Testing God’s call

This message will be an eye-opener to them and others as it sheds light on how you may be sure of a divine call.
Growth in intensity
One wise man of God said that you may know the heavenly call when it grows in intensity. If there is an impression welling up in your soul that you suspect to be God’ call, then pray over it, act on it so far as possible following in the direction in which it leads. And as you lift up your soul before God that impression will wax or wane. If it wanes at all, abandon it. But if it waxes, follow it despite all attempts from hell to stop you.
Confirming witness
In most cases the wise and experienced godly leaders and friends can quickly perceive and confirm God’s call upon the young and inexperienced. You will do well to heed their wise advice. If they advise you to wait, then wait. But if they advise you to obey God’s call, then obey it. The aged Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child Samuel and he gave him good advice on how to respond properly to the heavenly call.
Dreams and visions
Repeated strong dreams and visions concerning God’s work may be suggestive of God’s call into the ministry. Scriptures confirm that God can reveal His call to people through dreams and visions. For instance Numbers 12:6 bares it all, “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” However, interpretation and confirmation should always be sought from the spiritually mature.
Gifts and circumstantial drift
Discover your most compelling gifts. Do you have a strong passion to preach and teach the Word of God to others? Does your heart go out to the lost souls? Are you moved with compassion when you see the sick and afflicted? Do you love people and use your means to help them? If yes, then God may be calling you to serve Him. Watch carefully the direction your circumstances are going; if you are fast losing interest in your secular job, though well paying or satisfactory, and necessity is laid upon you to be doing your heavenly Father’s will, then be ready to go as His labourer into His harvest field. However, frustration and unemployment may not be the best leads into God’s work.
Comfort
Scrutinise what you think is a call from God and see if it induces you to leave the comfort zone and step into the unfamiliar and the unknown. Without exception, the call of God is always out of the comfortable boat into the troubled waters. God does not call us to easy tasks but to risky tasks.
The call of God is for those who dare; that is why many are called but few are chosen. Jonah was called to a nation that made him so uncomfortable that he decided to flee to a more comfortable place. Four of Jesus’ first twelve disciples were called from being comfortable professional fishermen to being unsalaried fishers of men.
Matthew left the lucrative job of collecting tax to join Jesus’ workmen who depended on offerings for a living. In his call Paul was shown how much he would suffer for Christ’s sake. Abraham was called to leave all his familiar surroundings and head towards to the unknown.
If a comfortable life is your spirit level that measures the genuineness of God’s call upon your life then forget about the ministry. Try the business world. This is not to say that the work of ministry has no monetary benefits and material gain. Peter asked if they were entitled to such rewards and Jesus stated that the earthly rewards would be hundred-fold and eternal life in heaven.
 Please note that it is not the call into ministry that brings a lot of cash or material blessings but rather it is obedient response to God’s word especially that which has to do with giving towards God’s work. You prosper according to the revelation that you have regardless of whether you are shepherd or sheep.
Do not go into the ministry for money; but if you are a faithful minister, money can be one of the signs and wonders that follow you.    
Qualification
Secular or even sacred qualifications are not the standards of the heavenly call. In fact God will strip you of all dependence on worldly and human advantage if they make you proud. He values obedient faith so much that he does not call the qualified but qualifies the called. Qualification will only be an added advantage to the humble in spirit.
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