Do You Know Who You Are Called To Be?

When you feel like a SLAVE to sin, addiction, and/or failure... realize God is calling you out of that encampment! And, one of the ways He may do it is through a leader or mentor who sees in you what you can not see in yourself.

We all need voices in our life that will refuse to allow us to settle, even if the attempts to bring change seem to make things worse before the situation gets better.

“Moses said, 'Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” Exodus‬ ‭5:23‬ ‭

But, never settle. Soldier, you are not called to slavery. However, you are called to fight the good fight of faith (Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Timothy 4:7).

Rise up. Your circumstance does not define your destiny. Onward and upward!

“The Lord said, “Lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt LIKE AN ARMY”

Exodus‬ ‭6:26‬ ‭

A Remedy for the Feeling of Worthlessness

The Apostle Paul, when writing to the Church at Rome, described the condition of the human race when the Grace of God is absent:

…as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become WORTHLESS; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭10-18‬ ESV)

We are all desperate for Grace, lest this becomes our own biography. Thankfully, Paul presented through the good news of the Gospel, a remedy for our worthlessness:

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23-25‬ ESV)

Salvation is not complicated. To receive the Grace of God for the justification of all sins, one must meet only one conditional response of God:

IF you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. (‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9-10‬ ESV)

1. 1- BELIEVE in your Heart

2. 2- CONFESS with your Mouth

3. 3- You will be SAVED

This is my prayer for you: Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬ ESV)

What To Do When You Want Peace

“Benaiah... had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did and won a name among three mighty men. He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.” - II Samuel 23:20-23 NKJV

Benaiah was a man of significant prowess; specifically in the realm of warfare. Intriguingly his name means, “Son of the Lord.” It brings to mind a statement that Jesus once made about children of God,

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” - Matthew 9:5

Notice he did not say, peacekeeper, he said peacemaker. There is a difference between the two. To make peace, one sometimes can not keep the peace -- he first must make war. Benaiah was a peacemaker!

We all want peace. We long for it. In fact, surveys say it is the thing we long for most in our relationships. But, peace doesn’t just happen. It isn’t passive, it is active. Sometimes, we must fight for it! And, according to Jesus, doing so, proves we are blessed children of the Lord.

CONSIDER:

Sometimes, you have to make war to make peace.

• Is there a new intensity that needs to come to your prayer life? (Ref. Ephesians 6; James 5:16)

• Do you need to take captive thoughts that are hindering your peace? (2 Corinthians 10:5)