PREPARE YOURSELF
Excellent ministries do not just happen. As you locate your calling , you must make preparation to succeed.God has not planned for anybody to fail in ministry.We have to apply ourselves to the calling of God on our lives.Preparation time is never lost time when we diligently study and meditate on the Word of God.
2 Tim. 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Joshua 1:8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Spiritual Preparation
Excellence in ministry comes through diligent work especially in the area of personal spiritual development.
You must locate your calling and gifts through prayer and fellowship with the Word and Spirit of God.
By constantly waiting on God your calling and gifts will develop.
Study the Word of God to find out your redemptive rights and privileges as God' s child. Feed on the Word day and night through reading and listening to the Bible on cassette tapes etc.
By doing these often, your faith will become strong and you will become aware of God's mighty power in and through you.
Long seasons of prayer are always necessary to operate in the power of God.
I advocate that you pray mostly in tongues if you have been baptised in the Holy-Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
This will help you to forge spiritual stamina.
Jude 1:20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Daniel developed intimacy with God through prayer.He is our example.
He developed an excellent spirit because of this and this distinguished him among the governors and satraps of King Nebuchadnezzar.
God promoted this young Hebrew in a foreign land.
Although he found himself in a hard place and the odds turned against him,he rose to the top because of the excellent spirit he had cultivated within him through prayer
Daniel 6:3
Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
Make the Word of God and prayer the foundation of your ministry.
Give time in preparing yourself on a daily basis through prayer and studying the Word of God.
When you do this you will discover that every time you step up to minister you will have something to say that will build and bless the people of God around you.
Natural Preparation
From a natural standpoint there are several things you can and should do to be effective in ministry.
For instance if God has called you into the mission field,making strides towards the mastery of the language of the people you are called to serve in ministry is always time well spent.
Learning a language is time consuming and the ideal situation is to be able to devote yourself completely to language study before you assume ministerial duties on the field. In some cases however, you might need to devote time to seek out information about the immigration requirement of the nation God has called you to take His word
.As you become familiar with those requirements you can prepare yourself to ensure that you meet the requirements necessary for you to get a visa to travel to that nation of your calling.
I believe you need to walk softly before God and trust Him to give you the wisdom and lead you through the door that is open before you.
God will let you walk through an open door he has appointed for you to take.
Many factors could close certain doors of nations before you but do not allow that to discourage you.
I have learned from experience that there are several open doors however, that God knows about that can lead you to the destination of your calling.
Just trust God to help you discover that " particular door" that is open before you that you might need to take.
When you discover the door go through it with dignity because God will back you up.
You will then be on your way to fulfilling God's purpose for your life. Glory to God!
Another natural preparation is to develop a budget.
A budget is a goal setting device that helps us maintain control over our spending by setting limits and priorities.
To prepare a budget you have to have an accurate estimate of your anticipated expenses.
You can draw an annual budget for instance. Your expenses should be catalogued in categories like housing,food, clothing, utilities, transportation, postage, office supplies, personal expenses for the year.
Add up all these expenses and divide by twelve and you will have a good idea of how much support you need monthly and annualy.
If you are called to pastor a church for instance, you will oversee the natural side of running the church like buying property or equipment etc.
You could delegate these responsibilities to others in the flock that are knowlegeable in those areas but ensure that you maintain oversight.
A word of advice here.Please do not be so engrossed in the natural preparation of ministry to the extent that you lose the anointing to preach and teach the Bible.
The need for balance here cannot be over-emphasised.
Glory to God!
