IN GOOD FAITH: When God Calls

By PASTOR MARK MOLINA

Living Waters Church

Pastor Mark Molina

Pastor Mark Molina

When God calls a person to do something for His kingdom, it does not always make sense to the natural mind. It is not always easy to immediately understand. Neither is it always easy to readily accept.

“Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you,’” Genesis 12:1 NKJV. Whoa! Wait a minute! Leave my country? Leave my family? Leave my father’s house? What do you mean a land you will show me? What is wrong with the place I live now?

This is exactly how I responded to the call of God on my life. Lord, you want me to leave the beautiful Pacific Northwest to go where? You want me to leave my adult children and granddaughter to do what? But I have a house here! My wife is in law school! God, can we talk about this for a minute?

It can be hard for us to leave the life we have now for the life He wants to give to us. Every new journey in life begins with promise. Every new journey that God calls us to begins with new promises that come from Him as well.

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing,” Genesis 12:2 NKJV. Who doesn’t want to be a blessing? Who doesn’t want to be blessed by God? Who doesn’t want their name to be synonymous with greatness? God promises to do these things for us as we obey Him in the steps He has called us to take for His honor, His glory and His kingdom.

Being servants of God does not necessarily predestine us to a life of hardship, poverty and isolation. For too long there has been a negative connotation to the call of God. I’m not saying that we are all going to live in mansions, drive the most expensive cars or have all of the pleasantries in life. However, the place that God calls us to is the place where He will meet us. God will provide in that place.

“So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.” Genesis 12:4-5 NKJV).

We see that age is no issue with God. We also see that God never sends us alone. He does not send us away destitute and empty handed. This is a lie that we have come to believe – the lie that God is going to take “everything away from me!” It is a lie that the devil wants us to believe so that we will not step out in faith and obedience.

“Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD,” Genesis 12:7-8 NKJV).

God sent Abram to a specific place. God gave him a specific promise. God gave him a specific direction of travel. God did not send him empty handed. God met him along the way.

In response, Abram obeyed, recognized, and worshiped the Lord. We must do the same.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2014/10/03/in-good-faith-when-god-calls/

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