughts shape what they believe about themselves and how they show up in the world. He demonstrates, through the story of Hannah Scott, the endless possibilities of transformation when one changes what they feed their mind. This is God's desire for all of us, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is what enables people to live on purpose.

In chapter four, he dives into the core message of this book- the idea that we should wait for our soon-coming King in pursuit of purpose, instead of idleness. Jesus' instruction for us is to "occupy" until He comes. In this chapter, Dr Ndaba unpacks the concept of purpose and helps readers understand how to discover it. He further breaks it down into what he calls seasonal assignments in chapter five, because the purpose of God is not always revealed in its complete form. Instead, it is revealed in the form of seasonal assignments. Like different pieces of a picture puzzle, in the end these assignments all add up to the ultimate purpose God has for us.

"Where do I even start?" readers may ask. He addresses this question in chapter six by drawing on what has made it easier for him to RISE to the challenge of living a life of purpose and carrying out the assignments the Lord sets before him, albeit not always as promptly as he should. He concludes this chapter by encouraging readers not to get weary of doing good because their pursuit of purpose may not be praised and appreciated by those who benefit from it. Their praise and reward will come from God who has set the assignment before them.

Having explained how and where to start, he then moves on to what it takes to stay moving. This is important because starting does not mean the assignment is complete. Staying in motion is what will lead to the completion of the assignment. In chapter seven, therefore, he gives readers some guiding principles to help them stay in motion until they complete the assignment the Lord has set before them. He calls these the laws of motion, borrowing from the work of Isaac Newton, the English mathematician and physicist. While encouraging readers to stay moving, he also challenges them to regularly take a step back and see how far they've come and how much ground they've covered. Sometimes moving forward means looking or even taking a step back to see if you are still on the right path and direction. With the complexity of life today and the excitement that comes with success, people can easily get off the course God has set them on if they are not careful to constantly check if they are still aligned.

He concludes the book with the idea of "grace for endurance" because he knows the adventurous journey of purpose is not without hardship. The enemy, the devil, uses everything in his limited powers to attack, derail, and disgruntle those who have stepped into the journey of God's purpose for their lives. In this last chapter, Dr Ndaba reminds readers that in the midst of it all, God will help them to overcome whatever adversity the enemy brings their way. God always provides enough grace to help his people endure whatever adversity they experience. Dr Ndaba, therefore, urges readers not to let the enemy convince them otherwise. He invites readers to step into this adventurous journey of purpose because King Jesus said, "Occupy!"

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