We take for granted that you know clearly that which the Lord would have you accomplish for His glory. The question is, “What should you do next?” We suggest the following:
Consecration and Deliverance
You should consecrate yourself entirely to the Lord, all that you are and all that you will ever be; all that you have and all that you will ever have. You should examine your heart as to your motive. You should ask yourself, “Do I want to do this thing solely for the glory of the Lord, or do I want to do it partly for the Lord’s glory and partly for my glory?” Ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal to you its secret intentions. The heart is deceitful above all things. Be very honest with God. Do not pretend that you want to do it only for the glory of the Lord whereas you have your own glory in view. You may have to wait before God for some time before He shows you the true intentions of your heart. This is not because God needs time, but you need time to be honest and to listen. If the Lord shows you that you want your own glory in whole or in part as far as the project is concerned, then you should not proceed. You should ask Him to deal with you and change your heart’s condition before you can go on. If your motives are mixed, then your heart is not pure. The Bible says,
“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).
If only the pure in heart shall see God, we can also be sure that only the pure in heart can serve Him to His satisfaction. A heart that is contaminated with self- seeking cannot be the channel for the Holy Spirit to flow through unhindered. You must seek to be delivered from self before you move on. If not, you will labour in vain. Many people are going to accuse you of labouring at your project for self- glory. If what they say is false, then you have no problem. If, on the other hand, what they say is true, then you are sick. You will have no reward from the Lord for your labours, unless you repent and seek Him for deliverance from self. We consider this fundamental. There is so much that is being done in the Lord’s name that is just the extension of self. There will be no reward for such work, even if those involved in it offer themselves to be burnt for it. The god “self” can cause his worshippers to pay the supreme price. So be honest. Be truly honest. If not, you will be deceiving yourself.
In addition to the matter of self, you should ensure that you are not knowingly committing some sin in any area of your life. Without a radical separation from all sin and all sinful practices, all labour is in vain. God cannot send people who still love sin and practice it to serve Him. They are dishonouring Him. The Bible says,
“If anyone purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21).
The last thing that we want to suggest is that you commit yourself to carry out the project in accordance with the Word of God. This means that you will consider the Bible as the final authority in all that you do; that you will not compromise with or distort anything that the Bible says in order to continue your project. It would be better for the project to fail, than that it be done contrary to what God has revealed. Then you should commit yourself to obey the Lord in all that He will show you as you go on. He must be the One to begin with you, continue and finish with you. The reward is not given for things well started. They are given to things well finished. Unless He is obeyed all along, the project may begin in Him and end away from Him.
Clarity of Goal
Please write out what God has called you to do for Him. Do not leave it in your head. This will help you to be clear. It will also help you not to abandon it when you are weary.
Remember that He may call you to spend your entire life,
“Worshipping with prayer, night and day.” (Luke 2:37).
That is enough. It is more than enough. It will help if you tell someone about the goal to which you are committing yourself. This will help you to keep at it and not move to another thing when the initial enthusiasm has waned. The problem with many of God’s children is that they never complete the projects that they start. From the beginning they are very sure that God has spoken to them and led them to get started. Soon they are finished with it and without honesty, they seek religious reasons to cover the accompanying loss of face. You will often hear them say that the Lord has now spoken to the contrary, or He has led them to move in a different direction. The use of religious language to justify instability is to court God’s displeasure. I know people who are always being led to new projects by the Lord. He does not seem to want anything completed!
Again, we insist that believers should see such instability as sin. They should repent of it and bear fruit that befits repentance. The desire for quick results is not Christian character.
So, it helps to talk to someone who will help you not to move to the next romantic thought when you are bored in future.
Your goal should be so clear that if someone were to wake you from sleep at midnight and ask you, you would tell him without hesitation. We suggest that you write it in a number of places which you will see many times a day.
