"THE CALL"

Deuteronomy 6:4

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And we must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat the again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (NLT).

“THE CALL”

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat this again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Praise the Lord everyone! The Bible says, let everything that has breath praise the Lord (Psalms 150). Let us praise the Lord together on this beautiful day that the Lord has made. I want to encourage you today, wherever you are, to let nothing keep you from giving the Lord your all. If you are on your job, in the supermarket, or on the bus, let everything that has breath praise the name JESUS, HALLELUJAH!

As children of God, “THE CALL” to wholeheartedly make a commitment to the Lord is an honor and a privilege. Yet it comes, with a sacrifice of an obedient spirit; that no matter the cost we must submit to “THE CALL.” In the life of Jesus' disciples, as they started to follow Christ, it required a complete life change. Matthew 4:19-23 (NLT) states, “Jesus called out to them, come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed Him. A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And He called them to come too. They immediately followed Him, leaving the boat and their father behind. Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness.”

 If you are a follower of Christ, think about the drastic change that shifted the lives of the disciples. Many were very close to their loved ones, friends, and their jobs. However, the Spirit of God caused their faith to be activated, to trust that God would provide needed provisions no matter the cost. The disciple’s faith was activated as they heard the Word of God to answer “THE CALL.” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Yet Romans 10:16-17 tells us, “...not everyone welcomes the Good News”, just as  Isaiah the Prophet said, " Lord, who has believed our message?”

As the Lord spoke to me about today's message, He revealed the importance of “THE CALL.” Many times we can get caught up with our own agenda and lose track of our true reason for living. No matter where we are in this life, God expects us to adapt to His plan. As we desire a deeper relationship with the Lord, He will fill us with a hunger to love Him with all our hearts. John 14:15-17 states, “If you love me, you will obey my commandment. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper who will be with you forever. That Helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him because it doesn’t see or know Him. You know Him, because He lives with you and in you.” When we answer “THE CALL”, our first step is that we must believe. On the day of Pentecost, men cried out, “What must we do to be saved?”, because they heard the Gospel (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) and it pricked their hearts. With boldness and being full of the Holy Ghost, Peter preached the plan of Salvation (Acts 2:38-39, KJV), declaring,”……Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

People of God, this promise is for you and me! You cannot buy it, because it is for free. Hallelujah, the gift of salvation cannot be bought. It was paid in full so we can be given eternal life. Oh, what joy that fills my soul that we have this blessed hope of salvation, when this mortal body shall leave this world, we will be given a glorified body. Our glorified bodies will be imperishable, honorable, and powerful. It will no longer be “natural” bodies, subject to decay and death; we will live in victory over sin and death that was won by Christ on our behalf (1 Corinthians 15:57). We will be changed and transformed by the power of God, when Christ returns.

 I am excited to encourage you with this Word because the Bible says, “Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (Matthew 10:7-8)

My testimony for this week: The bible says, “….Ye have not, because ye ask not.”(James 4:2, KJV). Have you ever needed a getaway vacation so bad? Well, these past months, I’ve been craving just that. Recently, I was given the opportunity to visit the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, an island I had heard wonderful things about, so I was very excited to visit. Upon arrival I started to give God thanks for the opportunity to get away, because as a servant of the Lord I find myself on the go with limited time dedicated to my personal desires because the Lord’s work MUST be done. On the island I went on a day trip by ferry to a place called Bequia to have a tour of places around the Island. As I sat on the ferry, I felt a push from the Lord, leading me to stand up and proclaim the Gospel to the people. People of God, I was so nervous but I started to ask the Lord to please give me boldness. After about 5 minutes I felt the strength to stand up and seek the attention of everyone around me. I started off by saying, “I am a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, here on this beautiful island visiting for the very first time. However, my trip here would be in vain, if I didn’t tell you that Jesus is coming back and to take heed to the plan of salvation (Acts 2:38)- so that your souls will be saved.” While speaking I felt the Spirit of God take full control of me. Some of the people were receptive and some looked at me as if I was crazy. However, I have a made up mind to always obey the Lord, no matter the cost. Was this easy? No, actually it wasn’t, but I know that I can do all things through Christ who is in me.

In Deuteronomy 6:4, the Lord commanded Moses to tell the people, “You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following His instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live in the land you are about to enter and occupy” (Deuteronomy 5:32-33). In the Beginning of Deuteronomy 6, Moses starts to tell the people the commands God told him to teach them. It was a call of a wholehearted commitment to the Lord, expected from His people who had answered “THE CALL”.

So are you struggling with fear, anxiety, or doubt that keeps you stagnant from obeying “THE CALL”? My encouragement and sincere praying for you today is that your faith will be activated as you grow deeper in the Lord by hearing the Word of God. I pray that your faith fails not and that you RISE to a place you’ve never experienced before.

 Let us keep this in mind, that OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE and ANSWERING "THE CALL" YOU ARE ALWAYS ON CALL FOR JESUS!

God Bless you always!

John 10:27-28 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand"(KJV).