Today I sense Father is speaking a word of recommissioning to some of my readers. I pray that you will receive His resurrection grace, as you read about one of His great servants—Moses.

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We can spend days, months and years in transition, waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promises and His prophetic call on our lives.

• We are doing all we know to do
• We are taking the next small steps and being proactive
• We are being faithful where we are
• We are keeping our hearts right–as best we can.

And then suddenly, a God-ordained opportunity arises.

Surprisingly, instead of the desire to jump in to Father’s plans with abandon, we find ourselves uncertain—even resistant.

The story of Moses’ call at the burning bush provides us with a mirror in which we can see our own hesitancies—and what is at stake. [1]

It’s Time!

‘After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight… Then the Lord said to him, “…I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.”’ (Acts 7:30-33,34)

At the age of forty, Moses’ heart had been stirred with the cause of the enslaved Israelites.

However, since his attempt at fulfilling God’s call in his own strength, by murdering an Egyptian, he has lived as a fugitive in the wilderness.

Now, forty years later, God comes to him and says, ‘It’s time—I am sending you back to Egypt!’

Like Moses, when we are confronted with a sudden change of season, we find there are some inner obstacles to overcome:

1. Feeling Ill-Equipped

Each of us has a number 1 reason why we are poorly equipped to fulfill God’s call.

Moses immediately plunges into a discourse on his perceived inability: his vocal ineloquence. And yet Moses’ perspective and that of God are completely different.

What is a matter of inability to Moses, is of no consequence to God.

He says, ‘I AM… enough’

You might feel as though you are the most unlikely person; you might feel as though this is the most unlikely time. You might feel ill-equipped. Still God is saying, “I choose you! I’m calling you!”

2. Unanswered Questions

After all that time, 40 years of wilderness living and no doubt a zillion questions about why life had taken the turns it had, God suddenly shows up.

And I notice God doesn’t explain anything about the things that had happened in Moses’ life.

Like He did with Job, God simply reveals Himself.

When Father opens the door into our new season, He isn’t going to give us all the reasons WHY things have happened.

Because the answer is not a reason, it is a Person.

‘I AM… enough.’

3. Transition can become a Comfort Zone

‘When Moses heard this, [Pharaoh’s threats] he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.’ Acts 7:29

Emerging from transition can be difficult for us, because (ironically) our waiting places become our comfort zones.

The wilderness was Moses’ comfort zone. It represented his self-protection. It was literally the place he had gone to escape his problems—he was on Pharaoh’s hit list!

Moses may have found God in this place, but God is now making it clear that his destination is Egypt—will Moses join Him?

We all have coping mechanisms, places of retreat. These are the things that when God shows up, He puts His finger on. He says, you don’t need that any more.

He says, ‘I AM…enough.’

And here is Moses, having escaped from Pharaoh into the wilderness of Midian and still hiding from his past

And now God is saying,

‘That one who has oppressed you and that past that you are hiding from: that is what I am calling you to rise up and address.

And the very instrument that has been a weapon against you, will now be overcome by you.’

The Ripple Effect

He is calling for you to emerge. And His purpose is this: what He has been doing in your life, He is going to do through you, in the lives of others.

When Moses steps out in obedience to God’s call to emerge, there is a ripple effect.

1. It changes Moses’ life.

It completely shifts him – from a refugee, to a deliverer; from an alien in a foreign land, a simple shepherd, to the spiritual leader of the nation of Israel.

2. It changes the life of his family.

Their lives will never be the same again. His children have been brought up in Midian, and now they are incorporated into the tribe of Israel.

Because Moses obeys God, His children will see the Promised Land.

Sometimes we think, ‘Why is our family, or our kids, stuck when it comes to their relationship with God?

When they see us on fire again, they will move because they will be impacted by God’s presence on our lives and they will want what we have.

Now, the ripple effect starts to move out to nations.

3. It impacts the nation of Egypt

God brings judgement on the gods of Egypt that have persecuted His people.

4. It brings deliverance to the entire nation of Israel

5. It brings the fame of God to the heathen nations of the entire region

Did you know, that when YOU obey God’s call to move into the new thing, nothing is going to be the same again.

It changes you, it affects your family, your Church, it will even impact your community, your nation and the nations of the world.

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Notes:

[1] For more of this story, read Exodus 3-4

See also the following post:

In Transition? Take the Next Small Step

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Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries: Prophetic Ministry That Empowers The Church

Announcement: Enliven Blog has a brand new Facebook page! Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/Enliven.Blog.Prophetic.Teaching

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As Christian believers, everything we do in life—including our vocation—has both present and eternal value when we are serving God from the heart. (Col 3:23-24)

I regularly hear from readers who have a call from God for a particular aspect of ministry. Having a sense of destiny for a unique, God-ordained purpose can be a powerful motivator, regardless of whether the ministry is full-time, part-time or voluntary.

Usually, there is a process of preparation as we await the opportunity and timing to fulfil God’s call. It’s not unusual to experience trials and difficulty in relation to the call of God.

God called me to preach when I was just 15 years old. Over the years, I have learned that you can run away from His call, or you can run towards it, but you certainly can’t ignore it!

Last week I looked at the subject of personal guidance. Today I am focusing on a vital key that needs to be in place before taking action on a ministry call. [1]

That key is accountability.

The Power of Accountability and Leadership

Last week I gave the example of Abraham, who followed the call of God to Canaan. (Gen 12:1-5)

In the New Testament, God speaks to the individual regarding His destiny for his or her life, but the witness of that guidance is found in the church body and in leadership.

In the New Testament church, our Father has designed us to be interdependent upon each other, not independent. (1 Cor 12) [2]

Paul’s Example

The Apostle Paul had a clear call from God confirmed by prophecy and accompanied by great signs, including an open vision of Jesus.

However, we see that he did not enter into the fulness of that call until the Holy Spirit spoke to the leadership of the Antioch church. Once sent by his church, he returned regularly to report in. (Acts 13:1-3, Acts 14:26-28).

Paul in turn recognised the ministry call of others such as Timothy and Titus, and released and appointed them to minister. Not only were they called, ready and available; they had also demonstrated a history of faithfulness in serving Paul himself.

Personal Lessons in Accountability

I have not always been good at accountability; in fact my call to ministry would have been seriously undermined (at worst, shipwrecked) if I had not learned some difficult lessons about responding to authority.

This cartoon is from my book, ‘Prophetic People In A Changing Church’ and demonstrates a significant error that many of us have when it comes to guidance. [3]

I call it the ‘hotline to God’ philosophy.

This is the misguided belief that revelation we receive personally from God is not subject to leadership and godly wisdom.

Accountable to Whom?

‘For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.’ Prov 11:14

Our local church leadership should be a vital source of accountability to us.

Many times our leaders and pastors know us well and are familiar with:

• Our attitudes and actions
• What we are good at
• How we are going in our character and family life
• Any blind spots that we need to consider
• Our love for people and willingness to serve

The accountability that comes from our church life can also be painful, which is why many of us avoid or circumvent it.

Some reasons for this include:

• Fear that we will miss God’s timing if we submit the power of decision-making about our call to others

• Distrust of authority in general due to past abuses, or

• Mistrust of our leaders in particular if there have been hurts, misunderstandings, or we are judgmental of them for any reason

By God’s grace, we can work through these things and become stronger.

If there is irreparable damage in your relationship to your church leaders, or valid grounds for mistrust (as I understand there can sometimes be), then it may be wise to take another look at your reasons for being in your local church.

These issues will not only affect your ministry call, they will also affect your ability to have a significant input in your church life, and your ability to faithfully serve the vision of the leaders in that environment. Inevitably, your responses will also affect others around you.

The bottom line, as Steve McCracken puts it, is, ‘Do you believe you are in the church where God wants you to be?’ If the answer is yes, and you know you are planted in a church according to God’s will, then the Biblical principles of accountability to leadership apply.

Other Accountability

Of course, there are other sources of accountability available to us. I recommend having more than one trusted leader or mentor that you can go to, who can give you wise input about your decisions.

You may be involved in a Christian organisation, as I am with David McCracken Ministries, where you have godly Christian leadership.

Remember that a safe mentor or leader is one who understands and practices accountability (is submitted to authority) himself or herself.

These should also be wise, experienced leaders who know what it is to exercise faith.

Trusting God for Your Ministry Call

A ministry call frequently has strong emotions attached to it, because of

• our love for God,
• our heart for the people we are called to minister to
• our concern about any problems our Father has called us to be a part of the solution to

We need to remember that God is sovereign. I have learned over many years that He is faithful, and that when we keep our hearts right, His will and word must prevail.

An inability to trust others in the process of being released and appointed to fulfil God’s call on our life can be a sign that we do not trust our Heavenly Father.

We are tested when we trust Him during times when the power to fulfil that call does not lie within our own ability to make it happen. [4] As we keep our hearts right, even during times of apparent contradiction, nothing and no one can stop the Father’s plan.

Benefits of Accountability

Some benefits of accountability include:

• Confirmation
• An invaluable test of timing
• The added wisdom of others
• An outside perspective on any weaknesses or blind spots
• Commissioning is something to recall and hold on to when we go through trials

But the most important benefit of accountability has to do with the release of God-ordained authority that comes with it.

I believe that commissioning (Apostolic sending), as practiced by the Apostle Paul, is vitally important to ministry. [5]

Recently, my pastor and church leadership team anointed me and prayed, released and commissioned me to join the team at David McCracken Ministries.

At times like these, I believe a transaction takes place. There is blessing in unity. And we receive a commission and anointing for our new season of ministry.

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Do you have any experiences or questions to share on this topic? I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comments box below. If the comments box is not visible, click on this link and scroll down.

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Notes:

[1] Accountability is also beneficial to any significant change in life direction. This is especially true if you have a family or others who will be impacted by your decisions.

[2] See my article, Not Word Perfect: Understanding How Prophecy Works In The Church Today

[3] I understand the pain that can be inflicted through abuse of authority. For my personal journey and lessons learned about overcoming hurts related to authority, see my e-book  Prophetic People in a Changing Church

[4] A great example of this is Joseph. For more on this, see my post ‘Personal Guidance For The Important Decisions Of Life’

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

On team with David McCracken Ministries

Have you ever hit a wall in your ministry—a place where you feel you can go no further?

This happened to me a few weeks back in relation to one of my ministry responsibilities. During a 24-hour period, I realised that I had ‘hit the wall.’ I awoke one morning and knew that I could no longer see the future for me in this particular leadership role.

Don’t get me wrong! The ministry was flourishing, I had a great team, people’s lives were being transformed, and Jesus was being glorified. However, there was now another leader who could do what I was doing—whilst due to lack of time, I was putting off other ministry opportunities available to me.

Why we hit a wall in ministry

When we feel as though we have hit a wall, it is vital to establish what—and who—is responsible for it. The situation can be caused by:

1. Ourselves

We may hit a wall when we have overextended ourselves and run out of personal resources—spiritual, emotional, mental or physical. When burnout occurs we need to do whatever it takes to replenish our reserves. On occasion, this may mean taking time out.

2. Demonic Forces

Sometimes spiritual warfare can cause us to feel that we have hit a wall and can go no further in our ministry area. When this takes place we need to recognise the warfare and deal with it for what it is—the enemy’s attempt to derail us from God’s purpose for our lives.

3. God

We can hit a wall when the time has come in our Heavenly Father’s agenda for us to release the ministry and move on.

Just because God has ordained the ending of a season does not mean that it is easy.

• We have carried the ministry in our hearts and given our lives to serve God in this role. It can be like handing over our ‘baby’ to another ‘parent’ (leader)
• We may not have seen the end coming and even though it is in God’s plan, it is unexpected to us (Is 55:8-9)
• We may have been in a difficult season of transition
• God may have allowed difficult circumstances, or even conflict, to shift us out of a role that we would not have willingly released of our own volition

Sometimes there are a combination of the above factors, as Divine timing, personal and demonic issues collide. In this case, it is good to have people in leadership that we trust who can help us work through the difficulties and our response.

When we believe God has brought us to an end in a ministry role, it is good to submit that guidance, as I have done over the past few weeks, for confirmation.

When God has a purpose in the wall

The Hunk and I have experienced this wall a number of times over the years, when it has been time to release a ministry responsibility or area of Christian leadership. We have not always responded well, even when the timing was of the Lord!

When the sudden realisation came that it was time to move out of my leadership role, it was with a mixture of pain and relief that I contemplated what I believed God was asking of me.

That day, I took time out to pray—driving for miles, contemplating the autumn scenery, walking, anguishing, surrendering. Even though I had been preparing for this wall for some time, its sudden appearance still came as a shock.

After a few hours, I drove into a reservoir park. As I drove in, I looked up, and saw—A HUGE WALL! “I’m going to walk on the wall!” I said.

Prophetic people love symbolic acts, and God in His graciousness had set me up for one, right when I needed it. That day, I walked on the wall, from one end of the dam to the other.

As I walked one way, I looked over the valley and thanked Him for everything that had led to this place: the people whose lives had been changed, the leaders who had been raised up, ministries that had been birthed, and my own growth in the journey.

It took a long time, for there was so much to be thankful for. When I had finished, I stopped, took courage and thanked God for the wall itself—this painful and confronting place.

Dangers at the Wall

It was then that I remembered past times I had faced similar walls. I have not always responded well. Some dangers of the wall are:

• Staying too long at the wall and not willingly releasing a ministry
• Mourning over the wall—the loss of our ministry—for longer than we should
• Allowing the wall to define us. At the place of the wall, we are no longer the right ‘fit’ for the role. There is a danger of taking this personally or internalising reproach from others or ourselves

It was a moment of clarity and healing for me. As I paused on the reservoir wall, I chose to be thankful for my present wall and also prayed about my wrong responses to past walls.

Realise God has not Finished with you yet.

When you hit a wall in a ministry and it is God’s time for you to move on, you may not always see what He has in store for you next. But He has a future and a hope; He has a greater season of fruitfulness ahead (Jer 29:11; John 15:2).

As I walked back along the reservoir wall, I looked out over the other side, across the water to the distant hills. I thanked the Lord in faith for His provision, and for the future ahead—even though I could not define it.

At the wall that day, the Spirit prepared me to release the ministry with joy.

Have you ever, or are you experiencing a similar ‘wall?’ I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the bottom of this post. If the comments box is not visible, click here or on the post title and scroll down.

© Helen Calder    Enliven Publishing