Refocusing Your Attention on the Calling of God

Women know probably better than our male counterparts that life lessons can be very challenging when it involves matters of the heart. A whole lot of us get let down by those we trust the most, and when this happens it not only reminds us that we’re all human and we all make mistakes, but it also points to areas in our own lives where we are not as confident as we had hoped. Any time that we find ourselves in an emotionally vulnerable position, it shows us that we’ve run the risk of trusting a person more than we trust God. He warns us in Philippians 3:3 that we shouldn’t place our confidence in the flesh, but to put our trust in our Christ-efforts, because this is where we’re going to get the most out of life. This is where we’ll get the most bang for our buck, so to speak. In our heads we know this, but in our hearts it’s another story. So when we get our hearts broken, the ultimate take-away is always going to be the lesson our hurt teaches us about ourselves and about our relationship with God.

2Timothy 1:9(KJV) tells us, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” We often overlook the truth that not only has God saved us, but He has also called us with a holy calling. This calling isn’t based on our human ability; it is based on our spiritual ability in Christ, according to God’s purpose. The verse in 2Timothy 1:9 goes deeper by telling us that our calling was given to us in Christ even before the world began. This should give us a tremendous amount of confidence, because it lets us know that God knew us before we were even placed in our mother’s womb.

Understand, my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, that God is building something within you. We make the mistake of not seeing ourselves as a pot that is filled, never to be exhausted of that which has made it full. God has created us in such a way that we're to operate out of the overflow. He continually fills us with spiritual capacity as we pour out to others His faith, love, and power by committing ourselves to His purpose. The problem with some of us is that we do not do this to any significant degree. We do not pour out generously but hoard God’s goodies and expend them on ourselves. Our Heavenly Father makes it clear we are not to do this. In Matthew 6:25 (NKJV), Jesus Christ said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” We may be hurt and may have had our hearts broken, but we are not to make pain the focus of our lives. As you set about to do the Will of the Father, He will take care of your hurt and all the other details of your life. This is His promise. So any time that you and I experience hiccups that cause heartache and pain, there’s a lesson to be learned about refocusing our attention on the calling of God, rather than on ourselves.

God tells us in 2Peter 1:10,11 (NIV), “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” When our eyes are firmly on the prize of our calling, God assures us in 2Peter 1:10 that we will not stumble. Our stand will be sure and steady, and we will knock down walls that try to keep us from going higher.

God has called you with a holy calling. You are called to pray without ceasing, and to study God’s Word—to saturate your mind and heart with it. You are called to minister the Word of Truth in any and every way that you can. You are to be a rich and overflowing blessing to those in your care, under your influence, and in your external environments. Our upsets teach us that we have missed too many opportunities to be a blessing. There were too many occasions that we have neglected to pray for others and for the condition of the world. And so, instead of moving forward in faith, we stumbled.

Our loving Heavenly Father does not cause us to stumble. We, through our own agendas, allow the devil to put a wool over our eyes. We cannot see the vision God has laid before us because we’ve turned our faces from it. Distracting us from our call is the enemy's main objective. So yes, it is entirely possible for us to neglect the gifts of God and therefore miss the opportunities to use them. When this happens, we are to do as the Apostle Paul instructed his beloved Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6(NKJV), “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Paul was at the end of his life when he wrote this epistle, and he knew that Timothy would be in the position of continuing the work of Christ for God’s people. He reminded Timothy of power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the gifts that he, Timothy, had received when Paul had first laid hands upon him.

Paul reminded Timothy that the gifting of the Holy Spirit was continual, that he would be continually nourished, replenished, and revitalized as he fanned the flames of the Spirit within. This is what you and I must do as well. You have received gifts in the form of spiritual blessings! Ephesians 1:3(KJV) tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” To deny this is damnation to your soul, for it is to say that God did not do the miraculous work within you that He has declared in His Word to have done. To deny this is to deny the cross by which Christ have his life for us. To then sit on the empowerment of God's Spirit is further insult to injury.

God did not give us spiritual blessings so that we could neglect them. God’s exhortation to you is to begin to exercise by faith the gifts that He has given you. These are gifts of a spiritual nature. They come by way of prayer, study, and walking in righteousness. Sometimes it is the smallest thing that we can do to be a blessing, and we neglect it because we are looking for God to drop this huge wallop in our laps. No, God wants us to be attentive to the small things first, and those small things will gradually develop to make larger impacts. Now truly is your time to get behind closed doors and to pray until you are sure of your calling. Pray until the power of the Holy Spirit moves upon you in a way that extends the next step that God is calling you to take.

You’ve not yet attained all that God has in store for your life. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12 (NKJV), “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” We are to live a life dedicated to serve the Lord. We all want to think of ourselves as faith-filled Christians, but the truth is that we are works in progress. We are growing in the faith of Christ day-by-day, and this means that we must listen attentively for the voice of God. It means that we turn off the television, disconnect from social media, and give up all the negative stuff that consumes our time. These things can potentially cut us off from hearing and perceiving what the Spirit is saying.

Paul said in Philippians 3:13(NLT), “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” This is the one thing that consumed Paul’s focus. He knew that the things of the world are temporal, and that it was a waste of time to let those meaningless things rob him of getting his mind focused on the real things of importance—the spiritual things of Christ. How about you? Are you consumed with past mistakes and missteps, or are you staying--focusing your mind on getting clear about what God is requiring of you? Now is a perfect time to start, so that you don’t let another opportunity to be and receive a blessing slip by you.

Refocus your attention on the call of God that is on your life, and then rededicate your energy to do His Will. When you do this, your life will be reinvigorated with a new grove that embodies the words of Paul in Philippians 3:14(NLT) when he said, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Refocusing Your Attention on the Calling of God

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