Finding your call to ministry is just as much about saying “no” as saying “yes”. And those “no’s” help give you a focused direction. They help you to zero in on finding God’s will for your life.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that “the art of leadership is saying no.”
Warren Buffet, the American billionaire investor said “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
Steve Jobs said ““People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the 100 other good ideas that there are.”
All of these leaders are speaking to the fact that you must first know what you are committed to, so that you can reject other opportunities efficiently. You must first know what you want to do, before you can know what you don’t want to do.
The Critical Piece: Finding Your Divine Ideal
In ministry this principle is even more critical. Because we are not dealing in financial gains, we are dealing with eternity. You will struggle with ministry impact until you learn to focus on what God made you to do – your call to ministry – or what I call your Divine Ideal.
You will struggle to speak the gospel effectively until you find your Divine Ideal, your place in God’s plan.
More Opportunities Than Possible
One of the biggest challenges for ministry leaders is knowing which ministry opportunities to follow and which to avoid. If you are like me, you have more opportunities than you can possibly realistically engage in.
Sometimes we engage in the wrong ministry. When we were first starting our church plant, God opened the door for us to have access to a local elementary school. The principal, who was not a Christian, agreed to allow me to lead their daily faculty moral value session. I was sure this was a great opportunity! How could it not be? So once a week, I started leading their meetings and introduced some Bible topics. The problem was, none of the teachers wanted to be there, they were forced to be there. And they certainly didn’t want to hear from me, a Baptist preacher. After a few weeks of that, I didn’t want to be there, because none of them were responsive or engaging in any way. It was tortuous. I was actually glad when that opportunity had run it’s course. It was just the wrong ministry for that situation.
Are you Uncertain of Your Ministry Direction?
In the end, I was uncertain why I was even there. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever been uncertain in what you were doing in your ministry?
Being uncertain as a ministry leader is like an airplane pilot with no real destination. He should have a plan, other people assume he has a plan, but really he is just up there on a trip to nowhere.
In ministry, being certain or being sure means not only knowing what you want to do, but more fully, knowing what you are called to do.
If you are going to follow the right path, you must know that you have a God idea – your call to ministry – so that you can say no to other good ideas. You must learn to focus on your Divine Ideal.
The Secret to Finding Your Call
The secret is in the book of Psalms. Psalm 37:4 is my life’s verse.
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
The secret to finding God’s idea is to first find God. The secret to fulfilling God’s desire in your life and ministry is to delight in Him. The key to accomplishing for Christ is abiding in Christ.
The secret to doing is being. The secret to finding your ideal is to focus on your Divine Maker.
For more information, I’ve written a 3-part series on Finding God’s Will.