Called & Commissioned

"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...For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak." Jeremiah 1:5 & 7b

Jeremiah's call and commissioning is a popular passage of scripture that we love to quote. When the Lord led me to it recently, I read it and asked Him what He wanted me to learn. As I read it over several times, I truly sensed that chapter one is a rhema word for the body of Christ. It is a reminder that we are called and have been set apart to preach the Gospel to the entire world. As I spent time in prayer, the Lord highlighted several things to me that pertain to the year 2020 and I'd like to share them.

The first is the assurance that you have been called and set apart. Keep this truth before you as you embark on every venture God has called you to in this year. You have been divinely called and chosen to be a child of God and the quality of everything you do, stems from that place of identity. Do not doubt that you are called. For some of us, we have spent months seeking the Lord, receiving revelation concerning our destinies and now that it has come time to step out in faith, we have been hesitating and it's because we doubt our ability. Newsflash: it's not about our "ability". God is saying to us what He said to Jeremiah. "I knew you. I formed you. I sanctified you and I ordained you. You are called and equipped."

The second thing the Lord wants to confront is our fear of people and their opinions. Jeremiah gave the excuse that he was too young but in God's response, we see the root of that excuse exposed. Jeremiah was afraid of what people would say if he obeyed the Lord...if he suddenly popped up "out of nowhere" claiming to be a prophet. Many of us may not be called to be prophets but all of us are called to do something. Let's not make excuses because we are afraid of what people may think or how they may react to our obedience. I hear clearly the Lord saying, "do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you." Take the leap of faith and do what the Lord has commanded.

For many of us, God is saying, "I have put My words in your mouth. I have equipped and trained you in secret and now is the time for your unveiling." Let us not run from our season of release. Instead, let us step boldly into what God has called us to.

Thirdly, God warned Jeremiah that there would be opposition. He said, "they will fight against you but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you to deliver you." Opposition does not mean that you are not called. In fact, it's part and parcel of what obedience entails. For many of us, the areas where God is sending us are filled with darkness and He's sending us to be lights in that darkness and to speak the uncomfortable truths that many don't want to hear. But we have the assurance that the ones who fight against us, will not prevail. We may look small and insignificant to others but as we walk in obedience, God will make paths for us and deliver us from the traps of every opposer.

I sense that in this season many have been called and are being deployed into our specific spheres of influence. I see it as a mass deployment of missionaries but it will not look like we expect it to. The Lord will send many into the realm of entertainment and business to reach those who have been previously untouched by the reality of the Gospel. Prepare to see many affluent people come into the knowledge of God and do not scorn them. God is preparing to sit his people at tables they had not previously dreamed of and it will not be for show. He will do it so that these people will be a voice for Him wherever they go.

There is an army of missionaries who have been trained in the secret place with God and who are armed with the Word of the Lord. This will be a year of believers once again turning the world upside down, if in fact, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our hearts pure from the love of money.