An Insistent Call for a Critical Need

It is easy to become overwhelmed with the responsibilities and impossibilities of life and thus, lose sight of the dire need to share the gospel. Resultantly, we become deafened to the cries of the lost coming out of the depths of spiritual darkness which grips a huge segment of the world's population. I firmly believe that a need does not constitute a call but I also firmly believe that the clear command of Jesus does. We do not need to go to the darkest part of some third world country to find unsaved people but neither should we reject that as a possibility. Each of us has a calling to evangelize that extends across the table, street, town, country and/or the ocean.

We are living in a time in which it is much easier to be a part of global evangelism than ever before in history. We are also living in a time when we have more personal things to hinder or distract than ever before. We Americans have had the evangelistic necessity preached to us so much that we have largely become inured to the message and its necessity. Thank God for the refreshing breeze of His Spirit which is blowing across the land today. Being from the heart of the American cornbelt I have often watched the effect of the breezes blowing through a field of corn. I have never seen the breeze blow selectively down just one row and usually the breeze will not affect any whole row. The wind of the Spirit is blowing as He wills, touching who He wills, but He is moving.

The enemy will do whatever it takes to prevent us from keeping our divine appointments of obedience. He will close our ears, blind our eyes, dampen our enthusiasm, impede our way, incite our lusts and/or overwhelm us with material and familial necessities causing us to pull back or to turn aside. We must remember that some of his primary tactics are to intimidate and deceive us (and others associated with us) causing us to lose our sense of calling.

The beginning place of all evangelism/missions is a consistent and powerful devotional life. If we do not fellowship with the Father and celebrate regularly around His throne we will lose the clarity of His insistent voice. If we attempt to do missionary work (at home or abroad) without His disciplines in life we will find ourselves to be floundering in uncertainty and ultimately suffering a loss of interest and effectiveness. Conversely, regular fellowship with the Father acquaints us with His voice and heightens our sensitivity to His callings.

We must equip ourselves through the study and memorization of God's word. The relevance and power of the Word will serve as our instrument of inspiration, stabilization, mobilization, embarkation and confrontation as we rise up in obedience to His call.

Warfare prayer and fasting is a necessity. We will be confronted with insurmountable barriers everywhere we turn if we don't adequately prepare the way through the dismantling of strongholds in the heavenlies. As with Jehoshaphat, when Judah was threatened by the enemy, we must first of all fight the battle in prayer. When we have prayed through we will hear from God with Him giving us His strategy for overcoming the enemy and pressing forward in victory.

All other efforts will be of little consequence if we do not report for duty. Only through our availability will the Lord make use of our ability. Many have spent a lifetime preparing only to fail at the most crucial point--showing up for duty. We are, I believe, at the most crucial point of history--the point of critical mass. God grant each of us to be obedient to your insistent call.

Jeff