Each person that God calls, He calls for a purpose. God is not subject to times or circumstances. So, if He has called you then He has already gathered the provisions for you. Neither man nor virus can stop the will of God.
You may say, all around me are problems that seem to block God’s call upon my life. What am I to do? Recall what God said to Moses:
The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” – Exodus 4:2
Stop and look at what God has placed in your hands. God placed a staff in the hand of Moses to overcome an insurmountable obstacle (Exodus 14:16). God put a horn of oil in the hand of Samuel (1 Samuel 16:13) to anoint Israel’s new king while King Saul was still on the throne. And God put Elijah’s cloak in the hands of Elisha (2 Kings 2:14) while a group of prophets watched him to see if God was really with him. So, pray, ask God what He has placed in your hands? Ask Him to anoint your gift as He anointed the gifts given to Moses, Samuel, and Elisha. God will make a way for you where there is no way.
No doubt, many of us are familiar with Isaiah 42:8 (ESV) – “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” We know that where God guides, He provides. Many of us know the testimonies of Andraé Crouch, who God instantly gave the ability to play piano for his dad’s church and that God also, instantly, gave the gift for playing the piano to Annie Herring (2nd Chapter of Acts). But those people are the exceptions.
The Responsibility Rests on You
God usually puts the responsibility squarely on us to act in faith and develop the qualifications we need to meet the call He places upon us. That’s the reason for Christian universities, seminaries, medical schools, and such. God places His call upon us, but He typically requires us to acquire the qualifications. We see qualifications recognized in Christ’s parable of the talents.
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” – Matthew 25:14-15 (ESV)
The servants didn’t get the same opportunity or responsibility but were given “according to his ability.” Ability implies talent, training, and time, otherwise known as qualifications. We are not born with skills. God gives talent, but skill is talent that has been refined and perfected over time. As God’s Word states in 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV): “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” By saying “do your best,” the Holy Spirit shows us that our effort is measured by God.
Making it Personal
Even while you are preparing for God’s purpose for you, there is no substitute for spending time with Him. Praying to the Father in the name of Jesus under the unction of the Holy Spirit is the only way for you to journey from talent to the skill that God has called you to. Don’t believe anyone that tells you that there is a shortcut.
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
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