Calling Confirmed

Let’s settle this right here and right now. You are called! There is no question about that. If you are saying, “Called? Me?” Yes! You!

Every person on the planet was created with a purpose. Every creature of God has a calling. That includes you!

No person’s calling is better or higher than another’s. Every calling is valuable.

The important thing is to discover what it is and fulfill it. That is your divine potential. Your divine destiny.

You want to say YES to God? Saying yes starts with hearing God, right?

YES is a response. We don’t say it without a reason! So, what are we saying YES to? A calling? You might say, “Isn’t that only for pastors and other spiritual leaders? God hasn’t really called me, has He? And if He has called me, then what am I supposed to do?”

Let me affirm something. God is calling you!

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Yield, Not Stop

Our American culture does not value slowing down. Everything is always, “Advance!” or “Full speed ahead!” and “Victory, Victory, Victory!”

How many times while driving have seen a yellow light and sped up to get through it? Come on, be honest. Okay, so maybe you haven’t done it, but I’ll bet you’ve seen other people do it, right?

We don’t want to slow down. We don’t want to evaluate. But that is what happens when we find our circumstances taking a slow turn. How we feel and the reality of our current circumstances rise to the top. We ask ourselves questions that we’d rather not think about. We are faced with realities that we would rather avoid. We feel like slowing down is actually stopping. It isn’t.

Slowing down is a key tool in accomplishment. Slowing down helps you see your next steps more clearly. When you yield to slowing circumstances, it doesn’t mean stop. It means dig in and gear up for the next season of speeding up.

To yield means to slow down and look around. It means to let some things speed by. It means to check and make sure you are safe and on the right track. To yield means to let someone else go first. Yielding carries a context of weakness but involves the strength of character to trust that you’ll be okay even if someone else goes first.

You don’t have to grab for your goal. That isn’t what it’s about. It’s necessary to slow down enough to make sure that your goal is still in sight—that you haven’t drifted. Slowing down—yielding—is key to success in your next season.

If God has slowed you down, then it is to give you a chance to look around and look inside. What are you seeing? Do you see some things that need adjustment? Don’t let shame keep you from paying attention to those things. Take the hard look and then do something about it.

Do you see some things to celebrate? When was the last time you gave yourself permission to celebrate something you did well?

It isn’t selfish or prideful if you remember that you did it with God’s help. Celebrating your accomplishments can be an act of worship. You know who you are without Him. You know you couldn’t have done it unless He helped you. You did it, and that is a reason to give thanks. Celebrate!

Dear friend, slowing down is not failure. Slowing down is a necessary part of your rhythms. Take advantage of the slow seasons. You’ll find them to be refreshing times of growth and celebration. Yield!

Excerpt from The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word by Cathleen Zahradnik. Check it out here.  If you’ve read the book, please leave a review on Amazon to help other people find it!

A Framework for God-Centered Goal Setting (Book Excerpt)

So now that we have removed some obstacles, let’s set some goals. Here’s our simple framework: Ask, Aim, Act, Achieve.

Ask

Reflection is a key to discovering your MORE. Look back over your answers to some of the questions in this book. Then, answer these:

·       What has God been revealing to you?

·       What do you know about yourself now that you didn’t know before?

·       What are some things you want to accomplish that line up with your personal purpose?

·       How do you want to grow forward?

Think back and consider. Make sure to evaluate every area of your life, personally and professionally. Goals are about growth, right? How do you want to grow? Don’t just go forward. Grow forward!

Your next step is to think ahead and let the Holy Spirit inspire what you envision for your life. Take out a sheet of paper and make a list of things you want to accomplish. Just let your dreams lead you. Don’t listen to any negative self-talk. Let purpose, passion, and the Holy Spirit guide you.

So, my dear friend, here is what I want you to do in the next few moments. Open a document or get a piece of paper and do a brain dump. Write out everything that comes to mind. Don’t edit now. Do that later. Just dump everything out of your brain and into your document. Write out the one thing you believe God has called you to do that has scared you to death but has called your name time after time. Like an echo in the dark, that thought has enveloped you for a long time. It’s a thought that won’t go away.

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Starting Where You Are (Book Excerpt)

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalms 139:16 NIV)

Before beginning any major journey, it’s important to understand where you are starting from. If I book a flight to Madrid from New York City, I need to know which airport I am flying out of. JFK? LaGuardia? Newark? If I show up at Newark, and my flight leaves from JFK, I won’t be getting to Madrid that day.

To get accurate GPS directions, the GPS on my phone must access my current location. Have you ever been lost and opened your GPS to let it tell you where you are? Been there, done that. Once you accurately understand where you are, you can begin to calculate what route to take to get you where you want to go. So, my friend, where are you?

Where You Are

The truth is that most of us are not completely accurate and honest with ourselves. Come on, you know it’s true! I will admit that it’s much easier to notice someone else fudging the truth about themselves than to recognize when I do it, but I know that I do it. You and I will tend to make allowances for ourselves and present the best version of ourselves. Even the person who struggles with self-esteem and puts themselves down all the time does not have an accurate picture of where they are on their journey.

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Finding Your Passion (Book Excerpt)

When you find yourself doing what you are passionate about and gifted for, life is at its most satisfying and fulfilling. So, now that you have explored your personality and your spiritual gifts and created a personal purpose statement, it’s time to consider your passion.

What stirs your heart? Whom do you most want to serve? What problem do you most want to solve? When you can focus your energy in the direction of your gifts and passions, you are off and running a race you are sure to win.

What does winning look like? It looks like doing a job or serving in a ministry where you get to do exactly what you want to do. Perhaps not every moment, but your overall daily focus is what your heart most wants to do. That’s a target worth aiming for, right?

You and I don’t want to spend our lives doing only what needs to be done to survive. You and I want to thrive. We want to fulfill the purposes that God created us for. We want to fulfill divine potential for God’s glory. What does that look like?

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