God isn’t going to fulfill your calling – Saturday, 11 November

God has good plans for you – a significant purpose and destiny for your life. In Him, you have a hope-filled future full of peace and prosperity. But it’s not going to happen by accident. Your enemy (the devil) doesn’t want to see you discover and walk in God’s good plans for your life. The devil is trying to distract you from your destiny and prevent you from moving forward in God’s purposes for your life. Part of the enemy’s strategy is to sell you a few lies and if you believe these lies he will succeed in holding you back from everything God has for you.

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV 

This verse is often misused by Christians to excuse failure or a lack of fruit in their lives. We comfort and encourage ourselves with the thought that “God is faithful and He will do it.” We use this verse to put the responsibility of our calling onto God – and it causes passivity. God’s calling for your life isn’t just going to happen by accident – you need to choose it and co-operate with Him.

“I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I finish my work. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do–to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.”
Acts 20:24 ERV

Paul took responsibility for completing his assignment on earth. God gave him the assignment, and God empowered Him to do it (Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 3:9) but Paul had to do it. It certainly is true that God is faithful, but God is not faithful to fulfil your calling – you need to be faithful to fulfil your calling. If you believe that God is just going to do it, you’re being passive; you’ve abdicated from your God-given responsibility to choose and exercise your free-will (Deuteronomy 30:19). God is not going to force His will on you. It is an absolute truth that God is faithful, but what is He faithful to do? Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 5:24 in context.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you

wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV

This isn’t talking about your destiny, as in your work or assignment as a believer on the earth. This is talking about preserving you blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What it’s saying is that when you received Jesus and became a Christian you became the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) and now, as a believer, your righteousness is secure for eternity, independent of your performance! You do not maintain your righteousness – He is faithful who called you to be right with God, and He will maintain your salvation!

You will not fulfil your purpose or walk in your destiny by accident. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. You need to choose to live life on purpose. God will lead you, empower you and co-labour with you to do what He has called you to do, but He will not do it independently of you.