Hey, it’s 2022! I wanna start by congratulating you and wishing you a happy new year. This is the year that the LORD has made and we shall rejoice and be glad in it.
I dedicate this post to every young Christian out there who in your walk with God, has sensed a call upon your life. Now, I don’t necessarily mean the pulpit ministry, I mean any strong calling on your life to fulfill purpose in some given area, and you know it is of God.
Here are 5 fundamental keys you want to give attention to this year to make your calling and election sure.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2 Peter 1:10 KJV
While these are not self-exhaustive in themselves, these five keys will however keep you within the confines and boundaries of your path to destiny as a young believer.
1. NEVER GO BACK TO YOUR VOMIT
Every called believer was once a drifting man/woman whom God called, washed-up, invested in, and entrusted with an assignment dear to His heart.
What are those habits, attitudes, actions, people, or environments of the past that you have been cleaned and washed off from? Those things each time you take a peek at, in your past, that cost you your precious peace with God rather than contributing anything positive to your life. Those things that each time you look back on, you feel ashamed and wonder how could I have descended so low? Yes, those things or that one thing (as the case may be) is of no more worth than a ‘pile of vomit’.
Going back to your vomit classifies you as a dog! It gets you eventually entangled in a repeated cycle of tripping and falling. No matter how many times God forgives you, you cannot win a 100meter race or even a marathon, tripping and falling multiple times. The Bible says to let go (forever) of every easily besetting sin. These are unnecessary weights that have cost you precious things in the past and will still cost you precious things in the future. No matter how enticing your vomit may appear, settle this once and for all – it will NEVER be your friend.
Your vomit is an eternal enemy that must be cut off forever! When this is done, you have just scratched the realms of winning in life.
How do you stay away from your vomit? Do not permit it around you. We were never admonished in scriptures to hang around the boundaries of sin, as a way of proving our strength and inability to fall.
No! We are admonished to resist the devil but flee temptations. Do not tempt yourself to stay around your vomit – it is vomit – it is not worth your attention anymore!
Now, make your new environment everything that pulls you to God and your divine assignment – first the Word and fellowship of the Spirit (make it regular and consistent – like a pill), then whatever else draws you closer to your true worth – people, books, TV programs, environments, etc
2. TRUST AND OBEY
One of the major lessons I learned in 2021 is to “trust and obey” God. Sometime in the last quarter of the year, I was at a HUET training – Helicopter underwater training. Meanwhile, I had never swum before in my life. This training involved lots of underwater maneuvers – being strapped to your seat in a dummy helicopter, being immersed underwater, holding your breath, and escaping through the window of the dummy helicopter having tumbled upside down inside the deep pool of water – all these about 6 different times.
For someone who had never ever swum before that day, this was such a feat and I did quite well in all these underwater maneuvers – why? Because I trusted in the instructors, their instructions, and the fact that they were present to deliver me if something went sour.
It was at the last stage where we were instructed to jump from a bit of a height, into the water at the count of three, that I suddenly voiced out – this one is called ‘trust and obey’. I had earlier asked lots of questions to seek clarifications surrounding my fears, after which I decided to trust in my life jacket, and then in the expertise/competence of the divers as well as their presence around to save me if needed. With this, I jumped in with others at the third count, even though I wasn’t an expert at holding my breath under water as such)
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit said to me, “If you could dive into the water not because you have the ability to sustain yourself in there, but because you trust in the ability of these divers and in the fact that they are present with you; why can’t you trust me this way? This is how I want you to trust Me – in your career, your job, your life decisions, etc – when I say jump, you jump – that’s the meaning of the song, Trust and Obey. The lesson sunk deep.
If we would achieve great feats for God, we must learn to trust in God’s ability and in His presence around us. For He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you… Learn to take the dive when he says jump – be it a career leap or whatever.
You are more secure trusting and obeying God than relying on your own senses, calculations and abilities.
3. DIVE IN WHEN THE WATER IS STIRRED
Each time God speaks, the backing of heaven and earth is present to assist you at that moment. Also, the empowerment or anointing to do what He has said is released upon you, the very moment He speaks.
And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.
Ezekiel 2:2
Each time God speaks, everything obeys. Remember this is the same God who calls the things that be not as though they were – and they become so. He created all things by the Word of His power! (His power has Words) So each time He instructs you, heaven and earth align to back you up because they recognize and obey the voice that brought them into existence in the first place. Now though our bodies were made from earthen containers, our spirit-man/woman was also breathed and spoken into being.
This is why our spirit-man is also empowered with the anointing to perform God’s bidding each time He speaks. However, in dealing with man, God gave us the rare gift of choice – hence though our spirits be fired up, we have the choice to either move our bodies to prompt obedience to Him or procrastinate action or even ignore His voice altogether.
Many a time, we end up obeying at our own timing when it is too late.
The voice of God is like the pool of Bethesda, once He speaks the water is stirred, everything aligns. It is he/she who dives in first that gets the miracle. When we delay obedience, we end up diving in after the stirring is over. Taking action at that time is akin to exerting your own human efforts. Like any other man/woman out there – the anointing and supernatural backing of God alongside the backing of all the elements of creation is probably over. We end up acting in the arm of the flesh and hence see little or no results eventually. All this, because we dived in late.
When we delay obedience, we end up diving in after the stirring is over. Taking action at that time is akin to exerting your own human efforts. Like any other man/woman out there – the anointing and supernatural backing of God alongside the backing of all the elements of creation, is probably over.
Nonso Aniamaka
In the year 2022, one of the best gifts you can give yourself in order to command supernatural results with ease, is to dive in while the water is stirred!
4. TAKE BABY STEPS IF SO
Sometimes, we get stuck in the ever-planning stage of preparation for what God has already asked us to do. We end up being so busy preparing or planning that we never really do.
The idea behind MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is that at every time t, there is always a product version that can be released into the market. This helps organizations and startups to avoid the trap of preparing to launch out big or go live.
Many a time, what keeps us from launching out when God speaks is the idea of continuous refinement and improvement. trying to perfect our product. The truth is there would always be improvements to bring onboard your product or assignment – whatever it is you have heard from God. It is however better to release the first version and let the improvements come in as newer versions in the future. After all, your audience will get bored with you and your product if were onboarded after a while.
Stop killing your ideas to a standstill in the name of preparation. Preparation elongated by repeated improvements is one of the greatest killers of destiny and dreams. Remember when God speaks, dive in. Prepare and release your original version as heard from God, as you release subsequent improvements, your audience will grow and celebrate your excellence.
The difference: Excellence is continuous improvement seen, perfection is continuos imporvemnt unseen/unreleased. Excellence will take you places, perfection will ground your dreams. You can change your extreme perfectionism into excellence by releasing/taking baby steps. Get your MVP out there!
5. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH YOUR DREAMS. STAY INSPIRED
Whatever reminds you of the glory ahead, inspires your heart to dream and take action; surround yourself with that thing. Put it before your face. Be it quotes, cut-out pictures, specific friends, environments and places, physical ambience, specific books, TV programs (set a timer), etc.
Until you magnify the vision and the glory ahead, you would have the propensity to keep getting distracted and falling off your course.
Remember, we’ve said earlier to never stay around your vomits, there is nothing to admire in them.
Here is what you do, you replace the splashes of vomits around you (in your environment) with the new pictures, new imageries, new people, and whatever else that act as reminders of the glory ahead, inspiring you to take action. This was Jesus’ own secret and the Bible says we should look up to His pattern – Him being the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
Putting these to practice, you would be on your path to making full proof of our calling/ministry as given to you from the LORD.
Have a beautiful and fulfilling year ahead.
A Happy New Year once again.
Keep living on purpose!
Nonso Aniamaka,
Web Author, WiseWatchers.com