"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
~ Isaiah 6:5-8
I recently had the blessing of getting my hands on a book that I highly recommend for anyone who feels the tugging on their heart for living a life dedicated to “Gods’ Ministry”. Hooper’s Evangelist & Ministers Handbook by Debora C. Hooper: Xulon Press. In chapter two titled the Qualifications of an Evangelist; Dr. Hooper speaks on the topic of, “Calling from God”. She says, “First and foremost to be a minister of the Word in any capacity, one must experience a call.” She references Acts 6:4 which talks about the call to exercising a particular ministry gift. She goes on to say that “God somehow makes the call known and the individual will know that they know it. Bishop Howard Tillman has been quoted in her book as saying, “To know that God has called you and exactly what he has called you to, is everything!
Now my dear sisters, (and to the brothers that may read this also) don’t go until you know!
When we think we are getting busy for the Lord or doing the Lords work we must be very careful to know whether this work, albeit honorable, is what God would have us do and also take into account if it is Gods timing for the work! Pray the question and await an answer, “Is God sending me or am I just doing this because of me”. This is not always a clear and obvious thing. Sometimes it’s not until we have already started a thing that we realize it’s not for us to do. This is why so many of our endeavors become laborious projects or drudgery, lacking the anointing of God thereby giving absolutely no joy. Hear me saints, when working for the uplifting of Gods Kingdom, it is hard and can be draining but, “The Anointing Makes the Difference” and there will be no shortage of joy. God may, through his grace allow a thing to achieve a desired goal through His permissive will and He can because He is Sovereign. But, how beautiful to be in His Devine will. When Isaiah heard from the Lord, there was no mistaken who was speaking and the charge which was given. At that point, it was no longer about his short coming, his sins; it was about doing for God through the power of God.
A simple prayer:
Lord, as I seek to do your will in my life, help me to have the spirit of discernment to recognize what is of you and what is of me. Help me father to stay clear of selfish gain: Where you send me father I want to go. I am but a sheep whose desire is to please my shepherd. Give me the power to do whatever you call me to do for I know the anointing makes the difference. I love you.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Posted By: The SISTAHS Ministry
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 2:12PM
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