How to Take Off with God's mandate

[emma n j nwosu]

 

How to take off with God’s mandate

 

One of my protégés called one day to state the disturbance in his soul about how he can be sure he is walking within the precepts of God’s will for his life. He narrated the revelations he had received and other messages he had received from other servants of God pointing to what they believed was God’s will for his life. Let me state that many are stagnated in the Christian walk not because they don’t want to obey God but because they don’t want to fail God. Devil knows how desperate any genuine child of God is to do God’s will, so he sets up many questions in their hearts. Most of these questions tend to cast doubt on the motive of the Christian; “Is it not because you want people to notice you that you are doing this?” is it not because you want to become like Bishop so and so? You vowed never to plant a church or become a local church pastor so that no man will pay you for doing God’s work, so what do you want to do now?”

 

At this point the believer stops doing that which he should be doing. At times one should move from a particular ministry position, he knows he should and every physical signs supports that it is time to move, but Satan sets questions based on righteousness: “Wait for further confirmation from other believers. Wait and be very, very sure.” Yet he may say that there are not enough resources yet. Wait until you retire and get your retirement benefit so that you plough the money into the ministry. “God is never in haste. Sinners were there before you were born and they will be there the day you die”. The honest believer normally stops at this point.

It is with these issues in mind that I present these tit-bits. My intention is to guide the honest seeker to the right way.

I wish that you note that God can never punish you for preaching when he has not ask you to preach, for praying and fasting for missionaries and pastors when he has not asked you to do so or for visiting the sick in the hospital, sharing tracts in public places when he has not asked you to do so. God is not a task master but a father (Luke 11: 11-13; Ps103:13). He will not punish you for trying to please him and then fail along the line.

 

There are things that are stated as God’s will on general terms; for example, soul winning. We will also try to review them before we conclude on this topic.

 

I believe that if you follow the steps I state below you will not be far from God’s will.

1. Write down what you believe God is laying in your heart to do.

 

Then the Lord replied:

"Write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets

so that a herald may run with it.

Hab 2:2 NIV

 

Putting it down on paper will allow you consider the possible implementation. If it stays too long in your head without you developing it in any way it may lead to confusion or you forget it. In fact once you succeed in putting it on paper you have taken a step forward. The scripture above says that either you or anybody else who would want to run with it will have a good understanding of what he is up against.

1. Note the available resources. You may not have all the money and materials but for sure you have some things. Put those things down. We will consider what may be termed available resources later. Because at this point is where many people make a big mistake. One may not have cash to print tracts or buy a plot of land; he sure can invest his day in fasting and prayers. We will come back to this.
2. Note the unavailable resources. For sure there are things that can aid your work which you don’t have now. The reason you write them down is so that when they come into your hand you will remember why the Lord has sent them to you. The absence of this is one reason people divert money meant for God’s work to spend then on frivolities. Again if you are asking for these things from somebody you know what you are talking about.
3. Start with the available resources. Don’t wait until you get what you don’t have for now. Start work with what you have in your hand. Just go as far as you can go now. Do what you can do now. No matter how small. God will judge you according to what he has made available but not on what is not available.
4. Share the vision with people. There is the middle place in sharing your vision with people. Joseph shared his vision with his brothers; it became a cause to kill him. Even though they meant this for evil, but that part they played was what Joseph needed then. If they didn’t do that, Joseph would have wasted more time out of the place or location where his ministry will be fulfilled. Nehemiah was more careful, he took time to pray about it, reviewed it many times in his mind while waiting for the right time and right people to share it with. I believe Nehemiah’s example should be our model. You just must tell somebody about your vision. Jonathan the son of Saul shared his vision with his armor bearer and that enabled the young man to see where his boss needs help. Naaman needed healing and it was a family issue, hence a slave girl in the family could offer her contribution that brought the solution. This should teach us never to despise people as we share our vision, but note also that those with whom you shared your vision could become Satan’s tool to hinder you. So be prepared for either way.

 

1. Network with others whose vision does not clash with your vision. Honestly operating as an island is not always the best. Before Paul became the great apostle to the gentiles he was with the believers in Antioch; from this point God sent him out with Barnabas and then it came to a point he was released to stand on his own. In this regard there is an area I see among young ministers that is sad. They come to a meeting or ministry which they believe is another man’s ministry, and they don’t give their heart to it. They come only to see what they can borrow to make up their own. They are busy on themselves. This is flesh in action. If you not faithful with another man’s work who will give you your own? The work is not the man’s work; it is the God who called you that sent him. Your negligent attitude is noted by the God who sent you. Remember also that it is what you sow in the other person’s ministry that you will reap when you start your own. Network with other ministry whole heartedly, when it is time for you to leave God has a way of leading you out. In any place that God permits you for some time to be, there are things hopes that you will learn from there. If you are half hearted about it you will never be able to learn. You stay there with a negative spirit of criticism; there may be some things that the head minister is doing which you cannot understand then, when you start your own ministry you will face the same challenge but because of your wrong spirit you would not have learnt how the other minister came out of it. Some ministries you will work with may not give you money but connections you get there will be used by God to aid your own work.

Next time we shall look at what may be termed as available resources www.pnurnigeria.org