.
Small Beginnings
‘Do
Not Despise Small Beginnings’ – Receiving Revelation From God
JAMES GOLL
Have
you ever felt like you were too small to be used by God? If so, you are in good
company.
God
is in the business of taking infinitely small things, mixing them with his
amazing nature by the power of His Spirit and then making something
extraordinary.
No
matter where you've come from or how small your beginnings, God wants to grant
you discernment to receive revelation from Him and then bring the kingdom to
bear on the time and place in which you live.
Scripture
is full of people who felt they were too small to be used of God.
Even
the Apostle Paul, who wrote more of the Bible than any other author, felt this
way.
In one verse he writes, "For I am
the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (1 Corinthians 15:9)
And in another he says, "To me, the very least of
all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the
incomprehensible riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8).
Small Beginnings
I often refer to myself as being like the prophet
Amos, due to my similar obscure background and the nature of my prophetic
calling.
I
grew up in Cowgill, Missouri, which had a population of 259 at that time and is
now even smaller. My family was not prestigious.
No
famous person has ever come from Cowgill, and there are no mega-churches or
institutions of higher learning there.
It
is a community in farm country, where people work hard for a living. In other
words, absolutely nothing in my geographical, familial or social background
could have prepared me for the prophetic commission I have been pursuing for my
entire adult life.
But as prophet Cindy Jacobs likes to say, "God knows!"
Back
in Old Testament Judah, Amos started out as a "nobody," too - his
family was not part of the nobility, he had never been associated with any
school of the prophets, and he didn't grow up in urbane surroundings but in a
rural setting where he took care of sheep:
"But Amos answered Amaziah: 'I am no prophet, and
I am no prophet's disciple. Rather, I am a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore
trees. But the Lord took me away from the
flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to My people
Israel"'" (Amos 7:14-15).
Amos
had never expected to hear God's voice, and he had not anticipated becoming a
prophet.
However,
he obeyed his prophetic calling, and he applied himself to learning what he
needed to know to be faithful to that calling.
He is best known for making public a word about how
God was setting a "plumb line" in the nation of Israel to measure the
truth and righteousness of the people and their rulers.
The
Spirit of God gave him this vision:
The Plumb Line of the Word of the Lord
“The
Lord was standing by a wall made using a plumb line, with a plumb line in His
hand. The Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’
“And I
said, ‘A plumb line.’
“Then
the Lord said, ‘See, I am putting a plumb line in the midst of My people
Israel. I will forgive them no more’" (Amos. 7:7-8).
God's
plumb line is all-important, not only for aligning crooked human life with His
perfect uprightness, but also for discerning His voice in the first place.
Amid
all the noise of the world, we need to be able to distinguish God's voice
clearly.
God
wants you to know what He is saying, even if you never need to wear a prophet's
mantle in public.
Like
Amos, I work hard to bring a plumb line that can help the people of God do
everything according to the word of the Lord.
Whether
I write books or conduct seminars or lead prayer gatherings, I endeavor to
operate to the best of my ability according to what He has taught me.
My
primary resource, of course, is the Word of God, the Bible.
But
years of personal experience have made a huge difference in how I have learned
to apply the Word.
The
Holy Spirit is always active, and I try always to remain on the alert for His
stirrings.
The
Spirit is our best teacher, and even as I present what I have learned about
receiving and discerning what God reveals to His people, I want to be sensitive
to new insights and new ways of communicating the truth.
Learning to Receive and Discern Revelation From God
I want to pass down to you the keys that have been
passed down to me.
You
too can learn how to receive revelation from God through your natural senses,
such as sight and hearing, and how to open yourself up to supernatural senses
through which you can know even better what God wants to show you.
You
can also learn discernment - what to do when Satan tries to infiltrate God's
message, and how to live a healthy, balanced, dynamic, discerning life of
faith.
Each
of us needs to become a discerner—no matter what our personal background or
specific gift or function in the body of Christ.
Although
some believers are especially gifted as prophets, every follower of
Jesus receives the gifts of revelation and discernment. And every believer
needs to use them.
In
fact, without discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, we cannot
progress in our use of any of the gifts and callings.
In
the final analysis, developing discernment is not so much about knowing the
future as it is about bringing the kingdom of God to bear on the time and place
in which you live.
The
gospel of John begins with the words, "The Word became flesh and
dwelt among us ... full of grace and truth" (John 1:14),
referring to the coming of Jesus Christ to earth.
In
a very real way, you and I bring God's Word to dwell in the midst of the world
as we remain sensitive to the flow of His Spirit.
Through
our relationship with God, we receive revelation.
And
as we bring that revelation to the world around us, we incarnate His Word in
our very ordinary lives—just as Amos did.
God Wants to Do Something Extraordinary Through You!
No matter what your current station in life, or where
you've come from, you can receive revelation and grow in spiritual discernment.
God
wants to use you powerfully as a plumb line of God's word to everyone around
you.
Just
as he has done in my life, the life of Amos and that of the apostle Paul, God
will mix his Spirit with your smallness and make something extraordinary!
Dr. James W. Goll is the founder of God Encounters Ministries, an
award-winning author and communications trainer and has ministered in over 50
nations. For information on his webinars and online classes, visit godencounters.com. James continues to live in Tennessee and is a joyful
father and grandfather today.
Connect with God in a deeper way as you read His Word.
Select Bibles are now 50% OFF plus Free Shipping and a Free Gift. Show me the Bibles!
Encounter the Holy Spirit and develop a relationship
that saturates you in His peace, love and joy. Explore the Life in the Spirit Series.
FREE GIFT! Download Pastor Bill Johnson's 40-page mini
eBook, The War In Your Head, and unlock your supernatural lifestyle. CLICK HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment