Preparation for Ministry
Good morning Leaders,
Ministering to Gods people is one of the most important things we will do. In fact it has eternal ramifications.
As I was reading Jeremiah 1:17. The Holy Spirit spoke these words to us. “The call of God to prophecy to His people begins with the call to ‘prepare yourself and arise and speak to them all that I command you.’ We prepare by studying His word, knowing what He says, and having a sense of His heart for His people. As well this text means to gird yourself up, tuck in all that will hinder you as you run this Christian race and respond to the call of God on our lives.” So here is the question. How does your preparation for ministry compare with your preparation for other things? Please compare it to something you really prepared for. Don’t let the enemy rob you of the growth that results from an honest examination of yourself.
In my preparation for ministry compared to preparing for other things is that if I am tasked to be the led then I will go above and beyond in my preparation. I find myself expeditiously preparing and putting a 110% into whatever the ministry task is. From fasting, prayer, studying and doing research on my text, whatever the Holy Spirit deems necessary. When it comes to ministry I prepare more than anything else. I feel a certain obligation to really devote my time to it. Now when it comes to my job I’m not so overly seeking to prepare nor do I have a sense of urgency at work as I do with ministry. At home I find myself preparing less than any of the two areas of my life. It might be wrong but the real assessment for me is that I tend to overly prepare for ministry and somewhat prepare on my job and do very little to prepare for things needed at home.
Now what I have noticed from this mirror check is that I should not just go hard when I have the lead, but go all out always, but I find that I don’t. If I’m just going to church and don’t have to lead or teach then I tend to not prepare as intensively as I would have if I had the lead. I believe this is wrong. I should be preparing for ministry regardless if I’m the lead, the preacher, teacher or facilitator. I should be just as intense in my preparation because there is always spiritual warfare taking place. But in my true assessment, I find that I don’t. I should not be taking days off, the enemy doesn’t and I may be called upon at a moment’s notice. In addition I think I need to do more to prepare for tasks at home as well. Now I know that some of the preparation for tasks at home could be considered minimal but I should want to be a well-rounded man in my home as well as in the church.
So one thing that came to me immediately is cooking and preparing meals for my family. I love to cook! If I could go on master chef just to use the kitchen and cook a meal for my family I would! It’s such a big deal for me that as I grocery shop I plan meals out for the week or for two weeks. I intently thinking about what we’ve already had, what sides will go best with the meats. I also think about what’s going on at church, what are my most busy days, which meal can I prepare of on a certain days to avoid cooking the next day which could be my busy day. It’s a serious process.
Nevertheless, when it involves my call I tend to procrastinate. I often find myself working on the ministry task and then putting it off for something more relaxing only looking up to find that time has passed and I need to be “preparing my dinner”. I’m not always as dedicated and disciplined to get it done in a timely manner. I will come up with a reading schedule for all my many books I’m reading, only to find myself becoming lax and no longer pushing the issue.
One thing that I didn’t think about was that I do prepare for my call in one area consistently. I do wake up in the morning and read the word for a personal devotional. I have become a good preparer in that aspect of my call. Its as the day progresses that I tend to get off track.
One thing I often prepare for is meetings with new clients. It’s important for me to walk them through the homebuying process. and be a resource of information to help them along. If I can’t assist them in a matter, I direct them to who can. This preparations takes hours or sometimes days of gathering information for the homeowner or prospective client, searching for properties within their criteria, gathering documents and contracts, and go over my presentations before I meet with them to make sure everything is in order.
When it comes to the call of God on my life, I haven’t always done a great job of preparing myself. Lack of preparation due to procrastination or lack of motivation over time has hinder me in the call of God in my life.
Seeing the results of an unprepared walk has provoked me to do better and become more intentional. I don’t want Jesus to come back and find my work undone! There are many distractions, but I find myself pressing through those distractions and staying more focused on the Lord and what he has called me to do.
Preparation for ministry is a daily thing for me. I’m preparing from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. It all starts with prayer, meditation and reading the Word. I listen to the word while I’m driving or listening to Godly music on my way to work, church or where ever I’m heading. I talk and listen to God through out my day.
We’re as preparing for work usually I will start when I wake up. After I have taken time for God, I take a shower, get dress and prepare my breakfast slash/ lunch. Before I leave for work I pray over Khyla cause she’s usually still asleep when I leave for work. So even in preparation for work I’m still preparing for ministry. Amen
I know Saturday is my day to clean my house. On Fridays I go through the house to gather dirty clothes. I try to prepare myself mentally because I am not young anymore. I just can’t do all the cleaning on Saturdays. My family looks at me like I am a machine but my body says prioritize your cleaning chores. I straighten up the living room at night before I go to bed. I need it to be clean when I get home so I can sit down and get my mind and spirit right from all that I went through during the day. If I do not get to sit down for at least an hour I am not in a good mood. I do not want to take my frustrations from the day and carry it home. I have to say sometimes it doesn’t work out because my husband stands at the front door and I can tell he is ready to dive into me with questions and all the things he went through during the day. I try to pray on myself driving home but again it doesn’t work out the way I wish.
I take preaching to God’s people very serious. As soon as Pastor Sal put the list for the associates to preach on the second Sunday I begin seeking God right away for a word for his people. I pull out my journal and start praying over all the things God spoke to me. I even have little notes from how God spoke to me during Sunday services, bible study, church, prayer, radio, family, friends, hospital, television, shopping, and at work. I pray and ask God to speak to me and guide me even when I start writing my sermon. It is like a puzzle putting all my notes together. Sometimes I have to take my notes and throw them away and start all over.
Good Evening Leaders,
My preparation process normally entails me making a plan on what it is I need to accomplish. I envision the amount of stepsor supplies needed, and then the priority of things. A lot of the time , this is done in my thoughts. As I age, I find that it is sometimes better to jot things down for remembering.
One thing I really had to prepare for was Medicine Administration Training. It was (and is) a detailed discipline on recognition, calculating the dosages, and the physical administration of medicines to include diabetic as well as “As needed” medications.
During the training, it was emphasized that this training would be critical in saving the life of a someone.
Hence, my call necessitates the need for recognition of someone’s need whether it is a prayer a kind word ,or even a helping hand. It is in my best interest to be able to measure the the depth of the interaction required to achieve the desired results. The employment of foundational truths of God’s word will need to be exemplary in my character. So therefore I should prepare to see , hear, meditate on, and apply the word of God in any given situation. The non-verbal communication of my character should sing the praises of God.
I have committed myself to several regiments of preparation for ministry. Someone’s spiritual life may depend on it.
So I take my preparation to play very seriously. For instance i listen to the music consistently and repeatedly. I also practice the music multiple times until I don’t have to think about what’s going to happen in the song.
If I’m completely honest my preparation for ministry doesn’t come close to my preparation to play. I should exemplify the same dedication as I do with music, if not more. Now that I’ve done this evaluation I definitely need to get on the ball so that I’m just as prepared for my ministry.
What I can compare is Ministry is my job. I am challenged and Second guessed a great deal at work, so I have researched and find the policies and procedures of my job duties read them over and over as well as compared them to the State Regulations. As co-workers who has been at the job longer than I, like to tell me that I am not doing things the way someone “use to do it.” But I humbly show them the Policy and how the State Regulations instructs how my job is done.
So In Ministry I read and Study The Word of God diligently. As God gives me utterance I allow The Lord to use me for His Glory. I must Study The Word of God, takes these lessons seriously because God is not providing these lessons just because. My Prayer is for God to awaken that Bold Spirit within me. Yolanda needs to Boldly Proclaim The Word of God as God has commanded.
Preparation
There is a quote that many people have heard, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail”. I am a living witness to this. When getting ready for the upcoming days at work I often prepare myself by praying and fasting for the future days. On days when I fail to properly prepare it seems like my day is just all over the place. If in the morning I wake up late, do a fly by prayer, don’t really read, or even meditate, my day ALWAYS has tremendous hills in it. Once I hit these hills it is harder for me to climb them because I did not have the proper preparation for my trip that day.
How does this work for my calling. When making lessons for the teens I often have to start my preparation days before hand. I will pray for God to show me what the teens need to hear. There was one time I had to teach and I was so busy that it seemed like time just flew by. Before I knew it, it was bible study. On that day I put together a lesson but because I did not make it my priority the lesson was very difficult to teach.
Moral of the story always stop, drop and prepare
In most things in life, I am a TERRIBLE preparer. When I moved into my first apartment almost nothing was packed so I just threw things into my mom’s car to be transported from my summer housing to my apartment. If it weren’t for Clay, it would have been the same thing when we moved out of our apartment last November. It seeps into all areas of my life. When I was a sophomore in college I had a HORRIBLE time taking Organic Chemistry, Cell Bio, and Physics all at once. I never had to study(prepare) in high school so when I needed to hunker down and study, I didn’t know how to. I was a stressful mess for over a month until I kinda figured it out. I created study groups and carved out time for each class, I even made some flashcards so I could study on the go. It worked too! I passed every class with at least a B and I was proud of myself! I still hate studying though and I have yet to figure out how to effectively study my word. Although I worked hard to prepare for those classes, I worked harder to prepare for Marleigh. I have read countless blogs and articles and downloaded apps just to have a better understanding of what’s going on in her little body. I feel like, on paper, I could be an expert in what’s happening when and how others react to it, but when it comes to the Bible, I be struggling. I have spent hours reading about and researching car seats and ways to introduce food or how to get her to sleep through the night (we are currently working on both those things with her, be in prayer!) But I feel like I can barely keep my Bible open for more than 30 minutes some days. I know it takes time to create a habit, but I am finding this the hardest habit to start. I do want to know more about the Bible and the Trinity that inspired it all, but I find it hard to read all those books. This workbook is helping, but even that is a struggle! I am glad to have some accountability partners who let me know I need to do better on a regular. Hopefully, it will get it one day soon.
Hello Leaders,
First of all, I apologize for just getting my post submitted. I am exhibiting terrible preparation that has led to my procrastination. But in moving forward, the question for this past week was – ‘How does ‘my’ preparation for ministry compare with ‘my’ preparation for other things?’
In my preparation for ministry, I am often evaluating and managing my commitment to ministry. In my evaluation of myself, this is my intentional self-examination, and in managing of my purpose this is the how and when of what to do. If I do not prepare myself, I will remain unprepared and stagnate in life. Thus, I find myself managing service in segments of my life. And yes, there is segments of the overall ministries purpose God has for me and I am attempting to effectively operate in it. I attempt to start my self-evaluation daily, no matter my time I get up or begin my day. I purpose to begin with a prayer for me to God. I love to begin my day by first thanking God, and prayer for me to be better on this day than I was previously. I pray for forgiveness and healing; I pray for my wife and kids, and then I pray as the spirit leads me. Although every prayer will not finish with me praying for everybody else, but it does start with my own self-evaluation, and seeking guidance from God. This is part of my preparation for ministry, preparation for service, and preparation for life. I believe that there should be a daily preparation of my mind and heart of reading the Word of God consistently as well. It would be perfect to say that I inclusive prepare for service daily, but I do not always initially read the word in the morning, sometimes I will listen to word, as I am getting dressed or driving to work. For if I do not intentionally prepare, I will find myself praying only but did not purposefully read; I will also find chaos is happening around me and I become easily frustrated.
Consequently, I can recognize my preparing for work, should be just as intentional as preparing for ministry. As I get prepared for work (my military service/my ministry outreach) there is a distinct uniform that I have to get prepared to wear. Depending on the military event/service there is required and optional uniforms that I am expected to be in. If I am not in the right uniform, then I become out of order and out of position to be properly utilized for military service. And when I prepare the proper uniform for service, I do not rely upon anybody else to prepare my uniform. It is my responsibility to prepare myself; I get my uniform ready. If I show up in the wrong uniform then I will be out order, and I will be out of position; I may even get counseled or reprimanded for not being prepared.
As being in the military, I can be detailed orientated. I am precise of preparing the proper uniform to put on each day intentionally. Even when I wear one of the uniforms that I normally do not wear, I would refer to the United States Navy Uniform Regulation manual that provides detail instructions. Just as I am intention in simple putting on a military uniform, I should be intention about all aspects of ministry. And if I need a reference for ministry, then refer to the Holy Bible.
Because of His Love,
Richard
Good morning Leaders,
Ministering to Gods people is one of the most important things we will do. In fact it has eternal ramifications.
As I was reading Jeremiah 1:17. The Holy Spirit spoke these words to us. “The call of God to prophecy to His people begins with the call to ‘prepare yourself and arise and speak to them all that I command you.’ We prepare by studying His word, knowing what He says, and having a sense of His heart for His people. As well this text means to gird yourself up, tuck in all that will hinder you as you run this Christian race and respond to the call of God on our lives.” So here is the question. How does your preparation for ministry compare with your preparation for other things? Please compare it to something you really prepared for. Don’t let the enemy rob you of the growth that results from an honest examination of yourself.
As i pondered on this question, this is the area i am challenged with. It all depends on what i am preparing for. Somethings i can prepare step by step and it’s ready. Some, i would be prepared then i allow myself to be unprepared. I feel like i am ready then i am not. I feel like i am well prepared under pressure. I believe that’s not always the best. Sometimes it turns out well and sometimes it does not.
For The Heart of Giving, certain events, the first time is always challenging and stressful in the preparation. The preparation, i have to really trust God that He will provide for the event. Once it’s done the first time, after that, it gets easier. I am well prepared, learned from the first time to make sure the do’s and don’t. Each year, it gets easier and better prepared because i know what to expect.
Daily, i ask God to help me with my procrastination. It’s not good to procrastinate. It will put me behind. Then, i would rush to be prepared and it’s not in excellence. In this area, i need more prayer in. I know i like things to be perfect. My heart is to ensure all things in my preparation to please God. Preparation is my weakness area.