“…equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry…” Ephesians 4:12
God doesn’t start a thing without expectation of accomplishment. God does not call you without the expectation of you completing your ministry. God will prepare you, equip you, resource you, shape you, anoint you, instruct you, transform you – so that you will produce results for His glory and bring Him great pleasure.
Preparation provides equipping for the specific task that we have been assigned. Equipping fills our arsenal with what is necessary to get the job done. Equipping includes training, study, prayer, anointed impartations, character formation, strengthening, and consecration. If we fail to prepare for the ministry we have been called to, then in times when challenged, we could be found lacking and never fulfill our ministry. God isn’t simply interested in our starting an assignment; He is interested in our finishing the assignment and accomplishing the thing for which He sent us.
When we are in a preparation season, it is not time to be lackadaisical, but a time to receive all that we need for what we will soon be facing. The truth is, it isn’t just the young who go through a boot camp of preparation; there will be seasons of preparation throughout our lifetime that preface a new assignment or greater level of anointing. Some seasons of preparation seem longer than others, but the price we pay is not greater than the reward we will receive when we fulfill our ministry.
Take full advantage of the seasons of preparation to get all you need to enter into your next assignment. Don’t belittle the seasons of preparation or the seasons of rest, for they are for your benefit, and not only for your benefit, but for the benefit of God to receive the full fruit of your labor of love. Receive all that God has for you. Do not dare to enter into the next season unprepared. For in that season, you will face adversity, and you need to be ready. You will face obstacles that you need to overcome – so be ready. Be ready, so that when it is required of you to win, you will have what is needed to take your victory and triumph in His name.
Application: Recognize a season of preparation and determine to allow God to work His purpose in you. Be teachable, pliable, and restorable so that you can be useable for the King and the kingdom.