It's Time!

-

 

It's Time!

Application from Sunday's message 12/29/24

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
Ephesians 4:1 (NLTSE)

Joshua 24:15 …choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

    The call to live a life worthy of God's purpose is not just for pastors or church leaders - it's for every believer. We are all called to be part of a priesthood of believers who impact the world around us.

Why Does God Call All Believers to Ministry?
    God designed each person with specific gifts and talents to fulfill His unique calling for their life. While we may feel inadequate or point to others who seem more qualified, God made you in His image with certain abilities to impact the world in ways no one else can.

What Does it Mean to Live a Life Worthy of Your Calling?
    Living worthy doesn't mean being perfect - it means being willing to do what God has called you to do to the best of your ability. Where we are weak, He is strong. When we fail, He makes up for it. The key is getting back up and continuing to run with Him.

6 Key Steps to Walking in Your Calling
1. Grow Up Spiritually
- Move beyond spiritual infancy
- Learn to share your faith effectively
- Don't be swayed by false teachings
- Speak truth in love
- Grow more like Christ daily

2. Suit Up for Battle
- Put on the full armor of God
- Pray consistently throughout each day
- Read God's Word regularly
- Worship through service and sharing faith
- Act in faith when opportunities arise

3. Rise Up with Courage
- Stand out as light in darkness
- Be bold in sharing Christ
- Don't compromise to fit in
- Trust God is with you

4. Step Up to Serve
- Discover and use your spiritual gifts
- Find ways to serve in your local church
- Let God use you outside church walls
- Be faithful with what God has given you

5. Open Up to God's Leading
- Surrender full control to Christ
- Seek God's guidance in all decisions
- Live completely for God, not the world
- Trust His plans over your own

6. Speak Up About Jesus
- Share your faith regularly
- Show Christ's love to hurting people
- Be persistent in prayer for others
- Don't give up on the lost

This week, evaluate your spiritual maturity and commitment to living out God's calling. Ask yourself:
  • Am I still drinking spiritual milk or am I ready for solid food?
  • What areas of my life need to be fully surrendered to God?
  • How can I better use my gifts to serve others?
  • Who needs to hear about Jesus from me this week?

Challenge: Choose one area where you need to "grow up" spiritually and take specific steps this week to mature in that area. This might mean establishing a daily prayer time, finding a place to serve, or sharing your faith with someone who needs to hear about Jesus.
Location: Equipped Church

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Quiet Burden of "Should"

-
Image
  The Quiet Burden of "Should" “The safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” C. S. Lewis “Orthodoxy means not thinking—not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.” George Orwell “Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” T. S. Eliot “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” Fyodor Dostoevsky “The greatest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc., is sure to be noticed.” Søren Kierkegaard      In our previous blog, The Hidden Strings: Unintended Manipulation, we explored how easy it is to slip from encouragement into something else, where our outward actions mask the disconnect inside. We wondered ...
Read more

Baal-perazim: Lord of the Breakthrough

-
Image
  Baal-perazim: Lord of the Breakthrough “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T. S. Eliot “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” Paulo Coelho “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” J. M. Barrie “Man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” Ernest Hemingway      Baal-perazim. It almost sounds like an afterthought, does it not? Something you might brush past without a second glance. But that name—tucked away in Israel’s history—carries with it a force that can shake everything we think we know. Baal-perazim. It is not exactly a name you hear tossed around at dinner parties, is it? Yet, maybe it should be. This obscure place is a pivot point, a place where God’s power crashes through our reality, turning everything on its head. David’s Flood: A ...
Read more

Overcoming Financial Struggles

-
Image
  Overcoming Financial Struggles “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.” Ecclesiastes 5:10, ESV “The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.” Anonymous “Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.” Democritus “There are people who have money and people who are rich.” Coco Chanel “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.” Charles Dickens, David Copperfield      In our previous post, Biblical Finance (Part 1): Navigating Financial Struggles with Faith and Wisdom, we explored the biblical principles for managing financial trials. Financial struggles often expose where our trust truly lies, whether in the fragile security of wealth or the eternal provision of God. Scripture calls us t...
Read more