Following Christ
Many times when we women hear from God, we don't always believe what He said is true. He calls us to ministry in worship and we hide. And why do we hide? Because for so many years, like the pulpit ministry, it has been viewed as a role that men dominate. In the Bible Acts 10:34 says, "Then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:" Whatever God has given you to do, be obedient for He knows what you are able to accomplish for the kingdom.
You cannot deny what gifts God has placed in you from the beginning. It is not up to you to determine what course your life will take. As you live a surrendered life, your responsibility is to do what you have been called to.
We sometimes call on others to cheer us on and tell us to get out there and do it. The "cheerleaders" usually are our closest friends that will exhort us to good works. Yet even they at times are not clear as to what God has told us and may not understand our indecisiveness. It is not always for man to understand the plight of another. But one thing is clear, God does not make mistakes and He does not go back on His word. When He has spoken and you know it is a rhema word from God, no one can stop it—except maybe you.
What keeps us from walking in our calling? I can name three.
1. Fear – When we hear within our spirit what God is saying to do, we freeze! We say that it's our late night snack talking or we are just having a bad dream. The last thing we want to do is acknowledge that it truly is God speaking. If we could only learn to relax and realize that it is God that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, life would be so much easier! God has not given us a spirit of fear and if we say we love God, then that perfect love will diffuse the fear.
2. People – How do people keep us from walking in our calling? We may feel unworthy because of the past life we lived. We will wonder how God can use us with all that emotional baggage we've carried. Our friends know from whence we came! Even some people we feel are so "great" in ministry; we cringe when we think that God is calling us to do the same. It all a big lie! God would not have called you if you were not able. We already know we are not worthy. On our best days our righteousness is like filthy rags, so we need to depend on God.
3. Me, Myself, I, - You know the nouns that describes yourself! We are our worst critics and we stop ourselves from carrying out the plan of God for our lives. Stop waiting for some great thing to happen before we walk in our calling. We are too grown up in Christ to still be putting out fleeces.
Know this, when God calls you, He is just beginning a work in you. When you say yes, that's when the process begins. It is just like getting an offer for a job. Nothing happens, no training, no benefits and no paycheck until you say yes!! God is waiting for you to say yes. He then changes your heart, soul, mind and spirit. Remember all we do is an act of our will. He woos us by gently speaking in that still small voice that calls us to His side to sup with Him.
Where He leads me I will follow, where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow, I'll go with him, with him all the way!
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Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
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This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.