How can I recognize my calling? 
Posted: 28 June 2007 10:34 AM   [ Ignore ]    
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I want to be used by God in a mighty way.

I have always had a very strong desire to serve God since I was little but, over the years it has increased drastically.

I am talented musically and I have always planned to use that for God and still do.

But, since I have been ministering with a group of people in a renowed choir at school who don’t know the truth I have realize that just ministering through music is not enough for me.

My desire over the last few months to serve God has increased even more and I want to go into ministry full-time and I want to go to school and become a youth pastor and I get exicted just thinking about this

I have no ideal if i can speak well, I have no money, I know i may be ridiculed, and I am a girl and 19 but, I know if its God’s calling this all will work out

How do I know if this is really what God is calling me to do and not just what I want?

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Posted: 04 July 2007 05:45 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]     [ # 1 ]  
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Hi. I, like you, also want to serve God and feel that he is calling me to do a great work. That is awesome that you are willing to step out in faith and follow God no matter what. For years I have struggled begging and pleading with God to direct me. Now I feel that he is calling me to do something I never thought I would. Many of my church members have expressed their doubt in my being able to be successful at my chosen field but this is the dream I believe God has placed inside me. I am fearful but I pray constantly that he will lead me and that I will be able to hear his voice when he speaks.
For me lots of praying and reading the scriptures has helped me and is helping me realize God’s plan for me.

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Posted: 05 July 2007 09:07 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]     [ # 2 ]  
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Since writing this post I dont think that me becoming a pastor is what God wants me to do… at least for now.

I think God has some unfinished bussiness with me at the school at now and so Im just going to wait on him and stop begging and pleading with God to show me what he wants me to do.

My lot is already secure so there’s no rush.

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Posted: 05 July 2007 11:13 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 3 ]     [ # 3 ]  
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THe things we are “called to do” don’t normally fall into quite such exclusive areas as “music”, or “art” or “pastor”.  The bible tells us in several places that we are each given spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:1-29 is all about these gifts.

7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,

A spiritual gift is something we are born with and some of us are in roles in the church that arent appropriate for us!

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.

So we need to discover whether we are one who discerns and prays, or one who teaches and evangelizes, or one who labors and finds her deepest satisfaction there.

How do we discover this?

Get out your concordance (or go to http://www.biblegateway.com and digitally search the scriptures) and look up all there is to know of spiritual gifts. There are on-line tests to take, and better than these tests if you are near 24-seven...we will be having the PATH 201 sometime soon. This is a class that lasts a few hours through which you discover exactly what your spiritual gifts are.
Your life’s work for God will be somehow involved in your spiritual gifts and what is needed from the church short term.

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Posted: 05 July 2007 11:33 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 4 ]     [ # 4 ]  
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shenry4

You may be hearing God right, it may not be time for you to leave the school, if you are surrounded by people who may not have heard the good news clearly, then I would say you have a lot of work right there! It can be frightening to think of what it may be like to try to talk to someone about God.

Will they all think I am weird?

Yes, some will. It sounds like you already know this but… We should take joy in the times we are persecuted, it is one thing that can happen when we are doing Gods will.

Think of this: If you bring ONE person ONE step closer to God everyone in your group thinking your weird...is worth it. Step back from this world (this veil covering our eyes) for a second. Look at God engaged with what is happening on earth. Look at time, and how this worlds history is a short minute, a very important minute. God’s character is put to the test. All to see if we prefer being led by one who loves over one who terrorizes, and lies. Now think about your group. In this context this choir is full of people who God loves as much as you and who have the potential to Love God back and to embrace him upon deliverance from Earth. You love the people in this group and you have the honor of letting them know what it really means to be a God Lover.

Every day, surrender yourself to Gods will, which is mostly..."Follow Me, and Love”

We CAN help people change their minds from “Im not going to learn about this God idea” to “Lets see if this God thing is something I should be persueing”

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Posted: 05 July 2007 11:34 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 5 ]     [ # 5 ]  
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Child of God
What is your “calling”?

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Posted: 05 July 2007 11:48 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 6 ]     [ # 6 ]  
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Guys if you EVER are worried about how to reach those close to you READ THIS !

http://off-the-map.org/oa/oa_guide.pdf

PRINT IT OUT

It will open Acrobat reader easy to print, I suggest that you read the entire thing, as you sit there you will begin feeling motivated, and you will know just what to do, it will possibly take a lot of the pain out of your experience by first sharing a lot of others experiences with you.

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Posted: 05 July 2007 11:50 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 7 ]     [ # 7 ]  
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And one more thing! THANKYOU! I dont know if you two realize it but just bringing up what you did helped me to see where I am melting off, you have been a blessing! Praise the lord, maybe now I can get the courage to talk to My good friend “N”

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Posted: 09 July 2007 05:45 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 8 ]     [ # 8 ]  
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Well, i think my spritual gift is discernment

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Posted: 20 September 2007 01:41 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 9 ]     [ # 9 ]  
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We have a spiritual gift book that might help.  Contact me or Pastor Matthew about getting a Connections book.

God bless!

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Posted: 08 November 2007 07:36 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 10 ]     [ # 10 ]  
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I think what we are referring to could be more accurately be called fruits of the spirit, rather than spiritual gifts. We grow and they change a little. To me a spiritual gift will come to many when we have an outpouring of the holy spirit in the end days. We will be speaking in other tongues (understandable by people from other countries) we may receive prophecy, or healing, maybe (probably) more and of things that we have not read about in the Bible. Those to me are spiritual gifts.

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