RECOGNIZING THE CALLING

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“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

Ephesians 1:4

The fact that we were chosen by God, among millions of people on Earth to continue His work, should ignite in us a deep and unshakable commitment to Him. The Lord could have chosen someone else, but He chose you, so do God’s work without fear.

Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is one of the essential ingredients that we need, in order to hear and respond to the calling of God. We are aware that we are not in ministry because of our gifts, talents or abilities, but because of the grace of God upon us. “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7). It is fundamental to have complete certainty that God called us into ministry. Therefore, we must have the right motivation in order to persevere, since it would be useless to try to do a supernatural work based on a natural attitude and motivation. We know that God equips and supports those who He calls. However, on some occasions, He must lead some of us through the valley of brokenness so that our spiritual ears may be opened and we can hear the voice of the Lord calling us into His service. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Brokenness teaches us to depend completely on God permanently. This is reflected in what we talk about, what we teach, what we pray about, what we dream about, what we embark upon, and on the people we lead.

The Lord has a mission assigned for your life. It’s like when He told Ezekiel, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30). Be faithful to your divine calling, because the eyes of God are fixed upon you.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“When God has a specific calling for us to serve Him, He often allows us to go through difficult situations until we recognize Him as the only fountain of salvation.” This is how Benedicto began his testimony. “While the profits from my business grew, my heart moved further away from God. I thought the money I had made would last forever and that I could manage my life according to what I thought was best. I carried the burden of two marriages destroyed by alcohol, lack of love and indifference. Suddenly, something within me began to change and I had to face bankruptcy. In a matter of weeks all that I had worked for, and put time and effort into, began to fall apart. God used this to get my attention and bring me close to Him. At that moment I knew in my heart that He was calling me to serve Him. I went through the process of an encounter and discipleship, and this brought me into the things of God. It was then that the direction of the great battle within me started to shift. I knew that He had called me, but at the same time I felt a strong pull towards what the world had to offer. I went back to my old lifestyle and I dedicated myself to rebuilding my business. But because God’s calling is irrevocable, my wife, a wise woman who is led by the Holy Spirit, committed herself to God and began to work in the ministry without me. A short time after that, the doctors diagnosed me with an illness. This was the final thing that made me turn towards God and accept His calling into ministry, – and shortly after that I received healing for this illness. Everything seemed to be going well, until one of my daughters was killed in a car accident. This situation changed my life as I saw the restoring and healing power of God. His hand on my life was the very thing I needed to help me go through and overcome such a difficult time. All that happened in my life brought about spiritual maturity and complete dependence on Him. I understood that God leads us from triumph to triumph and from victory to victory.

After my initial healing, the doctors discovered cancerous cells in my right eye. The Lord has allowed me to go through a new process of medical diagnosis that confirmed it was cancer and that there was nothing left to do. However, for those who love God, all things work together for good. I have been able to see His healing power once again, which has led me and my entire family to grow in faith.” (Pastor Benedicto Fandiño).

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“God looked for me and found me, He called me and I obeyed, He anointed me and I received Him.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 15-16; Psalms 130-131
    • New Testament: Luke 8:40-56; Colossians 3:15-25

RECOGNIZING THE CALLING