KEEP AN ATTITUDE OF FAITH

When I was called to the ministry, I wanted to tell
everybody. When I did so, I was met with a lot of unbelief.
But when God speaks a word to us, there is no doubt in
our heart what we are supposed to do. We must maintain
faith in what God tells us, even when no one else believes
it with us.
Paul had been persecuting Christians and was not a likely
person to be called to preach. If I had been one of Paul’s
peers, I would have had a hard time believing that he was
called. He knew what the reaction to his ministry would
be, so he wrote:
But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even]
before I was born and had called me by His grace (His
undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased
to reveal (unveil, disclose) His Son within me so that I
might proclaim Him among the Gentiles (the non-Jewish
world) as the glad tidings (Gospel), immediately I did not
confer with flesh and blood [did not consult or counsel
with any frail human being or communicate with
anyone]. Nor did I [even] go up to Jerusalem to those who
were apostles. (Galatians 1:15-17)

Paul said that he kept the news of his calling to himself; he
didn’t check it out with “the big guys” who were supposed
to always be hearing from God. He knew what God had
done with him on that road to Damascus. He knew that he
had been changed forever (see Acts 9:3-8). He knew that
the Son of God had been unveiled and disclosed on the
inside of him. He knew that he could never go back to the
life he had lived. He knew that for the rest of his life he
would have to preach the gospel and remain faithful to
what he had heard Jesus say to him.

But he also had wisdom to know people would find his
calling unbelievable. So he waited on God. He didn’t go
running around checking with the other disciples, saying,
“Hey guys, I saw a light on the road and fell off my horse
and this happened and that happened. What do you all
think?” Instead, he went away and retired into Arabia.
Afterward he came back to Damascus. Three years later,
he did “go up to Jerusalem to become [personally]
acquainted with Cephas (Peter), and remained with him
for fifteen days” (Galatians 1:18).
Paul kept God’s Word in his heart and let it grow and
manifest on its own. Then he started doing what he was
called to do. Soon others recognized that the calling on
him must have been from God. Paul finished by saying,
“And they glorified God [as the Author and Source of what
had taken place] in me” (Galatians 1:24).

People often say they want confirmation when God
speaks to them, citing the biblical rule that we should
expect every word to be confirmed by two or three
witnesses (see 2 Corinthians 13:1). But that Scripture
about two or three witnesses has nothing to do with
hearing from God. It was intended for the purpose of
correction when an accusation was being brought against
a Christian. If a believer was being accused of doing
something wrong, accusation was not to be believed
unless it was confirmed by two or three other believers.
Finding two or three witnesses was never used in
reference to seeking counsel for God’s direction in the life
of an individual Christian. When we hear from God, we
do not need to wait for three people to tell us the same
thing; we simply need to have an attitude of faith, like
Paul, and wait for God to show us the next step.
Sometimes people want God to confirm their calling with
a sign, as Gideon did when he laid out a fleece on the
threshing floor (Judges 6:36-40). God honored Gideon’s
request, but it wasn’t God’s best. When Thomas was full of
doubt, saying he had to see before he believed, Jesus said
to him, “‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
have believed’” (John 20:29 NIV).

God will do some special things for us when we are young
Christians, but as we mature in our knowledge of God’s
leading, He is pleased when we learn to operate in faith.
Sometimes people open their Bible at random, hoping it
opens to a Scripture that is relevant to their situation.
They are afraid to proceed in faith with what God has told
them to do. There were times in the past when God would
honor such requests for signs, but that “well” of
reassurance will dry up real quickly when it’s time to
simply act in faith.
I had to learn how to be led by my inner man. As the
apostle Paul said, “My conscience bears me witness in the
Holy Spirit” (see Romans 9:1). That is the only
confirmation that we are required to have when God calls
us to do something.
“‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
believed.’”

I like the way my pastor, Rick Shelton, said he operated.
When he thought he heard from God, he would say, “I am
not going to move on this until I know for sure that it fits
inside.” Everything that is right for our lives has a place
on the inside of us, where it is going to settle comfortably.
God may call us to do something we don’t always like in
the flesh, but deep inside it will give us pleasure if it is
truly a calling from God. For example, I am not eager to
stay in hotel rooms every weekend, because to me they all
look alike, but I know what I am called to do. I am excited
about preaching, so I don’t think about the parts of my
ministry that are less pleasant.
There is a deep desire on the inside of me that is settled
with any inconvenience associated with my calling. I
know I have to stay in hotels in order to do what I love to
do.
God may call you into things that you are not be used to
doing. You may be scared in the natural, but you will feel
that what you are doing fits inside with everything else
that God has developed in you. An attitude of faith will
keep you moving toward the fulfillment of your calling.