"COMMISSIONED"
Isaiah 49:1-4
Isaiah 49:1 “Listen to me, all you in distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.”
God had our callings/His dream for our life planned and set-forth everything we’d need to fulfill it before we were born. God knew every detail our lives and He called us (placed within our hearts a desire to fulfill that purpose/calling while we were still in our mother’s womb). The reason the lives of so many people are in shambles is because they haven’t given their heart to God and began pursuing the plan He has for their life....their true purpose and calling. When people reject God and are pursuing their own thing, that desire within them to fulfill their true God given purpose rages. They can’t find satisfaction in anything...though they try to fill that incompleteness with drugs, sex, alcohol, career, children, spouse, money, whatever..... they are never satisfied because all those things are not what they need or are truly yearning for. Everything else is a pseudo or counterfeit of the real thing....Jesus. That’s why movie stars and millionaires have everything money can buy but are still miserable and unhappy. I think of Brittney Spears as a perfect example. She has everything but nothing at the same time.
Isaiah 49:2 “ He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.”
Our mouths and the words we speak out of them are our weapon to defeat the enemy and further God’s Kingdom and complete are call. Not to mention cause us to live a blessed, fulfilled life, walking in all the promises of God. The NIV’s translation for this verse says (“He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,”). Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.”) When we speak out the Word of God over our lives, pray in tongues and/or follow God’s prompting in specific things to pray, we are waging war against the powers of darkness, we are releasing the Spirit of God and Heavenly forces to work on changing circumstances, set people free, send healing, tear down strongholds and to change not only our lives, but the lives of those around us and even the world. Like a sword or judgement, the power in words cuts straight to the problem. Words are our faith in action.....believe it, speak it and anticipate it’s happening. The NLT uses the word “judgement” in this verse. Judgement is defined as a formal utterance of an authoritative opinion; and opinion so pronounced. We are endowed with power from God through Jesus Christ. We have been given authority and power (Luke 10:19 “And I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”) (2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”). So what we speak becomes reality (good or bad). Kind of like a decree from a king. Whenever a king sets forth a decree, those in authority in his kingdom would repeat those decrees and they had be followed by everyone just as if the king personally spoke them.
Second half of that verse:
We are protected and shielded from the enemy, by God. Just like the arrows in a warrior’s quiver (case used for carrying arrows) we are concealed, covered and safely carried until time for battle. When the warrior is ready to attack an enemy, he removes an arrow and fires it at his enemy. That’s what our words/prayers are in Kingdom of God. Our words become the weapon that tears down and defeats the enemy.
Isaiah 49:3 “He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.’”
By using our words and prayer to come against the enemy, God will be given glory when He manifests the fruit of the words we’ve spoken and shows His power. People see God through us and moving in our lives by the fruit our lives yield and by our actions. We are sort of like a walking billboard advertisement for God.
Isaiah 49:4 “I replied, ‘But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust, God for my reward.’”
This is something I’ve battled with recently..... I’m not seeing immediate results/manifestation to my prayers (sowing, speaking the Word, etc) so my brain starts to wonder if I’m doing something wrong. The enemy comes at you at these gestation times (times that we are waiting for fruit/our harvest/manifestation to be birthed ) and whispers that we’re wasting our time in prayer; that it’s not doing any good and not changing anything. He’ll even try condemnation and say stuff like, if you were really spiritual or really living the way you were supposed to, you’d be seeing some results. (Hebrews 11:1 “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.”) Just because we don’t see anything with our natural eye doesn’t mean something is happening and things aren’t changing. (Mark 4:26-29 “Jesus also said, ‘Here is another illustration of what the Kingdom of God is like: A farmer planted seeds in a field, and then he went on with his other activities. As the days went by, the seeds sprouted and grew without the farmer’s help, because the earth produces crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle.’”) Our prayers are the seed we scatter. Our job, like the farmer is to plant those seeds...it’s God’s job to make them grow and manifest. Just like different types of plants have different gestation periods, so do the seeds we plant. Different seeds have different growth rates/harvest times and a lot of different variables can affect their growth. Some of these variables are: 1)the soil they’re planted in- is it good soil, full of nutrients and capable of producing fruit? Did you sow seed into something that can actually produce? 2) the amount of rainfall - is their a flow of the Word and prayer being poured into you/onto the seed? 3) The season - certain seeds are planted at certain times of the year and will only produce fruit in a certain season/time of the year. If a crop produced fruit too soon, like during a time of year that its frosts...that crop would be ruined. Same thing with us. Some things we’re believing for could possibly negatively affect us if it manifested right away. For example, what would’ve happened to Joyce Meyer if her ministry would have exploded a month after she got saved? What would’ve happened if she hadn’t had any time to grow and learn and was suddenly thrust into the huge full time, global ministry she has now? I’m pretty sure it would’ve fallen apart and collapsed under pressure because she wouldn’t have been prepared for such a huge responsibility. (Matthew 25:21 “The master was full of praise. Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”). Let me make something very clear....I am not saying that Joyce “earned” her ministry or that she had to work and pay a penance before she could step into her calling & ministry. We can’t earn anything we’re believing God for or do enough work to cause our seed to produce. It’s like a new car... you’re not going to give you’re 8 year old a brand new car & say...hey go have fun driving and just turn him loose!!! You love your child but you’re not going to give them something they aren’t ready for yet. You do it for their own protection. You want to bless them not hurt them. It’s those times of waiting for our harvest to manifest that you just have to trust God. You have to turn it over to Him and know that God is faithful to fulfill all of His promises. He is not a liar and can be counted on.
(Hebrews 10:14 “For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”)
Something very important to keep in mind is that you don’t have to be “perfect” to be commissioned and fulfill your calling. We know that we are made righteous/perfect when we accept Jesus into our hearts. His blood makes us spotless. However, that perfectness reflected outwardly in us takes time. Sin residue and self are worked out of us as we know God better. (Colossians 1:9 & 10 “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”) Our faith walk and calling fulfillment is a process. I was thinking the other day how far God has brought me and how much I’ve changed, grown and learned since I was first saved the Sunday before September 11, 2001. I am definitely a new creation in Christ Jesus. I can’t relate to or even recognize the old me compared to who I am now. Does that mean I’m perfect and never mess up and never lose my temper or always handle every situation exactly the way Christ would? Heck no! I still blow it. However, the frequency and severity of my mess ups have dramatically lessened. I’m still amazed sometimes at my reaction to situations and how I handle things that used to make me totally lose it. Now, I’m just sort of like “huh, isn’t that nice.” :)
In closing, let me encourage you to not become discouraged at your progress or get frustrated or stressed out that things are not manifesting at the speed you think is acceptable or meeting the standard you have in your head. (Zechariah 4:6-10 “Then he said to me, ‘This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: Its is not by force nor by strength but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place the people will shout: “May God bless it! May God bless it!’” Then another message came to me from the Lord: ‘Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sent me. Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.’”). Verse 6 of this scripture is my scripture. It is seriously the theme scripture for my life. I cannot tell you how many times God has spoken that scripture to me. So many times we run ourselves ragged trying to make things happen in the natural and by fleshly measures, when it’s a spiritual work that flesh can’t handle. Recently I was having one of those moments of fighting discouragement and feeling much like Isaiah, in Isaiah 49:4 listed above. It was one of those moments that things seemed a mess and that I was like a dog chasing my tail....seeing no headway or improvement or change in circumstances in the time frame I thought things should be happening. Then I started reading my Bible & the above passage of scripture leapt off the page at me and God so sweetly reminded me this journey and assignment of mine is a process. Step by step I am fulfilling the call of God. He reminded me that He’s not dissatisfied or disappointed with my progress... As a matter of fact, it gave God great joy to see my small beginnings back in 2001 and it continues to make Him smile at each new step I make. He also let me know that He will complete this work within me and His power will see me through the completing of my calling/assignment. Don’t set time frames or boundaries on your process. Simply listen for and follow God’s leading. God is never late or too early...He is always right on time!!!
-Faith Flowers
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