Read Online Ultimate Security: Finding a Refuge in Difficult Times by Derek Prince - Free Book Online
Authors: Derek Prince
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His foreknowledge, His choice, and His predestination were events that took place in eternity apart from our involvement. But when we are confronted by His call, it is mandatory that we make a response. And I want to repeat: Our response to His call determines all that will follow in our lives.
God’s call requires a response from us.
Salvation Is a Call
The proclamation of the gospel is God’s invitation, and acceptance of it brings salvation. As Paul explained:
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 nasb)
Paul again emphasized the fact that God chose us; in this case, he wrote about God choosing us for salvation. Paul said that God called us into salvation by the proclamation of the gospel. When the preaching of the gospel comes to us, it is God’s call. It is His invitation and/or summons into salvation. Paul concluded the above passage with the following words: “That you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Please remember that everything God does in all His predestination is for the purpose of His glory.
God’s choice is expressed in our lives by His calling. Until God calls us, we do not know He has chosen us. But from the moment He calls us onward, we are confronted by the solemn fact that God has chosen us.
We are called into salvation. The acceptance of that calling brings salvation. When we experience salvation, we discover (or should discover) that salvation opens the door into the fulfillment of that for which God called us. This point is very important. Many people who are saved do not realize that when they are saved , they are also called .
Three Important Aspects of Our Calling
You may not yet feel that you have discovered your calling. Even so, you are called by God. Paul wrote to Timothy,
[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (2 Timothy 1:9 nasb)
We need to understand the following three aspects of our calling.
1. It Is a Holy Calling
First, our calling is a holy calling. It is something to which we should give our complete attention, and it should take total priority in every aspect of our lives. It is holy and sacred, and we need to treat it as such. You should never let anything come between you and the purpose and call of God in your life.
2. It Is a Calling by Grace
Second, Paul said our calling is not according to our works but “according to [God’s] own purpose and grace.” In other words, our calling and our ability to fulfill it do not depend on our natural ability. It is essential to grasp this truth.
You might say, “How could God call me to do this or that? I don’t have the ability.” It does not depend on your ability; it depends on His grace. In fact, God’s grace begins where your ability ends. As long as you can handle something by yourself, you don’t need God’s grace.
Never refuse God’s calling because you feel unable. Almost every person in the Bible whom God called felt unable. It is probably a good sign if you feel unable. I question whether a person is really called by God if he says, “Well, of course, I can do exactly what God tells me to do.” The first realization that comes to you when you are called is the recognition of your own inability. That realization simply causes you to cast yourself upon the grace and mercy of God.
Let me give you a personal example. I am an only child. I never had brothers or sisters. I was educated in two boarding schools where there were no girls. Then I went to Cambridge University, where girls were very much in the background. At the beginning of World War II, I was called
God’s call requires a response from us.
Salvation Is a Call
The proclamation of the gospel is God’s invitation, and acceptance of it brings salvation. As Paul explained:
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 nasb)
Paul again emphasized the fact that God chose us; in this case, he wrote about God choosing us for salvation. Paul said that God called us into salvation by the proclamation of the gospel. When the preaching of the gospel comes to us, it is God’s call. It is His invitation and/or summons into salvation. Paul concluded the above passage with the following words: “That you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Please remember that everything God does in all His predestination is for the purpose of His glory.
God’s choice is expressed in our lives by His calling. Until God calls us, we do not know He has chosen us. But from the moment He calls us onward, we are confronted by the solemn fact that God has chosen us.
We are called into salvation. The acceptance of that calling brings salvation. When we experience salvation, we discover (or should discover) that salvation opens the door into the fulfillment of that for which God called us. This point is very important. Many people who are saved do not realize that when they are saved , they are also called .
Three Important Aspects of Our Calling
You may not yet feel that you have discovered your calling. Even so, you are called by God. Paul wrote to Timothy,
[God] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (2 Timothy 1:9 nasb)
We need to understand the following three aspects of our calling.
1. It Is a Holy Calling
First, our calling is a holy calling. It is something to which we should give our complete attention, and it should take total priority in every aspect of our lives. It is holy and sacred, and we need to treat it as such. You should never let anything come between you and the purpose and call of God in your life.
2. It Is a Calling by Grace
Second, Paul said our calling is not according to our works but “according to [God’s] own purpose and grace.” In other words, our calling and our ability to fulfill it do not depend on our natural ability. It is essential to grasp this truth.
You might say, “How could God call me to do this or that? I don’t have the ability.” It does not depend on your ability; it depends on His grace. In fact, God’s grace begins where your ability ends. As long as you can handle something by yourself, you don’t need God’s grace.
Never refuse God’s calling because you feel unable. Almost every person in the Bible whom God called felt unable. It is probably a good sign if you feel unable. I question whether a person is really called by God if he says, “Well, of course, I can do exactly what God tells me to do.” The first realization that comes to you when you are called is the recognition of your own inability. That realization simply causes you to cast yourself upon the grace and mercy of God.
Let me give you a personal example. I am an only child. I never had brothers or sisters. I was educated in two boarding schools where there were no girls. Then I went to Cambridge University, where girls were very much in the background. At the beginning of World War II, I was called
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