Sensing that you are Called into ministry can sometimes overshadow a greater calling that you have. As believers, we are Called to a life of total dependence on the Lord, and in our complete reliance on Him, we find sufficiency in Him meeting our every need as we walk our Called journey. As we grow older, we tend to discover more and more unmet needs in our lives. As we grow in Christ, we should become more and more reliant on God to fulfill every need. However, if we are honest and perform true self-reflection, we will find that we depend on ourselves to satisfy those unmet needs instead of relying on God to provide for us as He said He would.
Our mortal attempt at satisfying our own needs is just that, an attempt. We will never, even on our best day, be able to compare to the sufficiency and adequacy the Lord has in supplying everything we need. Yes, that includes the often unspoken felt needs, such as eradicating the loneliness you feel, your desire to be desired, the craving of an intimate relationship, the forgiveness you need to give the person who took something precious from you, the friend you desperately want, the wisdom you need for dealing with that difficult teacher, the help you need in being obedient to your parents, or the direction you need for decisions concerning your future.All these can be delivered to you by God if you let Him.
A Note to Leaders
You, like many other believers, may be more familiar with asking God to meet needs that are provisional to your future—finances, jobs, or household and family needs. This familiarity comes from the wisdom we have in knowing that there are things in life that just won’t happen unless God does it. Unless God speaks to me, I won’t know where He wants me in ministry. Unless God moves on the heart of my boss, I won’t get a raise. Unless God opens the door, I won’t get the job. Unless God intervenes, my family won’t come to know Jesus, or we won’t have enough in our budget to cover our household expenses. These are not bad thoughts. In fact, we should think this way. However, our reliance on God should go much deeper and wider. I encourage you, along with your students, to think deeper and wider, trusting that there is no need too great or too insignificant for the Lord to meet along your Called journey.
Completely relying on the Lord to meet your needs when you’ve built a habit of “getting things done yourself” can be difficult to do. We think to ourselves, “I know what I need; therefore, I must know how to meet that need, or I know someone or something that can.” We may never admit to this way of thinking; however, the history of our actions will prove repeatedly that this is our primary thought instead of considering God first and God only.
Go A Little Deeper: Read Colossians 2:4-9
One of the biggest threats to Christianity is secular humanism. What is that? It is a system of thought that believes humanity is capable of self-fulfillment and of deciding values, characteristics, and behaviors that focus on what is best for human beings devoid of God or any spiritual input. This way of thinking has become a significant cause of the secular belief system in education, in government, and in society in general. The philosophy of humanism began with Satan in the Garden of Eden. It is the articulation of his lie that humans can be like God. If we are not careful to totally depend on God for everything, we run the risk of becoming sinful by exchanging the truth about God for a lie and by worshiping and serving created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). Being Called to vocational ministry is wonderful, but above that calling, we are Called to a life totally dependent on the Lord. In our complete reliance on Him, we find sufficiency in Him meeting our every need as we walk our Called journey.
Prayer
Focus your prayer time on asking God to grant you the strength to let go of self-reliance and dependence on others or material possessions to fulfill unmet needs. Ask God to take His rightful place back in the center of your life. Then, pray for one another to trust God with your everyday needs and the details of your Called journey.
