THE TIME TO BE PREPARED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT
"JOHN GREW UP AND BECAME STRONG IN THE SPIRIT. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel."
Luke 1:80 (NLT)
Some of the things that precede promotion or lifting in the kingdom are knowledge and prayer. The level of knowledge you are able to acquire, prepared and positioned you for promotion and greatness. Thus, If you wanted to move to a greater height in life and the ministry, do not stop learning!
Build your daily agenda around learning: reading the material of proven authors and listening to articulated speakers.
As you study and listen to God's Word, you are unknowingly building yourself up and preparing yourself for lifting and promotion.
If promotion would be done in any organization, usually they first of all consider those who have gone for trainings and have additional certificates for such promotion, before considering those who do not have any other thing.
Likewise, when God is in need of who to use and send for a particular work, to reach a certain class of people, or to reach an area or a community, a city, a nation, or a continent; He would want to consider the preparedness of His sons or servants who are available, before He chooses whoever to send.
Whatever has been revealed to you that you would be, or the place or height you would reach; you should know that you are not ready for it yet, you would need to be prepared for the work or the place God is taking you.
Your preparation will hasten, speed up, the realization or the fulfilment of whatever God has purposed and revealed to you. To assume the whatever role God has purposed you to play in the overall plan He has for His kingdom on earth, you have to be prepared.
You cannot be promoted, or given a responsibility which you are not ready or prepared for.
God will do the preparation, however, you have to cooperate with Him and make yourself available for whatever training that is needed.
God will give you the opportunity or access to learn, be taught and trained; howbeit, the ball is in your court to decide whether to embrace the opportunity, or allow it to slip through your hands.
For you to be approved by God, you have to study the His Word:
"STUDY AND DO YOUR BEST TO PRESENT YOURSELF TO GOD APPROVED, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 (Amp.)
The amount of the Word you read and digest suggested your readiness and seriousness about the task ahead.
If you have the call of God on your life, you do not sit down and laze about at the time of waiting for the fulfilment or materialization of the call. The period of waiting is the period of training for where you are going—the assignment ahead of you.
At such a time: attend a college of ministry, lay your hands on relevant books of proven authors, and other material that can help your growth and effectiveness in the work.
It is the time to sit at the feet of the Master, Jesus Christ, learning (Luke 10:39,42). It is not the time of frivolity, jumping from one place to another.
Apostle Paul went to Arabia for three years after he received the call into the ministry.
15 BUT WHEN IT PLEASED GOD, WHO SEPARATED ME FROM MY MOTHER'S WOMB AND CALLED ME THROUGH HIS GRACE,
16 TO REVEAL HIS SON IN ME, THAT I MIGHT PREACH HIM AMONG THE GENTILES, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; BUT I WENT TO ARABIA, AND RETURNED AGAIN TO DAMASCUS.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days."
Galatians 1:15-18 (NKJV)
Paul did not go to Arabia for frivolity, he went there to study and pray and get himself prepared for the task ahead of him.
Apostle Paul also did not jump out and be roaming around, telling people about his call, looking for who will pity him, sponsor him, orwannounce him.
You do not need to be pitied, neither do you need someone to sponsor nor announce you; God who has called you is enough to help and make a way for you.
Your help is not in the hands of humans but God: "I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS—FROM WHENCE COMES MY HELP? 2 MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH" (Psalm 121:1,2).
Stop running after human beings, God would not allow them to offer any help, because He would not want to share the glory of your success, your being made, with anyone (Isaiah 42:8; 48:11).
If you take your time to prepare and be trained, God will approve you and cause you to be announced.
Paul was in Tarsus when Barnabas went to call him for the work in Antioch (Acts 11:25,26).
God knows where you are, if you wait on Him, He will cause people to look for you; if your preparation and training are complete.
Another thing you do at the time of waiting or preparation is praying.
• Give yourself to extended times of prayer. You pray for several hours per Day.
• You stay in the place of prayer for hours, to pray for your future—the assignment ahead of you.
• You can decide to stay in the presence of God between four to eight hours or more. You pray and commit your life and the future assignment ahead of you to God in prayer. Remember, such an extended time of prayer before God is not a waste, God sees it, and there is a reward for it. Such prayers are the ones that will carry you in your future endeavours—works.
• You are laying the foundation for your work, how well you pray now determines the strength of the foundation you laid, and how far you will go in the ministry—assignment.
You could be considered for a worldwide ministry, If the plan of God for your life align with it.
• Your strength in the place of prayer shows how strong you are, and that determines what you can do and the challenges you can face and handle.
Some, their ministries will not go beyond their locality, some their city, or nation.
Some can only affect their immediate environment, they do not have the spiritual stamina to go beyond that.
God will use you for a worldwide ministry if you can prepare yourself in prayer and the Word—build your spiritual strength and stamina.
To have a successful ministry, you have to be strong in prayer and the Word.
You will not fail in Jesus' name. Peace!