The Lord will do anything to get the attention of anyone, who may be stubborn or rebellious in obeying His call. He will cause a shake up, in bringing a wake up, into the lives of those who are resisting His call to follow Him. When the Lord calls, you’d better be willing to yield to His voice. Many have suffered misfortunes, because of their acts of disobedience to Him. Half hearted obedience is disobedience before God. And He will allow Satan to attack those who are living in disobedience to Him.
Jonah got himself in the belly of a big fish, until he got a shake up for the wake up call. He eventually repented, and went ahead to obey God’s calling over his life to evangelize Nineveh (Jonah 1 and 2). Jonah had to learn obedience to the voice of God in a very hard way. Don’t let the Lord lay His hands on you. It will only make life very rough for you. And at the end God will always win. You will only find yourself missing out of certain blessings, that comes with your quick act of obedience to Him.
Remember that the scriptures says:
“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
1 Samuel 2:6-10 NIV
God will always give power and strength to those who are walking in obedience to His voice. He will exalt in strength those who had been called and anointed, as they stand in the calling of God over their lives. He will guard the feet of those who are serving Him faithfully; but those who are opposed to His voice, as He calls them will be broken.
His call may not be theologically correct, but it is always right
But often times His calling will disrupt your religious and theological ideologies; in order for Him to be able to straighten you up into obedience. He once disrupted Peter’s theological philosophy, in order for Him to wake up in obeying the call, to save Cornelius (the first European convert) and his family (Acts 10). Peter struggled with the Lord three times, before he finally gave in to obey God.
The scriptures says:
“About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.”
Acts 10:9-16 NIV
Peter’s theological philosophy was, not to have anything to do with the gentiles. Cornelius was not a Jew like Peter. And it was forbidden by Jewish tradition for a Jew to associate with a Gentile. The Lord was telling Peter in this vision, that the gospel was for the gentiles also. Jesus came to save the whole world, and not only the Jewish nation. This was a sharp disruption to the theological philosophy of the Jewish people at that time. God knew that Peter would face opposition, for him to be able to walk in that calling. Unclean animals are forbidden for the Jews to eat, just as much as it is forbidden for them to associate with the gentiles. God will shake you up into the call that He has over your life.
In another situation, Paul thought he was theologically righteous, as he persecuted the early Church. He had a zeal for the things of God, but he was using that zeal in the wrong direction. In his religious zeal and self righteousness he had killed some Christians, and had thrown many into jail. He was even determined to go after more believers in Christ. But one day he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus stopped him while he was working to carry out his reckless plan.
The scriptures says:
“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 9:3-6 NKJV
The light from heaven stopped Paul. The persecutor of the Church, who thought that he was doing the right thing, in throwing Christians to jail was “trembling and astonished“. He became blind immediately. What a misfortune to the evil ambition, of the man who thought that, he was the most zealous Jew of his time? His plan got messed up and turned around by the Lord, into doing the will of God for his life.
God will sometimes allow His chosen vessels to be messed up, before He cleans them up. He will do this until He gets their attention to obey His call. Paul upon his change of heart, had hands laid on him by Ananias, as he received the Holy Spirit. He immediately stepped into the call of God, to preach the gospel to the gentiles.
God allowed Jonah to be thrown into the sea, because He wanted the city of Nineveh saved. He also allowed Paul to go blind, until he woke up to opening his heart in obeying Him. God will go to any length to get your attention, into the eternal purpose for which you have been called.
Your covenant with God guarantees your calling
The Bible teaches us that there is no man in covenant with God, who will ever get an easy calling with Him. Your personal covenant with God will cause you, to do the most difficult things for God in His Kingdom. God does this because He trusts you to keep, to the terms of that eternal covenant with Him. If God can trust you with any though assignment in His Kingdom, then you are highly favored. His tough calls goes to those, who are trusted and faithful to keep to the terms of the covenant with Him. He knows them and they know His way of doing things. They had gone through the fire of God. And now they are far more precious to Him than gold. God has purified them. Now they truly belong to Him. The Devil knows them by name also. God will use them mightily, because of their covenant with Him by the blood of Christ Jesus.
God never said it was going to be easy, when He called you. But He did promised to be there with you through every step of the way. You are never alone. Heaven is on your side. When Moses was called to deliver Israel, the Lord told him it was not going to be easy for him. Moses was told that God would always be there for him. Be rest assured in your calling, that God is always closer than you can ever imagine. He will take you step by step through the process. You are never alone.
The scriptures says about Abraham in his covenant with God, and the calling to be the father of many nations:
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”..
..Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Romans 4:18, 20-22 NIV
Abraham’s willingness to walk in the covenant with God, opened a floodgate of blessing into his life. A willing heart before God is a blessed heart. An unwilling heart struggles to experience the goodness and blessings of God. A lack of faith in the call of God has denied many of the blessings of God. Have faith in God and never deviate from your covenant with your God. Remember that you are never alone.
Your covenant seals up the anointing in your calling
Your covenant with God is what seals up the anointing, which goes in your calling. The anointing oil flows as you stand in that calling of God. The anointing will make your words to be like God’s word, in the presence of the people to whom you have been sent. You will just be like Moses was before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:1).
The unsaved world needs to be able to touch God, just like the woman with the issues of blood, touched the helm of Jesus’ garment. When they touch you by using God’s faith at work in them, that anointing will flow to do the miraculous in their lives. Your anointing must continually flow for them to be able to receive from God. That’s why you must always guard your heart diligently, because the anointing flows through your heart, as you speak God’s word with your mouth (Proverbs 4:23).
Wherever your assignment or calling is, the anointing will always follow you there. But you can’t be anointed to do, what you have been called to do; if you are not constantly putting pressure on God’s word, to perform in your life. God’s word is the book of His covenant with you. Study it always to be able to do what it says. The anointing oil will start flowing, as the book of God’s covenant becomes established in your heart.
That means you have to start taking the study, and meditation on God’s word more seriously. God’s word in your life, empowers the flow of your anointing. And it can only be released by faith, as you live a lifestyle of faith with God. By living in this manner, the anointing in your office will continually follow you. It will never cease to flow.
But you must never be in a hurry to lay hands on people as you pray, because it is not everyone that has faith to receive from you (2 Thessalonians 3:2 NKJV). Wait for the anointing oil to start flowing, as the pressure is being applied on God’s word to perform as you speak (Acts 1:4-8).
Sin will stop the flow of your anointing
As you’re getting stronger with the anointing, never forget that the presence of sin in your life, will make you and your words like, that of any other man before the people. Samson for example was strong and anointed; but the presence of the words of a sinful woman in his life, made him like every other human being.
The scriptures says about how Delilah mistreated Samson:
“And when she pressed him day after day with her words and urged him, he was vexed to death. Then he told her all his mind and said to her, A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my birth. If I am shaved, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his mind, she went and called for the Philistine lords, saying, Come up this once, for he has told me all he knows. Then the Philistine lords came up to her and brought the money in their hands.”
Judges 16:16-18 AMPC
You can see how words can transform a strong and anointed man, into an ordinary human being. Delilah pressed Samson with words over and over again, until he gave in to her pressure. Samson gave in to her words. Words made a powerful man to become powerless. It is just as the word of God can build up the anointing over your life. The words of men can also lead you into temptation, causing you to start living like the ordinary people around you. When you find yourself reacting to issues around you, with the same words of the unsaved people around you, remember that “..sin is at the door. And its desire is for you (your soul), but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7). Temptations will always come with words into your mind. Be very careful about what you are listening to, and who you are listening to. Their words can either build you up or break you. Sin or unrighteousness will adversely affect your anointing.
The gifts and the anointing of the Holy Spirit in your calling
Remember that the gifts of the Holy Spirit and your anointing always works together. You can never isolate them from one another. The anointing inside of you will always teach you how to follow your calling (1 John 2:27). Be very careful with the words of men, so as not to yield to everything that they are telling you. Words of men may lead you into disobeying God’s word. Watch out and be very careful, about how you are listening.
David once wrote by the leading of the Holy Spirit that:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”
Psalm 32:8-9 NIV
God will instruct and teach those who have been called by Him. They don’t need the understanding or the opinions of men, like the horse that is being controlled by bit and brittle, in following the call of God over their lives. God’s word and His wisdom is already with them to walk in that calling.
Jesus said about what men can do in leading you astray when He declared:
“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 10:1-5 NIV
God’s sheep will always listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd. A strange voice is never welcomed to them. Whose voice are you listening to, in the call of God over your life? Men’s voice, the world’s or God’s? The choice is always yours. You can choose to walk with God in your calling, and start enjoying and not enduring His blessing. But remember that the Lord will eventually win in this struggle, that you are having now to obey Him.
The Prophet Isaiah said:
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”
Isaiah 51:1-3 NIV
Remember that it is God’s righteousness working in you, that helps you to stand in your calling (Psalms 112:1-3). And it is all because of your obedience to His voice into your heart. Choose to live in the blessing today, as your righteousness shines like a new day. Welcome into your calling.
Paul said:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:16-17 NIV
