Clinging To The Call

It happens in all of us. However for others the devastation is irreparable. Have you ever seen the hollow emptiness in a person's eyes. You can even see it in the brother that sits in the pew in front of you. These are people that at one point in their life slowly but surely let hold of the hopes and dreams they so deeply cherished. It doesn't happen over night. Sometimes its the circumstances in life that slowly chip away the confidence you once had in your future. Or other times, its the mistakes or "failures" in your life that you feel with immovable conviction can never be redeemed. Regardless of the reason for the death of your dreams, it happens and it happens to many of us.

Death is a common occurrence. It happens daily and with every passing second someone dies around the world. However I would declare that for one physical death 5 deaths of a vision, a hope, a dream has just perished in a persons heart. Why is it so easy for humanity to let go of what is burning in them? Some say it is because the youthful lust for life slowly dissipates until at one point in life we just settle into the reality of the world. They actually encourage the abandonment of "childhood" fancies. We let go of our deepest desires in place for second best, compromise and even settling for something we never really even wanted.

Letting go of your dreams is an emotional suicide, a lifetime of stagnation and an indefinite retirement of movement in life. And yet when the going gets tough it is the first thing that gets thrown over board in an attempt to survive the bumpy ride.

1. Heart aches and disappointments motivate us to give up on our goals
2. When something doesn't happen in our timing we settle for the "next best thing"
3. When God gives us a vision we so easily "forget" over time that we had it
4. And most of all when it comes to love, we have a tendency to settle, compromise, and even forfeit convictions for convenience.

Why do we do these things?!
If we are going to be anything in Christ. If we are going to be used in any capacity as ministers we must keep the faith and cling to the dreams God placed in our heart.

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. But he was used so mightily by the Lord. He prophesied in a time of extreme peril for the children of God. The chosen people had completely forsaken God for idolatry and pagan practices. Jeremiah's messages basically consisted of warnings for impending destruction of Israel but also exile of the chosen people.

As a result of his extreme messages he was not particularly liked by the people and was persecuted by them. His life was constantly threatened. There came a point in Jeremiah's walk with God where he questioned why he was born and wished he could not even speak the word of God to the people of israel.

It got to the point where he decided that he would no longer speak for God as a messenger for israel. However his silence did not take away the call God had placed in him, nor did it take the message out of his heart. He ended up admitting that there was a fire in his heart that was "shut up in his bones." he could not escape what God had called him to do. Jeremiah had a purpose. One purpose, and that was to be a mediator for God to his people. He could not escape that.

"O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since. I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." Jeremiah 20:7-9

Where has the burning fire in your heart gone? Why is his word no longer shut up in your bones. Why have you let the purpose God has placed in your life go for the convenience or even the confusion of today?

We as children of God. As called saints and servants of the body of Christ must cling to the calling God has put in our heart. You may feel lost right now, you may feel worthless and of no value. But you can't let go of the purpose placed in your heart, the dreams he placed in your mind, and the word he placed as a burning fire in your bones. Keep dreaming! Because when we stop dreaming, we stop living.

I want to have his word like a fire shut up in my bones! I want to think of nothing else but the call he has placed on my life. My goals, my desires, my dreams, my everything should be centered on God and His plans for me.

What we forget is that God is faithful. He will never give you more than you can handle. He will never forsake you or overburden you. He will test you and he will put you through trials that will strengthen you and prepare you for tomorrow. We as humans are constantly growing, learning and struggling because that is life. We cannot escape sorrow. Just as Jeremiah could not escape his own sorrow, But what we can do is cling to the things that God gave us as a beacon of hope and lean on Him when times get tough.

Don't forsake truth just because you don't understand why you are hurting. Jeremiah could have walked away from God. He could have shut his mouth for the rest of his life and never spoken the prophetic word of God to the people of Israel. But if he had done that the Children of Israel probably would not have found hope, comfort, peace or even known God was there during their exile.

In chapter 20 Jeremiah was angry, he was frustrated and he did question God. But if he had stopped clinging to the call, or even clinging to God. The many messages that God had for his people would never have been spoken. And a silent prophet is no prophet at all. Jeremiah, isaiah and Ezekiel were mighty prophets of God because they stood for truth when all the world had forsaken the call of God for pleasure.

Do you honestly think that because God is silent in your storm that he is not present? Do you honestly think that because of his silence you are entitled to forsake holiness for worldly beauty and pleasures? Your trial is not there in your life to destroy you, it is there to mature you, to break you and humble you. It is there to mold you into the person God would have you to be for His purposes. Don't think that by reverting back to old ways that you are some how progressing forward. You are only hurting yourself more and you will only find more sorrow in life than you bargained for.

Only God can give you pure joy, peace and contentment. For it is in him you can find your true purpose. Seek him first in all things and the rest will come together.

Bro McClintock preached one sunday morning and said this, "Some of you are in dark times in your life, and you are reading the signs wrong because you are focusing on the obvious. But you can't see the big picture. fear not God has a plan, even though you can't see it!"

"And he answered, fear not for they that be with us are more than they that be with them." 2 Kings 6:16

Elisha was saying we have God on our side, who do the syrians have?! They have no one. You may not understand why, but all you need to know is that God is faithful, that He loves you and He has a purpose for your life. And though the trial may feel unbearable cling to the calling God has given you, allow the fire and passion to burn uncontrollably and undeniably in your heart, allow God to feed the flame so that it will be shut up in your bones. For as children of Christ we are all called to a higher purpose than our own.

In closing, I want you to pray and ask God if your heart is right. Pray and ask God if you are doing all that you can do to keep the dream and call alive in your life. Don't compromise in life! Don't cause unnecessary sorrow for yourself just because you don't understand what God is doing in your life right now. Because when you look back later you will realize that "they that be with us is greater than they that be with them."