"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jer 29:11 NKJV)
Have
you ever felt such a burden or passion in your heart to do something? It may be
something you don’t feel that your capable of doing. It actually may scare you
to death thinking of doing it. But, if it is such a passion that burns within
you, then maybe it came from God. He may have put that passion in you so you
will do something about it.
There
are several ways we can serve our Lord. So, many ways that we may not even
think of it in a way as serving the Lord. I take out trash at a church as my
job, but there have been many many times while I’m doing my job, I get the
opportunity to be a blessing to someone just listening to their struggles of
what they are going through. Whether it is cleaning a bathroom, taking out trash
or counseling someone, the call to serve is there.
Let’s
say you have this tremendous burden on your heart to speak to many people about
your testimony or to teach to a large congregation, but you stutter when you
speak or stumble over your words. What about counseling someone to make right
choices in their life, but you have no training? Or what if your noticing the
corruption of a community or even a church body and you feel such a burning
desire to proclaim God’s truth to them in hopes they repent, but you have a
fear-of-man (timid and scared of confrontation from others)?
Well,
let’s look at a particular fisherman who had a rough life living out of a boat
that reeked of fish most of the time. He would always speak before thinking,
putting his foot in his mouth, sort of speak. His name was Peter and He brought
3,000 people to the Lord in one sermon which started the church!
What
about if you are a person who has murdered someone out of anger and you had a
speech problem, but you were called to lead, judge, and pastor thousands and
thousands of people to start a nation? That was Moses’s calling and he
struggled with anger. He thought he was of no use to God.
See,
if God is calling you, don’t get hung up on all the details and get concerned
if you qualify for the job because that’s just it, you don’t qualify for the
job. That’s right! You in your own strength have no business taking on such a
task. But if you are called by God, then you will be anointed by the Holy
Spirit which will equip you to go after that call and do what He wants and to
finish well! You can take bible classes and go to seminary which is a good
thing and will help you but all you really need is the anointing from God.
The
word anointing means to have a consecration to a particular service. If God is
calling you to do something with that passion, then He will equip you. You
don’t need to be qualified! Isn’t that a wonderful thing? Obey the calling and
do it to the best of your ability and leave the results up to Him.
When
I was about 10 years old, I went through some extremely hard times full of
depression and suicidal thoughts. I asked the Lord why I was going through all
of this. The answer to that question didn’t come but about 3 years ago (approximately
30 years later) after I went on a mission trip to Mexico. I went on that trip
with the prayer that God would not let me leave that country until He did
something major in me. He started to reveal in me why I went through such hard
times as a kid.
He
told me that He wants me to minister and council people who struggle with
addictions and depressions and mental issues. He gave that to me as a gift when I was a kid so I
would have compassion on those people. That is my anointing! That was my
schooling. Now that I know the answer to their problems which is Jesus Christ,
I can share with them truth with compassion!
What
is God calling you to do? What are your passions? What are your burdens? Ask
the Lord to reveal to you what they are. Whatever your calling is, I promise you
that showing and doing mercy for people is mixed in with that calling.
-Doug
McGowan
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