The Baffling Call of God

There is Strength in the name of the Lord;

There is Power in the name of the Lord;

There is Hope in the name of the Lord;

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

A blessed good morning to all of you my brothers and sisters, this is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it. It is truly a blessed day today. Blessed because God is in control, Blessed because God is Love, Blessed because God is for me not against me.

You may have realised that I was not around much this past month. Sometimes God allows the Devil to test and try you for you to see where your position is spiritually. Sometimes we pass this test and sometimes we fail.

If you are one of those who passed the test before you, then Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. If on the other hand you are like me and failed then what you need to do is pick yourself up, learn, repent, seek God's face, be Obedient and submit yourself wholly under his Will. For it is not by might, nor by power but by God's Holy Spirit that we are able to withstand the whiles of the evil one.

So today my brothers and sisters I implore you, surrender yourself entirely to our Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Jesus Christ for his desire for us is everything that is Good. God Bless

Isaiah the ancient prophet wrote, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"1

Another thing I struggled with when I was a young man was how would I know if God was calling me to serve him in a full time capacity?

One of the most helpful pieces of advice I received came from Oswald Chambers who described God's call as being like "the call of the sea to the sailor. Only he who has the nature of the sea within can hear that call."

In other words, a man who is "called" to be a sailor cannot rest until he launches out to sea—the call is in his heart. And so it is with the call of God. One cannot rest until he/she steps out from the safety of the shore and launches out into what he/she believes God is calling him or her to do.

A good test is: "Are you gifted for what you believe you are being called to do?" As a general rule, although not always, friends who know you well can help you answer this question more realistically.

Another test of God's call is to try doing in a small way what you feel you are being called to do. For instance, if you feel called to be a teacher, learn a subject well and offer to teach a small class in your church. After practice you will see if you are gifted to teach or not. When I feel I'm being led to do something, I always start in a small way to put it to the test. If it fails, I know it wasn't from God. However, we may need to test our call several times because nothing that is worthwhile ever comes easily.

Be assured, however, if God has called or led you to do it, he will help you. But we need to do our part too. Once we feel assured that God is calling us, we need to be adequately trained for the work we are called to do. True, we are instruments in God's hand but it is our responsibility to make and keep the instrument sharp.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, give me the courage to put to the test what I sense you are leading me to do. I'm willing to do what you want me to do ... just make it plain to me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Isaiah 6:8 (NIV).

Credit: Daily Encounter

Seek Wise Counsel

King Solomon wrote, "Listen to wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord."1

"My wife is leaving me," one man said to me, "what can I do?" My gut response (which I kept to myself) was, "Why didn't you come to me five years sooner?"

I tried to assure this man that if he and his wife both genuinely wanted to save their marriage there were no guarantees, but with wise counsel, personal honesty, commitment, hard work and God's help, they could.

One way to keep a marriage healthy is to see and treat problem symptoms when they first appear. If these symptoms are the fruit of a deeper root, which they often are, they won't go away of themselves. The longer we leave symptoms untreated the more tenacious and embedded they become.

If there are things in your marriage or in other areas of your life that bother you, it is wise to seek competent guidance from a qualified pastor or counselor right away. Don't put it off any longer. Make that appointment you know you need to make—today.

As today's Scripture says: "Listen to wise counsel" and "trust in the Lord!"

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the courage to admit my problems, the courage to seek wise counsel, and the faith, help, courage, and determination I need to overcome them. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

NOTE: For some counseling resources go to: http://www.actsweb.org/counseling_resources.php.

1. Proverbs 22:17-19 (TLB).

Credit: Daily Encounter

Love

"There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love."1

Many years ago, when I was a youth, I read the following poem that I have never forgotten. It was written by John Oxenham: Love ever gives, forgives outlives, And ever stands with open hands, And while it lives, it gives. For this is love's prerogative – to give, and give, and give.As the Apostle Paul wrote in perhaps the greatest literary masterpiece on love ever written: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."2

Love is much more than sentiment and even a feeling. It's a commitment of one imperfect person to another. It's a choice. It's a byproduct of growth and maturity. It is a gift from God. It also needs to be learned. We learn it from loving people who know us totally—warts and all—and still love us. And we learn it from others who model it, the supreme example being the Lord Jesus.

And remember, we always need to do the loving thing—even when we don't feel loving.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, in the words of John Powell, 'Please don't let me die without having fully lived and fully loved.' Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Paul the Apostle (1 Corinthians 13:13, TLB).2. 1 Corinthians13:1-3 (NIV).