CALLING OF GOD IN OUR LIVES!
(Exo 4:2 KJV) And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
(Exo 4:17 KJV) And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
Exo 14:16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
There are three types of Christians who respond to the call of service:
1. Rowboat Christians -- have to be pushed.
2. Sailboat Christians -- always go with wind.
3. Steamboat Christians -- make up their minds where they ought to go and go there regardless of wind and weather.
I. LOOK AT MOSES, WHAT DID GOD ASK HIM?
A. What is in your hand.
1. Just a simple staff.
a. God wants to use what we have in our lives.
b. We may think it is of not much value.
c. My wife sings a song with the words, "Little is much when God is in it."
B. God did not ask Moses what do you want but what do you have.
1. God uses what we have.
C. God requires surrender in our lives before He can use what we have.
D. Then God used Moses to lead His people out of bondage.
II. The call of God can be for everyone.
Jer 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Jer 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jer 1:7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Jer 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
A. We are never too old or too young for the Call of God.
1. Moses was old, Jeremiah was young.
2. We had a woman 100 years old brought to one of our crusades in Yugoslavia and she was saved.
a. I have seen 5-year-old children saved and filled with the Spirit.
b. My wife was only 8 years old when she was saved.
c. God called Jeremiah to the impossible.
III. Gideon was called by God, when Israel was going through 7 years of lost of almost everything.
Judg 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
A. He was called a mighty man of valour.
Judg 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Judg 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
B. He was hiding from Midianites when God called him.
1. He had a simple job of threshing wheat.
2. God saw what he would become.
3. God works through His people
a. Valatina of Ukraine was a student in one of our training schools. She was middle aged when God called her. She has in the past 10 years planted 31 churches in Ukraine in villages and small towns
C. In this verse God tells us He will be with us.
Judg 6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
1. He told this to Moses, Jeremiah and Gideon.
a. He tells the same to all of us.
IV. How can we answer the Call of God in our lives?
A. Have close fellowship with the Lord!
(2 Sam 22:33 KJV) God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect.
Wherever I go--only Thou!
Wherever I stand--only
Thou! Just Thou; again Thou!
always Thou! Thou, Thou,
Thou! When things are good,
Thou! when things are bad--
Thou! Thou, Thou, Thou!
An early Hasidic song, from The Oxford Book of Prayer
B. Live in the Word of God.
(Psa 119:11 KJV) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
C. Pray in your understanding and be led by the Spirit
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
1 Cor 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
A day of prayer should answer two questions: "Who are you, Lord?" and "What shall I do?
D. Obey God, as He leads you through the Word.
(John 14:21 KJV) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
The secret of true obedience is the clear and close personal relationship to God. All our attempts after full obedience will be failures until we get access to his abiding fellowship. It is God’s holy presence consciously abiding with us that keeps us from disobeying Him. I must consciously include the Lord in every thought, activity, and conversation until the habit is established.
-- Andrew Murray
Do I really belong to Him?
Do I really recognize His right to me?
Do I respond to His authority and acknowledge His ownership?
Do I find freedom and complete fulfillment in this arrangement?
Do I sense a purpose and deep contentment because I am under His direction?
Do I know rest and repose, beside a definite sense of exciting adventure, in belonging to Him?
Before I can say He is my shepherd, I need answers to these questions.
-- Philip Keller
For more info go to www.tonyabram.com or www.abundantlifecrusades.com.
