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"Find your gift and use
it", the experts say. If you have a gift, take that
advice. Don't bury your talent. But, this advice could
be an excuse for some folk to settle back in their
armchairs. They will profess that they have no gift.
The
Bible has a better way: "Whatever you hand finds to do,
do it with your might" (Eccl. 9:10). I take this to
mean: get into God's vineyard and leave no stone
unturned.
Survey
what has to be done, and get on with it. In some cases,
the call of God is the need. If you look at whether you
are gifted for a task or not, you might decide it
doesn't lie within your province. You may leave it to
someone else. It is the call of God and what needs to be
done that matters.
We
should not consult with ourselves about our gifts, for
by faith God can lift us beyond ourselves and our
limitations. It isn't you who does the work. It's God.
Without Him, you can do nothing anyway. But you can do
all things through Christ. We can walk on the water if
we need be, for all things are possible to him that
believes.
Faith
in God makes the person! What we believe, we are. Don't
undersell to yourself. Selling yourself short is not
humility, but a denial of the very purpose for which you
were born. What does God want you to do? The first thing
He wants you to do is not to spend years finding out
what He wants. God keeps no one waiting for that long.
If He wants a job done, there would be no point in
keeping us guessing about it. Why should He do that? It
would be ridiculous to hide from you what His purposes
are for you. Nor will He make it terribly difficult for
you to find out. Here is a vital principle - the call of
God must be obeyed if you want the power of God to work
through you.
He
always has a task at hand. It may not be a great task -
it may be nothing heroic. Perhaps it is a job that you
think is beneath your dignity, even one that could be
considered menial. Remember that the great Apostle Paul
sat making tents - not planning in tents. Faithful in
the little things, God made him master of much. Some are
asking God to speak and guide them because they despise
the day of small beginnings. They assume God has some
great work for them and that it surely cannot be a
little thing. "And do you seek great things for
yourself? Do not seek them," said God through Jeremiah
to his secretary/ servant (Jer.45:5). You can't steer a
boat or bicycle that is not moving. God waits for you to
move before He tells you which direction to take.
God
does guide us. This is a divine principle. You take the
initiative for God. That is how Paul went on his famous
travels.
TAKE
ACTION
If there is a hole in the dam, plug it; don't pass a
resolution about it. If a foe is breaking into the
Promised Land, the demand is obvious. Fight! Don't wait!
Don't ask God what to do, or study whether you have the
gift. Doing nothing because we can't do something mighty
is nothing but pride.
THE
INITIATIVE IS YOURS
Too often the people say that the time isn't right. As
if whether or circumstances could thwart the power of
God! Revival isn't for when there is revival, but for
when there isn't any sign of it. Revivals always begin
when nothing is happening. When there are no signs of
God's moving and when there is seemingly nothing
encouraging on the horizon. Precisely because things
were bad all around, bold men and women of faith
determined to change them. If we wait until the
situation is better, we shall never go at all. In fact,
what's the point them? We are all praying for a mighty
revival to sweep India and the rest of the world. Pray
on! But don't wait until it comes and gospel preaching
then becomes easy. Get on with what you can do now. You
can win thousands for Christ while waiting for revival.
And not only that; your action could be the very start
of revival.
It is
true that revival is a sovereign act of God, as many
believe. But it is equally true that revival can be
caused. The early Christians certainly knew this,
because Mark 16:20 declares: "And they went out..." In
other words, they took the initiative, and the Lord
gladly obliged! I am fully persuaded that God allows us
to pull the trigger for mighty outpourings of His Holy
Spirit. By His grace, I have witnessed it numerous
times! We need Holy Spirit initiative! Revival takes
anointed men and women of God who exercise the audacity
of faith! Anybody can believe God is moving. Real faith
acts when God doesn't seem to be moving! God loves the
man and woman who gamble on His help! This is the
formula for triumph, blessing and revival.
How
many more people can you think of who did exactly that?
Think of anybody who achieved new things for God.
Everyone was somebody who dared when nobody else thought
it was the time. Every revival was started this way.
Imagine this: Jesus is teaching in the Synagogue on the
Sabbath. The cynics are there, watching Him. Another man
is there, watching Him. This man has a withered hand.
How much revival atmosphere could there be in this
synagogue, with the critics waiting for a chance to
accuse Jesus if he heals this man on the Sabbath? The
conditions are hardly propitious. But Jesus heals the
man - because the time is ripe when the need is greatest
(Luke 6:6-11). And the time, I am sure, is today.
Who is
God waiting for? Could it be you? I usually say to my
friends that you don't need anybody to lay hand on you.
You don't need any more prophecies. All you need to do
is to obey the great commission. Don't waste any more
time. My dear friends.. What are you waiting for? In
this New Year do something good for God!! Take a
decision today and stand for God. Let this whole year
may be the most blessed and prosperous year for you! God
bless you!!
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