If you are saved you are meant to be in a ministry. God has a calling on your life. But be sure the Devil will try to keep you from your calling or hinder you along the way. We must be prepared for all that will come against us that we would accomplish all that God has called us to do.
I wrote a series entitled “Tactics of the Devil” that describes some of the ways the Devil is waging war against the Christian in our day. Many imagine that the battle rages between the world and the Church, but the battle is inside the Church, and it starts with your ministry calling.
When God called me into prison ministry I told Him how unqualified I was. Friends, stop thinking serving God has anything to do with your abilities, but only with His. “This is what the Lord says…It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (Zechariah 4:6 NLT).
It is not about you, but Him in you.
The Devil will give you a thousand reasons why you cannot serve God. A good servant simply listens to the right master. Jesus said, “The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 AMP).
Smith Wigglesworth wrote, “God does not call those who are equipped, He equips those whom He has called”.
With ministry, the Devil will tell you that you are not good enough, or that you are too good, the end result being you do not serve God.
Doing nothing for the Kingdom serves the Devil.
The Devil will be glad to let you serve in the Church so long as you are not being effective for the Kingdom. It is not enough that you ascribe your effort to a religion or a cause, it must be done for God’s Kingdom.
Satan does not have to turn you from God to hinder your ministry, but merely distract you. The unnecessary is the enemy of the necessary. Just because you are busy does not mean you are productive.
Sometimes the best decision in ministry is to minister to someone else. Jesus taught, “Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties].” (Matthew 10:14 AMP).
The Devil has no greater comrade in harming our ministry, but of ourselves. The more you rely upon yourself, the less the Lord can do through you.
The Devil wins on two fronts: tempting you into doing evil or distracting you from doing good.
Just because you work hard does not mean you are doing the will of God. Sometimes you need to pick up the pearls and reach out to someone who will treasure them. Jesus taught, “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs…” (Matthew 7:6 CJB).
This one above hit me hard as I ministered for some years to a man who was a Jehovah’s Witness. I am convinced I was in error to of tried for so long, while not reaching those the Lord had intended me to reach. It is to the Devil’s benefit when we pour all our efforts into those who will not be moved towards God. Learn to just plant the seed and move on.
You can get a lot done without achieving anything of Kingdom value.
You cannot do Kingdom work and measure the success by the world’s standards.
It is the Devil’s ploy that you would serve God more than spend time with Him. There is never intimacy in a crowd. “After this, Jesus went up into the high hills to spend the whole night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12 TPT). If Jesus needed so much time with the Father, how much more do we?
More can be accomplished in your morning prayers than in all your efforts throughout the day. To get more done, lean more into the resources of heaven. It is an error in your ministry to rely solely upon the resources of man.
The Devil will taint your holy desires, causing your righteous goal of humility and gentleness to paralyze your ministry.
Beware the humility that interferes with the purposes of God. The Devil will play you, using your own righteous desire for lowliness to justify hiding your lamp. The Lord Jesus taught us, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 AMP).
If the Devil can’t take you out with sin, he will do so in your misguided service. If Jesus Christ is not first in your ministry, you are grossly out of order.
There is no greater error in ministry but to be serving the agenda of the Devil. In whatever you do that exalts yourself, you are in error.
The greater your ministry, the more that God will do to keep you in your place. Think on this before you pray to grow more in the gifts and revelations. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, to keep me from becoming overly proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from the Adversary to pound away at me, so that I wouldn’t grow conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:7 CJB).
If Satan is not attacking you then perhaps you are on the wrong side. The darkness always rejects the light. Just shine.
Never be jealous of popularity knowing darkness is only popular to darkness. If the world embraces you, then the light is not in you. Rejoice in rejection knowing that evil hates what is good.
The greatest thing you can do in your ministry is to surrender your life to Christ, and to just serve Him in all humility.
When I answered the call to serve God, I was not qualified, but I was surrendered. What a grand adventure it is for a saint, who is foolish enough to believe that God can do anything, even through the life of someone like them.
The Lord is looking for a violin to play His life song through. Just rest in Him and be that violin unto the Master.
Blessings to you,
Paul