The goodness that we experience and learn from God is not for us to keep it to ourselves. We must share it with others, with those who are already walking with Him, those who don't know Him yet and those who have wondered off the path that He has set for them.
As young people, we can be distracted and deceived away from the path that God has laid out for us in many different ways. This can be anything from a deteriorating mental state which can lead one to question one’s existence or responsibilities that come with growing up into a young adult such as work, family, school, romance and friendships.
Back in 2021, while I was doing baptism classes, I could not, for the life of me, understand what my purpose is on this earth. At the time I was in my second year of studying towards becoming a social worker- a profession that compliments my personality, which means that it’s a job that I love! But as the months went by and the date of my baptism was drawing closer, I began to question my existence. Questioning one’s existence will lead to ideation and attempts to end this existence since “there’s no point in carrying on living a purposeless life.” My mental state was deteriorating so badly to the point where I had to make a choice to either leave University or carry on with less subjects and add another year to study. I decided to deregister half of the subjects to lessen the workload. On 11 December I was baptised.
I believe that the Enemy did not want me to experience the joys and growth that occurs after baptism because by August 2022, my mental state was not improving and my marks kept on dropping until one day I sat in my dorm room and had a conversation with God. Even though our loving Heavenly Father knows what we are experiencing, I still asked him, “God, why am I feeling like this, why do I feel so heavy and dark inside? I’m baptized now and I’m walking with You. Please show me what Your will is for my life and please tell me what my purpose is on this earth.” Four months later I very clearly heard the Lord’s answer that I am called to ministry.
Now, only hearing God’s answer four months later doesn’t mean that God didn’t care to answer immediately on that day, it means that if we regularly spend time with God, in His Word, we will hear God more clearly, more often and receive from Him the answers to our questions.
In March 2023, I saw the advertisement of the IICD Public Evangelism course. The advertisement was not seen by my natural eyes. I believe God opened my spiritual eyes and that it was time to learn, through this course, how to effectively use my spiritual gifts.
Our Church is multiplying and there is a greater need for its members to be nurtured, be equipped to nurture those who aren’t part of the Church yet and to spread the Three Angels Message. The IICD Institution is truly a much needed resource to all of us, even those of us who aren’t sure yet what our spiritual gifts are.
I believe we are all called to ministry. We all have spiritual gifts. God has gifted us all differently. Members and pastors of the churches, we are all workers in God's vineyard. Many of us might not be aware of the institutions within our church to train all of us to be dedicated workers. Our pastors are part of these institutions and are not only there to preach to us every Sabbath. They are the ones who were chosen by God to present these courses to us to equip us with the knowledge that we need along with the wisdom that we receive from God to bring lost souls back to Him.
Serving in the ministry that we are called to in the Kingdom of God is not a burden. We shouldn’t see it as a burden but rather as God that has elevated us in His Kingdom. Divine elevation is the best elevation that there is.
We are often deceived by the Enemy into thinking that worldly elevation is what matters most, like how many followers we have on Tiktok and Instagram, but allowing God to elevate us is the best thing that we can do for ourselves. After all, we have been made by Him. He knows why we are all here.
And so, my dear young brother and sister in Christ, if you are currently questioning your existence, turn to God and ask Him, what did You intend for me? When you ask God that question, He will answer you but don't be afraid of His answer. Agree that whatever God chooses for you is the best idea. We need to be in agreement with God about His will for our life and that it is the best for us. God’s will for our lives is already decided upon in Heaven, so when we agree to follow God’s will and not our own, what is for us in heaven already will come down and we will receive it and experience it here on earth.
Ever since hearing the Lord’s answer, I’ve been given assignments and instructions by God and my reaction to most of them have been, “What? Me? Why me? How am I supposed to do that?” - just like Jeremiah who felt inadequate for public speaking because of his young age but God was with him all the way. This is proof to me that God’s thoughts towards us are higher and greater than what we think of ourselves.
And so, we can sit here or in church and say “Mmmm” and “Amen” but it is up to us if we are really going to believe what is said about us by God, to believe that it is true, to believe that He is the Great one who formed us and knew from the beginning who we will be, what we will do, not for ourselves but for His kingdom. Just like we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, we are to also accept the truth and promises of our Creator for our lives.
Just like God knows His plan for your life, the Enemy also has his plan for your life, which is to deceive, steal, kill and destroy, but God is great and powerful and He loves us so much that He guides, warns and reveals to us the tricks and tactics of the Enemy. Our God will always be greater. His plan for us will always be better, filled with success, light, progress and happiness.
Yes, the Enemy will always try to find a way for us to dishonour God but our God is greater. His plans for us are to prosper us and not to harm us. Always keep the goal of the Enemy in mind so that you will be able to discern what is from him and what is from God but remember, believe and focus on the ultimate goal of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, for your life.
Let’s take a moment and ask ourselves, when it comes to my life, Who knows best?
Amen.
