Don’t answer it!! You cringe when you see “Aunt Susie’s” number pop up! She’ll want to go on forever about the economy and make sure you understand how worried she is about everything. Within two minutes she’ll have you wrapped up in anxiety and you don’t have time right now. You’re already late and you have a 15 minute drive. You love Aunt Susie but you can’t afford to let your mind go into a total tailspin at this moment. You have to pick and choose who has the right to speak into your life. Not everything is good for you to listen to. We have to filter the information coming at us from every angle. Not everything is beneficial.
Thank goodness for caller ID. You know exactly who awaits you on the other line when you answer that call. However, we don’t always know the content of the call. The caller is trying to get in touch with us to download information that they feel is necessary for us to know. That’s where we have a choice.
Like “Aunt Susie”, the enemy is always trying to get in touch with us. He wants to go on and on about why we’re not good enough, how we don’t quite measure up and how God can’t use us for anything! Fortunately, we can just press “decline”. If you accidentally happen to answer, just hang up. It’s that easy. You don’t have time for that. You know it’s all lies anyway. No need to entertain the devil today and get your mind spinning away from what God has to say about you. And God has a lot to say about you and to you! Good things that are beneficial and remind us who we really are in Him.
So Jesus calls with the truth! God’s callings on your life are irrevocable according to Romans 11:29. He’s got plans to use us mightily for His kingdom. We all have specific callings that He’s designed just for us. It’s His choice how He uses us. He’s the “caller”. But what if we’re too busy to answer? We know He tells us to be still and listen to Him, but we’re super busy. He’s got eternity changing information to download into us, but right now we’re watching our favorite show. We’ll talk to Him later. How can this be? We wander around looking for purpose and meaning in this thing we call life, and all the time the phone is ringing, waiting to be answered! He’s got so much to tell you.
Answer it!! The book of Jeremiah tells us that God has plans to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future. I’m a firm believer that a prosperous life is a God honoring life. If we will answer His call, we are in for a certain adventure. He doesn’t always give us all the details. Sometimes it’s day by day. Sometimes it’s moment by moment. But rest assured, it is absolutely thrilling to be used by the Lord in the arena of your specific calling. Not only are you a blessing to someone else, but you get blessed yourself!! This is divine design.
When the Lord calls, be ready. He can give you an opportunity to serve Him at any given moment. The only way to be ready is to be equipped. This equipping comes from life experiences, renewing your mind to His word and prayer.
Life experiences are just that. Day to day experiences. The very things you’ve encountered or gone through in your life, pleasant or otherwise, is typically what God will pull from when using you to reach others. A lot of times, our biggest trials and tests become our biggest testimonies to help others. It’s so wonderful to know that none of those tears are wasted. That very time you thought you wouldn’t make it becomes the very thing somebody else needs to hear when they find themselves in the midst of the battle. You can show them how God brought you through and they can know with confidence since He’s unchanging, that He’ll do it for them.
Renewing your mind to His Word involves getting in the Word and then the Word literally getting into you. It is reading and listening to His Word to the point that the “world’s view” gets pushed out and when hard pressed, you respond with God’s perspective on a matter. It’s knowing that your Savior holds you tightly in the very Palm of His Hand, never to let go. Renewing your mind to His Word involves actually taking Him at His Word. Not just an “I hope so”. It’s an “I know so because He says so”.
Prayer involves dialogue with the Lord. Just talk to Him. Let Him know your concerns. Let Him help get rid of your fears. Let Him remind you that He’s far bigger than anything you face. Remember to always thank Him for what He’s done in your life and thank Him for what He’s going to do in the future. We know it will be good because He says in the book of Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will complete it” (NLT).Notice He calls it a “good” work. Not mediocre. Not ok. A GOOD work. He considers you His very prized possession. He can be trusted to follow through with His promises to you. His Word is His promise.
His callings are good. There’s not one more important than another. They all fit together into an intricate puzzle for His glory. Our job is to listen for the call. When we sense God popping up on the caller ID of our hearts, willingly answer the call and be prepared to watch Him amaze you! Your life is a precious gift from Him. He knows every detail. He’s the One with the ability to make everything right. He wants to be the most important part of it! Just listen for His call.
Today’s guest writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.
