Tag: the Call of God

Fear in the Call

June 28th, 2022

Jeremiah 1:8 says, “do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to rescue you. This is the Lord’s Declaration.

Fear – seems like I have spent a good portion of my ministry talking about fear or the lack thereof. I talk with people about following the plans of God, or dealing with conflict, or addressing a challenge, and the response often begins, “Oh, I’m afraid that ______________”.

I’ve come to the conclusion that fear is based on lies we believe most of the time. We believe, “I can’t”, “I’m alone”, “No one knows”, or “No one cares.”.

Notice in Jeremiah 1; this is the call of Jeremiah. When God calls, the evil one, the Father of Lies, knows that God is at work, that God’s Word is true, and so he comes against us with lies.

Jeremiah 1:4 – the word of the Lord came to me…

Here is truth. Here is an unthwartable plan. v5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb. I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

BUT

I appreciate the honesty in Jeremiah’s testimony here. “But I protested” – Can’t you hear the great liar whispering into Jeremiah’s ear? “Oh no Lord God!” satan always calls into question the Word of God and the Goodness of God… always… that’s how he got 1/3 of the angels to abandon heaven. It’s how he got Adam and Eve to Fall, and I guess first Lucifer, the lead worshiper in Heaven, had to lie to himself. He lied that God wasn’t good and his Word, his Plans, weren’t right and so he purposed in his heart to rebel. So, here Jeremiah, “Oh no Lord… Look…” Have you ever tried to correct God’s understanding of a situation? Or is that just me and Jeremiah? “Look…” and here come the lies. “I don’t know how to speak since I am ONLY a youth.” The lies are “I’m uninformed”, “I am unable.”

v7 “Then the Lord said to me: do NOT say, ‘I’m only a youth.’” – Do not lie to yourself and say, “I can’t because I’m only________________ anything.” You are exactly who God made you to be and if he is calling, and you are where you are supposed to be, or are going where you should go, then you ARE able or you will be enabled.

Do not say, I’m only…. for you will go to everyone I send… and speak whatever I tell you

The reason we need not fear is because wherever God leads he always proceeds. He has already cleared the way, opened the door. So, say what he says to whom he sends. Because, where he leads he proceeds, where he guides he provides, so do not be afraid of anyone.

My Father never directly quoted this verse to me, but he lived it and taught it as he lived. He was fearless. He taught me to be fearless when I was in the plan of God. I’ve done my best and been successful, I believe, in passing that down to my sons.

do not be afraid… FOR 1)I will be with you – We are never alone, and 2) to rescue you. Someone cares, someone knows, someone is able, and if needed, He is my rescue, so do not be afraid

v9 – the Lord reached out… touched my mouth and told me… Listen, I’m a firm believer in hard work and preparation, but we will never do that alone. If God is calling, he will touch you, has touched you, in the exact realm where he will use you. I have filled your mouth with words… The best way to get rid of bad water in a fixed container is to fill it with good water until all the bad has flowed out. If I want to empty myself of MY words and wisdom, I must let God fill my heart, my head, my mouth with HIS Words.

And then God comes again with the fear eliminating word, “See” – ra’ah = access, become aware, consider – I have appointed you today – That word “appointed” = to root and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and to plant

God has a plan – He has called you, he has charged you, he has commissioned you, he has conditioned you – So GO, without fear. You CAN, you Know How, God Loves you, You are NOT ALONE!

Do not be afraid of anyone, anything, anywhere, anytime.

If God is for us, tell me who can be against us

Isaiah 51:16 (CSB) — 16 I have put my words in your mouth, and covered you in the shadow of my hand, in order to plant the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are my people.”
When Jesus Says Go … he fills the void

August 1st, 2016

When Jesus says “go” he will take care of those you leave behind.

Matthew 11:1 “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.”

The KJV says that he “departed … to teach and preach in THEIR CITIES”

Chapter 10 is Jesus’ instructions to the disciples before sending them out on his mission. 10:5 “these twelve Jesus sent out …”

My bride and I serve far from home. We are called to a place thousands of miles, an ocean and continents away from our parents, children, grandchildren, not to mention friends and extended family. We serve a people here who live their lives separated from their friends and family to protect the freedom of others. But what about those we have left behind? Who will take care of them? Who will teach them? And I hear the soft reply of my Savior, “I will my child, trust me, serve me, and let me serve you.”

It is such a beautiful and immediate thing when Jesus sends them out and immediately fills the void of their presence with his teaching. Mark 10:29-31 “I tell you the truth … no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields FOR ME and THE GOSPEL 30 will fails to receive a hundred times as much in this present age … and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Never did those words mean so much as when God called us to Germany in January of 2012.

Interesting that we sometimes read and think “where is my increase?” My first thought this morning is that the increase is directly connected to what we left behind. I didn’t have money when I left, so I’m probably not going to have money here either. We left family and friends and have 100-fold increase here. We left a ministry and we have an increase of 100-fold here. We dearly miss our sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, and yet, we have become “surrogate parents and grandparents” to hundreds that come through this place every year. We say “hello” and “goodbye” to so many in this ministry but that just is about increase over what we have left behind.

So then, as the Lord has sent us here … he continues to go to the places we have left behind and he fills the void with Himself. Yes, we are sacrificing for his call, but so are those we left behind. Their sacrifice of our presence is just as real. Still we have a loving Savior who goes to our cities and fills the void to overflowing. So we are not so sad when we see them doing well without us. That is just evidence of the blessing of the Savior, filling the little loss with the overflowing of his presence.

What a good good Savior.

Tag: the Call of God

Fear in the Call

When Jesus Says Go … he fills the void