ARE YOU CALLED OF GOD INTO MINISTRY?

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him...” (2 Chronicles 16:9 ESV)

Are you called of God into ministry?  Are you following the Call of God in your life? Are you realizing the potential of the purpose for which you were created? The scriptures tell us that God is searching for people that He can use and fulfill His mission on earth.  Is it possible that person could be you?

To help us understand this - let's look at the calling of a man named Saul from 1 Samuel 9 (Thoughts gleaned from a sermon by Mark Hiehle)

UNDERSTANDING THE CALL OF GOD ON YOUR LIFE

1 Samuel 9:1-7 unfolds to us that Saul, the son of Kish had been sent to recover donkeys that had wandered away from home.  It was during this journey to find the lost donkeys that The Lord intervenes into the everyday mundane life of Saul to place a call upon him. Notice:

1. God Uses Ordinary People And he Calls Them In The Midst Of The Ordinary Duties Of Life

It was during the mundane, non glamorous task of donkey duty that God invaded Saul’s life and set him on a path of divine design. The same is or will be true for you. It will be during the regular everyday of living that you will be called to undertake a God ordained mission.

Therefore, don’t become discouraged if you are in the midst of what you might consider donkey duty, but seek the Lord in the middle of your present tasks for His direction and leading.

2. God Moves Ahead Of Us, Setting The Stage, Preparing The Way

In verse 15 of chapter 9, we are told that the day before Saul was to meet Samuel the Prophet, the Lord had spoken to Samuel and revealed His plan concerning Saul. In the same way, the Lord is working even now with you in mind. It could be that an answer to prayer has not arrived because the time is not yet right, or the pieces of the divine puzzle have not yet been fully assembled. God’s timing is always perfect – never early and never late.

3. God Starts With A Vision And A Dream

It is fascinating to understand that as God is preparing to call us to take part in His plan; He first plants a dream into our heart and mind. Samuel told Saul that before he would let him return home, in the morning, “I will tell you all that is in your heart.” Before God harvests, he first plants a seed. The same is true in us. Has God given you a dream? Before a clear clarion call is realized, a whisper of a dream and vision is imagined in the heart. The vision becomes like a prairie fire that can not be contained. The spark that ignited the blaze however started in one person’s heart and mind. Is God speaking to you?

Has He given you a vision – a call to follow? His desire is that you will embrace that call, follow His lead and share the dream. In turn, He will open new doors and confirm His call to you.

4. God Will Confirm Your Call

When the Lord gives a call, He will also confirm that call in order for you to be encouraged. Think of all those in scripture that the Lord gave a call to and then continued to encourage them in that call. Examples would include, Moses, Jeremiah, David, Mary, the Disciples, and Paul. With each of them the Lord reaffirmed their call and He brought others along side them to stand with them and encourage them in their call.

Here too, the Lord confirmed His call to Saul in 1 Samuel 10:1-5. The call was confirmed in order for Saul to know that the call was real. As Saul followed the call, the Lord then changed him as well.

5. God Will Anoint You And Fulfill His Call

The key to success in fulfilling the call that the Lord gives is not found in your ability, gifts or talents, but God’s Spirit at work through you. In order for us to be effective for God’s service, we must be changed. That change only comes by the Lord’s touch on our lives.

In other words, we need Gods anointing because without it we will be powerless. It is the anointing that makes the difference. Once we are anointed, the Spirit of God will not only lead and guide us, but we will witness His hand going before us to open doors, breakdown strongholds and skillfully use us with power and effectiveness.

This is what took place with Saul in verse 9. It is important to also note that sometimes, it will still take time for the full promise of God to be realized. Saul was instructed in verse 8 to wait even though the promise was given. We too need to hold onto the dream while patiently waiting for the doors to open and the timing to be right. Even though Abraham was not perfect, he held onto the promise of a child and believed God would be faithful even in the midst of overwhelming odds.

6. There Will Be Opposition To The Call

Despite the working of God in Saul’s life, there was opposition to the call on his life, just as there will be for us too. Whenever a light is turned on in the dark, bugs are also drawn to the light. As Saul was swept along by the Spirit, scoffers ridiculed his transformation in verses 11-12.

There will be those who will listen to your God given dream and seek to kill that vision. They will be skeptical of the call and try to get you to give up the dream. When this happens, do not do what Saul did in verses 14-16 by not taking ownership of the call. Continue to speak of the dream and share your passion to follow it. If you do not, you will allow the opposition to intimidate you and then the thoughts of your past will paralyze you. The feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness will overwhelm you and you will run from your call.

For Saul, it was seen played out as he was found hiding among the baggage when it came time to answer the call publicly. When you have a call on your life, how can you follow that call in the midst of opposition?

7. Following The Call

As you desire to experience and embrace God’s call, follow these principles of scripture and “Go All Out.”

First, in 10:6 – Allow the call to change you. Wait for God’s timing and His anointing just as the disciples waited for the day of Pentecost. Once the anointing came, God’s power was evident and unstoppable.

Second, in 10:7 – Let the Lord Lead you. When you are following the call, the promise is that God will be with you, so be creative, bold and aggressive. Take steps of faith and be willing to risk it all as you pursue the dream. You will be amazed at the doors the Lord will open and the opportunities that will become available.

Thirdly, Leave the baggage. Leave the baggage of your past that weighs you down behind. It is a new day and the old you is gone. You are where you are for such a time as this, so learn from your past and move ahead with confidence in God’s forgiveness, power and provision. Go “ALL” out in following the call for no one can answer that call but you.