Would you like to break out of your box? I’m encouraging—yes, even urging you—to break free from whatever boxes you’ve built around yourself or whatever boxes you’ve allowed someone else to put you in and move into the freedom of doing what God has planned for you to do.

Once you break out of the boxes keeping you from moving forward with God, it begs the question: How do you know if your passion or vision is a God-thing or not? Here are six signs that will help you:

Sign Number 1 – It won’t go away.

If God has a plan that will take you out of your comfort zone—out of some box you’re in—it will not go away. And as you pray about it (that must be step number one), it will get stronger not weaker.

Sign Number 2 – Your motivation will be to serve God and others.

God doesn’t give us passions or visions just to make us feel good about ourselves or help us achieve our personal goals. If it’s from God you will be motivated out of a love for God and for people, and it will be all about serving.

Sign Number 3 – There will be a need for it.

If God is leading you out of your box, it’s because someone needs you out of that box, doing what God has for you to do. It won’t be because you just want to do something creative or different. It will be to meet a need.

Sign Number 4 – God will open doors for you and confirm it through his Word.

If this vision is a God-thing, you won’t have to push and shove and beg and plead. You will have to be persistent, but God will open some doors for you and confirm in some ways that this is of him.

Sign Number 5 – Your spiritual leader(s) will counsel and/or encourage you.

Sign Number 6 – God will give you the right people to help you.