From the wastelands, up!

As a minister of the gospel, you must learn to take the Father’s work seriously. You didn’t choose this life, God chose you. God orchestrates our path, and ours is to yield ourselves to him – we are called vessels, vessels don’t decide their use.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoev
er I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Observation (verse 20) is part of the Christian faith – the ability to look intricately at something, to pick out details. Jesus said you’ll teach to observe, and you’ll also look, this summarizes ministry – as you’re teaching to observe, you’ll also be looking. ‘End of the world’ in verse 20 is not literal, it’s talking about everywhere the gospel will reach (Acts 1:8), him being with us till the end of the world is him being with us as we fulfil the mandate. The end of the world is everywhere the witness gets to, and this shows that there is a mission at hand. The onus is on us too always remember that whatever stands in our path and whatever we go through, he is with us always. There are several responsibilities going on in the believer’s life, and the only thing that can keep the believer going is to always remember that he is with us always.

Read Exodus 3:1-12;

vs. 12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

One of the most important things in life is company – who you are with. So remind yourself what Jesus said – ‘I am with you’. In verse 12, God told Moses that he would be with him as he brings the people of Israel out of Egypt – God already had the end in mind, you should too, keep the vision before you. So what is the end you’re looking to? What’s the end you see? You ought to have the end in sight, it’s not only enough to show up every day – you must have a goal.

Read Exodus 14:9-15
15 And the LORD said unto Moses, wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

When they faced the obstacle (the Red Sea), Moses turned to God and God told them to go forward. The only way to go in the midst of challenges is to go forward. Obstacles must not determine the believer’s limit/end-point. Contrary winds make the minister of the gospel. In the seemingly hard circumstances, we will see God. God is telling us to go forward, in prayer.

James 4:2;
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James gives us a principle here – you don’t have because you ask not, prayerlessness creates the lack. There is a cost of prayerlessness, when you don’t pray, there are costs to it. So, in prayer, you go forward! With your confession of faith and your words, you move forward. God has orchestrated our paths to move forward.

Say this: my journey in ministry is onwards, upwards and forward. I won’t look back, there is progress, increase, growth; in the number of disciples, there is increase.

Daily Bible Reading Plan:
Bible Reading – Matthew 21-22

TEACHING OF THE DAY
Developing Spiritually (1)