Now before you
jump the gun, his message was not a “salvation by works” message. Rather it was
an enlargement of James 2:17 which says, “Even so faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone.” We
must prove ourselves that we are truly serving Jesus.
The second pastor
I heard preach made the following statement: “Getting comfortable spiritually
will lead to complacency.” He said this statement was shared among some
ministers who realized that they had grown satisfied with where they were at
spiritually and had lost their passion to win people to the Lord.
Perhaps you have
grown complacent in your passion for the things of God. Or, maybe God has been
speaking to your heart about stepping into a particular area of service and
you’ve been holding back in fear of not being qualified. The first thing I’d
like to share with you is a quote I’ve heard often. “God doesn’t call the
qualified, he qualifies the called.” In
the Amplified Bibles, look at what 2 Corinthians 3:5 says. “Not that
we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal
judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and
ability and sufficiency are from God.”
We can’t do it on our own! So,
what are some things we can do to feel more prepared to step out of our comfort
zones?
Be Mentored – “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another,
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Pet 4:10
I have shared this with
you before. If you know God is speaking
to your heart to serve in some capacity, find a Christian who is mature &
has experience in being a leader and place yourself under their mentorship.
Being mentored means learning and serving under the one whom God places you so
that when the time comes for you to branch out on your own you will understand
both serving and leading. Thus you will be a “Servant Leader.”
Be Studious - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy
2:15
Most importantly, read
the bible! However, there is an abundance
of books, courses, and workshops out there for you to learn from. Just make sure that whatever you expose
yourself to that is in line with the bible.
Ask the person mentoring you if they have any recommendations of what to
study. Now a word to pastors &
church leader… Next to receiving our salvation. There is nothing that can give
us more joy than to pour our lives into another person to help spread the
Kingdom of God through their lives. As
leaders this is what we’re called to do – equip, train and edify. (Ephesians
4:11)
Be Empowered – “…Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD
of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
Be Ready – “14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to
you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate
on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be
evident to all. 16 Take heed to
yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save
both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 Timothy 4:14-16
Remember, when we try to
do things in our strength they will not last. We must rely on the power of the
Holy Spirit to lead us in all that we do.
And we must make sure that what we’re doing is a “God thing”, not a
“good thing”. I tell my students all the time – “Something may come along
that’s godly, even something that God could bless, but it might not be his best
for your life.” We must be sure that
Satan is not deceiving us when he disguises himself as an angel of light. (See
2 Corinthians 11:14)
Until next time, be a
modern day Peter and step out of the boat to let Jesus lead you!
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