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You are accepted in Christ, and not rejected. For, God has deliberately and specifically called you, chosen you and appointed you, even before you were in your mother’s womb. It is the magnificent nature of your calling; one that is revealed to you, as you come to know and do God’s will for your life. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; May your good Spirit lead me on level ground. [Psalm 143:10] It is the prayer of David; and, it is to be led on righteous paths, is how another version of the verse puts it across. And, as the prophet Isaiah has said, it all happens through the instruction and training of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, when you are a child of God, and His anointing that comes upon you. [Isaiah 28:26] The God who has called you, also enables you to walk in your calling.
The call of Moses:
For, the life of Moses, displays very vividly, how the Loving and Almighty God, never leaves you and I helpless, when we stand fearful and feel inadequate in ourselves, in fulfilling His call upon our lives, whatever maybe it’s scope or nature. Moses’s initial conversation with God, even as he was called to lead the people of Israel out of their cruel bondage in Egypt, was not that of a future leader of such great stature, that he was eventually going to be. And that breathes hope and encouragement, in your heart and mine! ‘Who am I, Lord’, ‘I do not know Your Name, Lord’, ‘They will not listen to me, Lord’, reflected his sense of inferiority and inadequacy, his ignorance concerning the nature of the Almighty God, and what God could do, for he had a dark history in dealing with the people whom he was being called to lead. They were the hindrances within Moses, as stumbling blocks in his mind, in the path of his calling. [Exodus chapter 3&4]
They were also the doubts, that he voiced forth to God. And, it also has to be said, that they were quite understandable if one was operating according to the pattern of the world, for it goes strictly by your natural and human strengths and weaknesses, in judging your capability and adequacy. And Moses, after forty years in the wilderness, hearing only the bleating of the sheep that he was tending, felt and also knew that his communication skills when it came to people, left a lot to be desired. In his own words, humanly speaking, on analyzing his own strengths, he was slow of speech and tongue tied, and words that he spoke only ended up being tangled and misleading.
You and I can have our own reasons too, valid maybe from the world’s point of view, in shying away from what God has called us to be and do, deeming it all to be way above what we consider to be what we are capable of. And it is why the very honest excuses of Moses, can speak into your heart very powerfully, to touch an empathetic chord in you. And more importantly, the understanding manner in which God dealt with it all, by turning the focus of Moses upon Himself, can speak volumes of love and assurance into every fearful heart, and even into yours and mine. For, He is the same unchanging God even today; and just as He spoke unto Moses, He is always with you, always unchanging in His nature, faithful and good, and always helpful.
It saw the beginning of a great transformation in Moses, as he yielded to the call of God in humble submission, to rise up ultimately as the towering leader that God had chosen and called him to be. It is true even in your life, concerning the call of God upon you. It may seem staggeringly high, but He will show you that it is all about His adequacy and His power.
A black dot on a white board!
It is what the world that analyses it all in two compartments of strength and weaknesses can do in you. Any aspect of your personality that is seemingly negative, can be what it focuses upon, resulting in a loss of confidence in you, in that area of your life. A picture of it would be, how a tiny black dot on a big board that is white, and clean, immediately draws your attention to it. And you end up missing the fact, that the board still has a very large area that is white. Moses, as his conversation with God began, was aware of his weakness in the area of speech. It was what he in all human frailty pointed out to God. But God even in your life, never brushes aside your honest fears and doubts, when you bring it to Him. For, He knows about it all; He knows you, much more than you yourself do in fact; for He is your Creator!
To Moses therefore, His answer was that He would help him in his perceived area of weakness, also pointing out the reason why no one could help him more than what He could. And, His offer of help, still stands, to flow into every person who comes to Him, the promise of His ever abiding presence, that can strengthen, as nothing else can. So the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall say’. [Exodus 4:11,12]
The difference with God:
It highlights a very vital difference; God is aware of your perceived shortcomings; but He still persists, in helping you to deal with it and move forward. It is His call upon your life, that is paramount in His sight. He has chosen you, and for a specific purpose, and His purposes can never be thwarted. The world on the other hand, will counsel you to concentrate and pursue your strong points, your areas of strength in order to rise up in life. And digging deeper, you will also find, that the underlying motive in the pursuit of most people of the world would be how rewarding it all would be in financial terms. Thus with the world, life’s goal is more often than not, a pursuit of cash. But from God’s perspective, it needs to be a pursuit of His call upon your life. It is how He leads you on level ground. It is in doing His will for your life, His will, that is good, pleasurable and perfect. The apostle Peter connects and establishes the truth, to also therefore, pinpoint the assurance that needs to be in you.
Making your calling and election sure:
Therefore brethren, be even more diligent, to make your call and election sure, for if you do those things, you will never stumble. [2 Peter 1:10] You will never falter, seems to be a very powerful, sweeping and overwhelming promise of God, which of course can never fail to come to pass, for God is not a man that He should lie. It will not fail, because the call of God, is also the enabling of God. For, what He has called you to be, and do, He also equips you. It is the wondrous truth of God’s anointing that comes upon you and in you; one that enables you.
Anointing – the spiritual understanding:
A picture of it in the scriptures, in general terms, is as the psalmist has described, the oil being poured upon Aaron, the high priest, running down his beard, and running down on the edge of his garments. [Psalm 133:2,3] A spiritual understanding of it though, comes through, on studying the anointing of David, by the prophet Samuel, who was sent expressly by God to do the very thing, what was in fact according to the cultural and societal norms of the day, from a worldly point of view, entirely ground breaking, and a new thing orchestrated by God. [1 Samuel 16:13] For, it was for a very specific purpose; David was anointed to be the next king of God’s people.
And from that time onwards the Spirit of God rested upon David. But in worldly terms, he did not quite fit the bill. His strengths did not match up, for he was a young shepherd boy, who was not the first born, neither was he tall in stature, as the previous king, Saul, was. But God pointed out to Samuel, that He looks at the heart of a person, and not at his outward appearance. And the anointing of God upon David was the enabling to be the king that he was called to be. Anointing, in short, is God’s enabling to do God’s work. And it remains true even this day. You have been called by God; and to do what He has called you to do, He has anointed you. Unfortunately, in Christian circles today, the term ‘anointing’, has come to be restricted to what is connected to church worship, like preaching, singing, and other church related activities, and ministries. But it is not necessarily so is what is seen in the Bible.
For, in Joseph was the Spirit of God, as the pharaoh himself recognized, to lift up Joseph to a high position, as an anointed administrator. It was the same in the case of Daniel, who was anointed by God to serve with integrity, and governing ably, in a foreign land, where in fact God’s people were in captivity and exile. Nehemiah, who was called by God to rebuild the ruined walls of Jerusalem, was an anointed leader, enabled to motivate a group of discouraged people, returning from exile, weak kneed and badly demoralized, to rise up and build, for the Lord was with them.
Today, God could have called you to be a teacher, a doctor, an engineer, or a technician, a builder, an administrator, a housewife etc., to name just a few. He is a creative God, who has blessed humanity with varied skills and talents. You are therefore, not an ordinary person, but called and anointed by Him, for an unique and special purpose. When you are called by God to be a housewife, you are an anointed housewife, instilling faith in your children. It is what the apostle Paul commends Timothy’s mother and grandmother for. As a father, you are an anointed father in your home, a prophet and priest, to build up your home in the most holy faith. To make your calling and election sure is the counsel of God’s word therefore, in order to be led on the righteous path of His will for your life.
The timing and the reason for your calling:
It was not after an interview with Him; for God knew you, even before you knew yourself! Rather, it is the truth of the prophet Jeremiah’s words that is yours too, to embrace and affirm within yourself. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nations’. [Jeremiah 1:2] You were born because you were called by God! It is the magnificent truth that can truly overwhelm you and liberate you. And the reason behind it all, is expressed in Paul’s words to the Romans.
It is so that you may not follow the pattern of the world, but with a renewal of your mind through His word, come to know God’s good and perfect will for your life, to walk in it. [Romans 12:2] For the pattern of the world around you, would dictate you to focus on yourself, on your perceived strengths and weaknesses, to negotiate a climb up the social ladder; and is in essence nothing but a survival of the fittest. God’s call on you, on the other hand, is all about Him, and His grace towards you. For, to accomplish His calling, you could be unable, but God is able, and therefore you are enabled.
1. Adequacy from God:
Living today in the fullness of the victorious Cross, by your faith in Christ, you are also a minister of the new covenant, to be able to affirm the words of the apostle Paul, Not that we are sufficient in ourselves, to think of anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. [2 Corinthians 3:5] Your adequacy to do what God has called you to do is from Him.
For, when it comes to God’s call, it is very patently obvious, that no one in his own effort and piety is fit to be called by God. There is none righteous, but all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God is the truth of God’s word, echoed by the words of the psalmist who says, ‘Lord, if you marked our transgressions; who can stand before You?’ It is God who makes you righteous, as you put your trust in Him, and you are then able to do what is right. For, apart from Him, all your righteous acts are as filthy rags. Your adequacy, and your enabling is solely from God. For, we all stand before God’s holy throne, only because our transgressions have been taken away by Christ on Calvary, and forgiveness of sins is ours, as we put our trust in Him, in His righteousness alone.
Called, justified & glorified:
You are called by God, to be justified, or made righteous, and to be ultimately glorified. It is a step by step process, and the God who begins will surely and certainly carry it through to completion, to be glorified, which is a manifestation of God’s power in and through you, in ways He chooses to express it. Thus focusing on the call of God, will remove from you the heavy yoke of self focus, that leads to a false sense of inferiority, or superiority, that can come, as you depend, on your human and natural strengths and weaknesses, and you will move on, to feel light and free in the adequacy and enabling of God’s anointing.
Christian life, and your calling, is as Paul says, a laying aside of your own self. You no longer live, but Christ lives in you. And, the life you now live in the body, is by faith in the Son of God. A faith that is in you, to know that you can do all things, through Christ who strengthens you.
Your pursuit in life:
Pursuing financial gratification or cash will finally lead you to a sober and painful emptiness, as you realize that it is not what you were looking for, at all. But in pursuing the call of God upon your life you will be able to say at the end of it all, as eternity draws near, like Paul, ‘I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; and now is laid up for me a crown of righteousness’. And your adequacy is from God, when it comes to fulfilling the call of God, and also your power.
2. Power from God:
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, and not of us. [2 Corinthians 4:7] Power comes to you from God, who has caused the light of the knowledge of His glory to shine in your hearts in the face of Jesus Christ. It is the treasure in you, in the frailty of your human flesh, that is like an earthen vessel, a jar of clay which is fragile and easily breakable, and is ultimately of value, only because of what it contains within it. What is happening right now all over the world, when the powerful and the weak, are quaking with fear and suspicion, over a small virus that can spread immense harm, displays very well, how limited and weak, is the man who may be strong physically, and in all other respects. It is the righteous who are safe, finding refuge and protection in the Name of the Lord, trusting in His Name that is Jehovah Jireh, and Jehovah Rapha, the One who heals you, and above all, the Name of Jesus, that saves you from your sins.
Name above all names:
There is power in the Name of Jesus, when you put your trust and faith in it to bring health and healing, make you whole and well. It is why, Peter, was able to confidently say to the lame man, ‘In the Name of Jesus, rise up and walk’, and testify to the people who were watching in amazement, ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? And why do you look at us so intently, as though by our own power and godliness, we had made this man walk ? And His Name, through faith in His Name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith that comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness, in the presence of you all’. [Acts 3:12,16]
How does faith come in you?
Faith comes by hearing the word of God, and validates it’s presence and power in you, through your confession of it in your circumstance, and action that is in alignment to your confession. And it is through faith that what is of God comes to you. It is like the small fuse wire, that brings electric power into your home, by serving as the connection, with the electric cable and transformer on the road, that transmits the power supply, all the way from the power station that generates electricity. Faith is not the source, but is the channel through which God’s power comes to you. And, a lack of it, or faith that is little, need not hinder or discourage you, for all you need to do is to fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith. And when you turn to the Lord in trust and faith, He is the God who is always helpful.
There is none like Him to help:
Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, ‘ Lord there is none like you, to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us O Lord, for we rely on You, and in Your Name we have come against this vast army. Lord, You are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against us’. [2 Chronicles 14:11] It was a cry for help, and a confession of faith that the Lord heard and answered with a display of His great power, the power with which He is able to help even today. It is an easy thing for Him to help you no matter what your challenge is, whether big or small, and, whether you are strong or weak, when it comes to standing against it. Mere mortals can never prevail against the God of heaven and earth!
It is an easy thing for Him to help:
He speaks to you in what is troubling you today, that in your difficult situation, it is an easy thing for Him to protect you, and keep you under His wings, safe and secure. He can save you by many or by just a few. It was what Jonathan confidently spoke to his armor bearer, as they set out to survey what was against them. ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us; for nothing constrains the Lord from saving us, by many or by few’. [1 Samuel 14:6]
HE calls things into being:
When people went to God with their problems, He always helped them. And there were the times when through the prophets, just as Elijah helped the widow at Zarephath, and the Lord Himself, used the little that was available. It saw the five loaves and two fishes, multiplied miraculously, to help meet a need that seemed impossible to be met sufficiently, let alone have twelve baskets left over. But, it is how God can help you in your need.
More than it all, He is the God who calls things that are not, into being. [Romans 4: 17] And, it is how He helps you even when you have nothing in your hand. His arm is stretched forth to save you. And to Moses, that he may execute his calling, God said that He Himself would be his voice, when Moses said that he was slow of speech, and did not have the right words to speak.
It is how the unchanging God, who has called you, helps you, in what you lack, the strengths that you do not possess. In fact, if what you are doing is something that comes from your own natural ability and strength, then it nothing but the pattern of the world. For, consider your calling, the apostle Paul writes, to elaborate upon it, driving home an invaluable truth.
God has chosen you deliberately:
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world, to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame those things that are mighty, and the base things of the world, the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are … [1 Corinthians 1:27,28]
God deliberately chose the weak and insignificant things of the world to show that that what they are called to accomplish is not in them, but of Him. You may reckon yourself to be insignificant in the grand scheme of life in general. But, you only need to reconsider to think how, out of the billions in the world, God has deliberately chosen you, to deliberately demonstrate His power in and through you. For, as Paul goes on to say, it is so that , No flesh may glory in His presence, That as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’. [vs 29,31] And what a glorious privilege it is, in your life and mine, to render praise and glory unto Him, with a thankful heart. It is what you can do, when you accomplish something, and know in your heart with absolute certainty, that it is the Lord’s doing. It will indeed be marvelous in your eyes!
To God alone be the glory:
God is glorified in your life, as He accomplishes in you, all by His amazing grace, and His anointing, what you cannot do in your own strength, by using your own strength! It is the blessing of staying willing and yielded in His hands, for what is very difficult for you, in your own strength and capacity, is very easy for Him to accomplish. Nothing is too difficult for Him. His arm is not shortened to save. Moses had many doubts, fears and insecurity, looking at his own weaknesses. But God, the Great I AM, dealt with it all, saying that He would be with Moses to help him, that He would be his voice, in addressing the enemy. And He is the same God even today, whose blessed assurance to you is that, He is with you to help you.
Whether you are one who has strength, or find yourself without any strength, it is easy for Him to help you. It was easy for the Lord to help the man lying by the pool of Bethesda, being unable to walk for thirty eight years. And it was easy for him to call a dead Lazarus, out of the tomb, after having been dead for four days. It is easy for Him to make dry bones live, bring to life, all that has been dead and without hope in your life.
All that matters, is the awesome and magnificent truth that you have been deliberately chosen and called by Him, that He may demonstrate His power in and through your life. For to do what He has called you to do, He is there to help you. And greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. You have a Majestic God, a Wonderful Savior. May the truth of your calling, and enabling that comes to you by His anointing, be written in the tablet of your heart, as you draw near to Him, with thanksgiving, that you may rule and reign in your life, for the glory of His wonderful Name.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
