Formed, Known, Called, Sanctified & Ordained

This morning while preparing my Daily ENC Devotion for my local church and FB followers, a great study sparked my mind, and this is what THE LORD shared with me, from the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah, starting on verse four.

“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ Then said I: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me:

“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. ⁸ Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you,” says the Lord.

⁹ Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me:

“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. ¹⁰ See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

My friend that reads this today, these ARE NOT my own words, they ARE GOD’s.

·       HE is the ONE who Formed us.

·       HE is the ONE who Knew us.

·       HE is the ONE who Called us.

·       HE is the ONE who Sanctified us.

·       HE is the ONE who Ordained us.

To do what?! You might ask, and the answer is:

1.     To worship HIM, first, for forming, knowing, calling, sanctifying, and ordaining us even before we were born.

2.     To prophesize, Merriam-Webster dictionary, defines this term as:

• ü  To utter by or as if by divine inspiration
• ü  To predict with assurance
• ü  To speak as if divinely inspired
• ü  To give instruction in religious matters:  Preach 
• ü  To make a prediction

3.     To root out

4.     To pull down

5.     To destroy

6.     To throw down

7.     To build

8.     To plant

In our humanity, we might think we aren’t qualified to do all this, but the truth is that we must remember the ONE who called us is powerful enough to create something beautiful like nature, out of nothing but only HE just spoke it into existence. HIS word is enough to make things happen; and if HE decided before hand that we were to be prophets, that’s just enough for us to believe it. After we believe this, it’s just a matter of developing that personal relationship with our CREATOR, so we can understand what exactly is it that we ought to do. There are not two patterns alike among us humans, this means each of us, though we might look alike, we will have things in common but not exactly the same.  Said this, as prophets the common denominator is what we will serve others is THE WORD of GOD. Not only we will talk about how we ought to love our neighbors, but we will also demonstrate that we love our neighbor enough to help them and maybe cover a need might be having at the moment. If we have some goodies and snacks in our backpack, and we find a hungry homeless out there, as we share God’s love, a tangible way we can show our love and our care for them, is to share our goods with them. Sometimes not only The Word will be spoken but always supported with our actions.  And there are countless ways this Word will be served to the world and it will vary from one another, and depending on the area HE had called, planted us to serve it at.   

For example, if a person has been called to preach/teach The Word to the blind, this person might have a hidden or already known desire to learn to use Braille Language; maybe even have a blind person in the family or close by. (Braille is a tactile writing system, used of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision.) If the desire is being known, maybe when college and career selection times comes this is the path they want to follow. And see, this is a very different approach that someone who has a called to speak to kindergartener or to the elderly that aren’t blind has. If you’ve been called to speak to inmates in jail, you will have to have some skills indwelled you, that not many have.  

Not to mention, that to root, pull, destroy, throw, build, and to plant, you must have some skills.  And you might think you need to have them all, but the truth is we all have them to a certain extent, but we have NOT been called to be expert in each and every one of those, because the ONLY PERFECT One was JESUS and HE was crucified! And if each one of us would have the complete set of skills, there would be no need for us to be even alive, because that one person, could minister the entire world; and that’s not the case. THE LORD’s word in Romans 12:4 explains: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function”. 1Corinthians 12:12-28 talks about the body and its essential need for all the parts to be connected, I'm not going to get into details about it, but check it out:

“²⁰ But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. ²³ And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, ²⁴ but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵ that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. ²⁸ And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Since GOD IS who CREATED us, HE is the One who had indwelled in us some of these skills.  Our duty here, is get in communion with HIM, for HIM to reveal to us in a clear way the path HE wanted us to follow. Because if I tell you I want you to become the president but I do not explain you the duties and responsibilities of the position must likely you will not perform your job as required, cause you’re not aware of the details. This is the main reason for my next point here, we need to meet with HE who has given us the ordination to get the insides of the calling.

But again, for this, we MUST set some time apart from anything, and anyone, in a place where no distractions will take away our senses. We can have an instrumental music in the background is you do not want to “hear” the silent or the air flow “noise” … then start by giving THE LORD thanks. Thanks for the moment, for the air you’re breathing in, the eye sight, and for the revelation HE will give you while you’re seeking HIS face, and for everything else that comes to your mind including a repentant heart, that says “I’m sorry Lord for ….” And then confess HIM your sins. This is essential because, would you be willing to give me something that I ask you, after I’ve been mean and disrespectful to you? NO! Well, just to make sure The Lord is willing to answer our prayers, we better clean our hearts, before we ask HIM to give us something. 

With a clean heart, we come to ask, and we shall receive an answer (Matthew 7:7). It’s very helpful if you be ready with paper and pen at hand, so you can record what HE will speak to you; the ideas, names of people, places or things, because HE will bring these, and you really do not want to forget what HE says to. And I know some of you believe your mind is so sharp that you do not need to write it, but I can tell you, that depending on my own understanding which is what proverbs 3:5-6 says NOT TO, I had forgotten important details of revealed things, and at the end, remembering those, had brought me nothing for a reason to repent for trusting on my own instead of using the resources HE had given me…. 

End with a short or long prayer, worshiping HIM for what HE had given you in this “Private Time” with HIM. Times like this one, is not only good to have once in a blue moon, or when you have questions, but often, VERY often. In fact, shorter sessions of this “Private Time” MUST BE incorporated to our DAILY life, then, and only then the lifestyle we live will be pleasing HIM who created us.  And who cares, if so and so don’t like us to have times like this? You still make it because that ONE who you’re having the time with is the ONE WHO GIVES YOU THE BREATH you’re having right now. And when you leave so and so, for HIM who gives you breath, that means you are placing HIM above anything or anyone, and my friend, this is an act of WORSHIP! By the way, THE LORD LOVES us to worship HIM!!! So, GO FOR IT!!! 

I'm praying for us to be obedient to our Heavenly Father's call, in JESUS name, AMEN!