Walking out our calling in Christ can sometimes be difficult. With all the dynamics of trying to figure out where we fit or who we are, there are some keys to remaining grounded in our gifts. 

While some may have a firm grasp on their gifts and calling, others may be trying to figure it out. Whatever the case, these keys are crucial to constantly revert to - in any season (of promotion or pruning). Whether we’re shepherding a ministry or just getting saved, these keys will also provide a safeguard for your heart. These are in a sense, a covering for all gifts and callings to flow.

 

SECRET PLACE

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea…”  1 Corinthians 10:1

Moses was a type of an apostle. He received the blueprint of heaven and carried out the plans like an army general. He was able to appoint and delegate the complex system of the tabernacle as well as the journey in the wilderness.  However, just after he received the plans from his father-in-law to delegate and lead rightly (Exodus 18), the Lord led him up to the mountain. Exodus 19  Yahweh wanted a leader who would lead from the place of encounter. 

Psalm 91  .  Moses was more mobile than any father in the faith, yet he still writes about the secret place. He had the largest following of any OT minister, yet still penned the secret place Psalm. Jesus, the greater Moses, a man of highest demands, stayed close to Abba. 

It’s also interesting that two of the more prominent apostles in the New Testament were Peter and John. We see (in Acts 3) that they walked in extraordinary power as they healed the sick and raised up the lame. Later, they were the team sent to strengthen the church in the word and ways of God. Acts 8:14-25  Peter and John were among the three who went up to the mountain with Jesus, where He transfigured before their very eyes.  Matthew 17

As we live from the mountain, we can pull people into that encounter. We can’t lead people where we haven’t been. Peter and John didn't have to bring him into the temple to heal the man, rather they did it right there on the spot. They ministered from the secret place, the mountain.

“I didn’t get into full time ministry. I just love Jesus all the time.”  -Todd White

The church was birthed out of encounter. Acts 2  Fiery prayer and blazing preaching and evangelism is our portion. This is our inheritance!  Our fathers (those who made a mark on history) remained under the cloud and we can do the same. He who dwells…

"To desire revival & at the same time to neglect personal prayer & devotion, is to wish one way & walk another." -A.W. Tozer

 

SONSHIP

Jesus had to hear “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3) before He could go into wilderness. The Father didn’t say, “This is My beloved revivalists…” or “This is My beloved apostle…”  He said, “This is My SON.”  

In the Hebrew culture, when a father wanted to hand the business over to his son, he would take him down to the town square with friends and family around, and would announce the transaction. Upon announcing this, he would seal it by saying “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”  The pleasure was an indicator of the fathers trust in the son taking over his (business and life) affairs.

The Father’s affirmation of Sonship (acceptance) was Jesus’ bread for His upcoming fast that He would undergo in the dry desert. 

In the same way, we must hear His affirmation that we are His children - it is paramount. Jesus knew His place was to be the King of the earth, but was anchored in the reality that He was first a Son. Jesus reigned from a family dynamic. He was able to resist the temporary promise of satan to inherit the kingdoms because He trusted the good promise of the Father.  Callings are good and are necessary, but much more critical to hear is the affirmation of the Father, that we are sons and daughters.

Just before Jesus enters the wilderness and upon receiving the Fathers affirmation, a dove descends and rests on Jesus, the Lamb. “The dove is a symbol for both meekness and purity. Two gentle animals are pictured at the baptism of Jesus, a dove resting on a Lamb. If you want the presence of the Dove you need to have the nature of the Lamb” 

 

SERVANTHOOD

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  1 Peter 4:10

In one of the “keys to cultivating fullness,” I wrote: Servanthood is the fuel for an equipping culture to thrive. In the kingdom, the more you are apportioned with, the more you are called to serve and pour out your life to others. The “higher” position we receive means the lower we go. Paul, calling himself an apostle, associated himself as the “least of all the saints.”  Ephesians 3:8  Jesus classified the “least among you” as the greatest.  Luke 9:48

The Christian race is one to the bottom. In fact, the higher the office, means the more hidden that person carrying the office is. 

It’s never to be about being seen in more board meetings, but more hidden in prayer meetings.  

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45

Christ is the perfect example of what it means to be a servant - He is perfect theology. He was the perfect ransom. In the wilderness, Jesus entered satans’ domain for a time - satan tried to abort the process of redeeming mankind. He presented Christ with a “ransom note” in the wilderness, promising him personal gain and greater power if he would fall down and worship him. He promised Him the kingdoms because he owned them. 

However, Christ resisted the devil and in a sense, He denied the ransom note. Mark writes about it and says, “He came… to serve, and to give His life a ransom…”  Jesus knew His place as the perfect Son who stood already accepted and affirmed as the King of the earth. He just had to endure the temptation. 

 

CONCLUSION

It’s time to get up on the mountain and remain there. From this ascended place, we can hear the Fathers voice, and as sons and daughters, we serve from that overflow. In the Kingdom, children who have been crowned as kings make the best servants. 

The heavens have been open and we have been affirmed. Let’s lean into these realities and walk out our calling in Christ.  Surrender ties all these things together. It is as if He says, “Blessed are those who surrender.”

-RA