The hustle and bustle of life has cluttered my mind. I’ve been so focused on where I am, and I have forgotten to set my sights on where I’m going. But lately, I’ve been hearing the voice of the Lord calling me to return to Him…to return to His plan…to return to the vision that He has given me for my life. And so, I’ve been thinking about the things that He has called me to. And, I’ve been wondering what caused me to lose focus in the first place. To be honest, I realized that I had become overwhelmed by the vision of God. How can I do these things? How can I carry out the plan that He has for me?
I’ve found myself in a pattern of thoughts: I don’t have the resources God. Do I even have the talent…the ability to do this? Do I have what it takes? But the other day, the Lord responded. He said, “ I have called you, and I will equip you.”
The God that called you is the same God that will equip you.
Right now, take a moment to think about the vision that God has given you. Has He given you a vision of wholeness…wholeness in your body, wholeness in your heart, wholeness for your family? Has he given you a vision of how your life will benefit others? What has he placed in your heart? What do you have hope for?
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NLT)
Scripture tells us that God is the source of hope. So, if you have hope in your heart, I want you to know that He is the one that put it there. He wants you to be whole. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to have joy. He wants you to be a vessel in the lives of others. This hope in your heart is proof of what He’s called you to, and our God, always equips those He calls.
God equips us as we walk in faith towards our promise.
We must remind ourselves of this continually. We will never have the ability to fulfill our purpose at the moment we are called. We will never have the talent…we will never have the strength…we will never have the resources. Just think about it…If we have everything we need, we don’t need faith, and we don’t need God.
And this is why there will always be a gap between what we have and what we need.
Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. (Zechariah 4:6 NLT)
God wants us to depend on Him for everything that we need. If we need funding…He wants us to rely on Him. If we need strength…He wants us to rely on Him. If we need talent…He wants us to rely on Him. He doesn’t want us to walk in our own strength. He wants us to rely on His Spirit. This is the only way that our success brings glory to His name. We can see evidence of this throughout scripture.
In the book of Genesis, God called Abraham to be the father of a multitude of nations, but there was a gap. How could Abraham be the father of many nations, when His wife was unable to bear children? Abraham had to rely on God so that His promise could be fulfilled.
In the book of Exodus, God called Moses to set His people free, but there was a gap. There was no way that this man had the strength or ability to do what God was calling Him to do. Moses had to rely on God every step of the way as he led the Israelites out of bondage.
In the book of Judges, God called Gideon to lead the Israelites into battle, but there was a gap. There was no way that 300 men could defeat the entire Midianite army. Gideon had to trust that God would give them the victory even in this impossible situation.
In the book of 1 Samuel, God called David to fight a giant and become Israel’s second king, but there was a gap. How could an inexperienced young man defeat a giant? How could he become king, when the reigning king sought to have him killed? David had to trust God with his life, and believe that God would bring His word to pass.
In the New Testament, a group of men were called to be disciples of Jesus, but there was a gap. They lacked faith. They lacked discipline. They lacked courage. They didn’t have what they needed to do what Jesus asked them to do, but at the end of the day, they trusted that God would work through them, bringing glory to His name.
God’s vision will always seem impossible.
God has never called anyone to do anything ordinary. He always calls us to do the extraordinary.
Has God called you to do something extraordinary? If so, allow the word of God to enlarge your faith, so that you can walk the amazing path that He has for you. Read about how He enabled Joseph to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. Read about how He enabled Esther to become the Queen of Persia, so that she could be in the position to save the lives of the Jews. Read about how He enabled a murder named Paul to become the leading author of the New Testament.
All of these people are known for their extraordinary stories. But, we must remember that it wasn’t because they were extraordinary people. They didn’t have the talent or ability. They didn’t have the resources or the strength. Their stories are extraordinary because they believed in an extraordinary God, and His Spirit enabled them to walk in extraordinary faith.
God wants to give us the ability to walk an extraordinary path.
As I said before, God never calls us to do the ordinary. He calls us to go beyond the boundaries…to do things that seem impossible. But…it’s going to take extraordinary faith to get there.
So, what is extraordinary faith?
Well…it’s not perfect faith. There’s evidence throughout scripture of men and women wavering in their faith, yet God enabled them to do the extraordinary. These men and women of faith weren’t perfect, but they were persistent. Yes they failed…yes they made mistakes…but at the end of the day, they never allow their gap to stop them from doing what God called them to do.
Just the other day, as I sat and thought about my own journey, the Holy Spirit whispered to me… “Never give up.” And I believe that this is what He is saying to you today. Don’t give up on the vision that He has given you. Don’t stop hoping. Never stop believing. Always have faith that God has something good in store for you. He has an amazing plan for your life. He has extraordinary things for you to do, and He will enable you to do everything that He has called you to. Expect His favor. Believe in His grace. And allow Him to give you the extraordinary faith that you need.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the extraordinary plan that you have for my life. Today, I have been reminded that because you have called me, you will also equip me. I have been reminded that you will supply all that I need. So, in faith, I declare that I will walk towards the plan that you have for my life. I will be obedient. I will be faithful. I will trust in you. I believe that as I walk towards purpose, you will enable me to do the extraordinary things that you have called me to. I love you, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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