The Call

Copyright © 2016 by Katie.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016918366

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5245-5652-5

      Softcover         978-1-5245-5651-8

      eBook         978-1-5245-5650-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV,© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 12/27/2016

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

724396

CONTENTS

Chapter I Being True To Self

Chapter II Carnal Thinking

Chapter III You’re No Better Than Me!

Chapter IV Spiritual Wickedness

Chapter V Trusting God

Chapter VI Overcoming

Chapter VII Making A Decision

Chapter VIII Don’t Flunk The Test, But Have Faith

Chapter IX It Hurts, So Cry

Chapter X Flesh Or Spirit

References

D ID YOU GET the call? What call, you ask? The call about what you’re supposed to be doing in life, silly! Everyone has something they were put on earth to do. They were given either a gift to share, a talent to show, or a skill to serve with. Regardless of the call, you’re supposed to be doing something in your spare time. If you are like me, maybe year after year, you ask yourself the million-dollar question: Lord, what am I supposed to be doing with my life? I feel like there is more to life than this. Who or what is missing? I can’t believe this is it. Lord, help me, guide me, direct me, or just tell me what it is I’m supposed to be doing! Right now I feel like a desert. Nothing is growing. I pray to you, and I hear absolutely nothing. Everything seems so still, and my life is stagnant. Jesus Christ, my life has more meaning than this (at least I hope it does). I haven’t accomplished all of my goals in life, and I am still young.

John 6:35 NKJV

³⁵ And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

I promise, Lord, whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it as long as I am healthy, wealthy, prosperous, successful, and living in a mansion with my boat. I desire to live a long life with a husband. I want rich and famous God-fearing kids, and I pray that we all live comfortably with more than enough and that we remain healthy. Just show me a sign or give me the call and I promise, Lord, I will do it. Thank you in advance, Jesus; you are the master.

Does this sound familiar? I’m sure it does. Our list of requests may extend beyond belief, but it’s our own personal desires and wants. I was just sharing several of my requests with you. Why shouldn’t our lists go on and on? Our father is the creator of the universe, so he knows what we need and want before we even ask him. We can only pray for the things we want, but that does not mean we will get them.

I would like to share these next two verses with you. There is a method to getting the desires of your heart, and maybe, just maybe, I’ve been doing it wrong, or I simply must wait.

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)

⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 20:4 (NKJV)

⁴ May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,

And fulfill all your purpose.

How does one delight oneself in the Lord, you ask? I asked the same question and looked up the definition of delight. Delight means to please, charm, or captivate someone. Put God in the place of someone. Have you been delighting yourself in the Lord? I have, but not completely. Maybe, just maybe, that’s why I do not have the desires of my heart. It’s just a theory.

I use Bible Gateway to look up scriptures. If you are online or surfing the net, it’s a very convenient tool to have at the click of your fingertips. Technology makes research easier these days. However, I do compare the actual Bible and Bible Gateway scriptures. Bible Gateway is not a reason to be ignorant and not an excuse to be lazy. It is just an easier way of studying God’s word if you are multitasking.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

¹⁹ And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 is a very popular verse, but do you believe it? Are you a person who likes to dissect every word in a scripture? I’ve learned not to do that because you may confuse or deceive yourself.

Some of my friends or church members used to tear this Bible verse apart. It says what it says. Then the debate starts. The verse says, And my God (the one we serve) shall supply (make available or provide) all your need (singular form; something required or necessary) according to His riches (material wealth and valuable resources) in glory (honor won, achieved) by Christ Jesus. If you are careless and immature, you can misinterpret some of the verse, and every word is critical. I fell into that category with the word need. Need is singular, but wait a minute, I have needs, Lord, if only a singular need can be supplied, can I pick the one that I think I should benefit from based on today’s economic system?

Has this ever been a thought that ran across your mind, or is it just me? In the Bible, God supplied many needs. He supplied the wine. He supplied bread and fish. When God supplies a need, it could be in the form of a miracle. He provided healing to the woman with an issue of blood and gave sight to the blind man. God will supply your need, and it will be revealed.

Well, let me tell you something. God knew me when I was in my mother’s womb, but I discovered him at a very young age. I was in church playing with the Holy Spirit. In other words, I was testing God (at least that was what I thought). There were a few old women shouting, and I was laughing. I decided to mock this one old lady. Her name was Sister Mockinskin. I didn’t understand her reasoning for sitting in the same seat every day. (Yes, my mother made me attend church every day. I thank God for delivering me from this.) I sat a few rows behind her on her left side in the first row. She always kept her eye on me.

Since I knew she was watching me, I wanted to let her see as little as possible, so I stayed in her peripheral. I’m not sure if she had bad eyesight, but I wanted her to see me without seeing me. Does this make sense? She lifted her hand, and so did I. She jumped; I did that too. She shouted, and I said yes. Oh, don’t judge me, I was a child. I was mocking the old lady. She was not watching me, but the Pastor was. Pastor Lakewood walked over and said, Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, child? The holy what? Oh, that ghost thing that makes people crazy,

Well, I sure do, yes! I said. My siblings and the other children in church were looking at me. They were scared, and so was I. I whispered that the ghost is supposed to be coming to get me. We laughed. Pastor Lakewood laid her hands on my forehead and said, Sit, child, this is going to take a minute.

She said, Repeat these words: Lord, I love you and save me. I kept saying these words for about ten minutes.

Other people started putting their hands on me, and I was really scared. Even Sister Mockinskin was watching me with a vengeful look in her eye. About twenty minutes later, I was on the floor. Don’t ask me how I got there because the last thing I remember was sitting in the chair. I was trying to figure out what just happened. I looked up, and people were shouting and yelling. I saw my mother standing up, looking confused. I asked my mother what was spoken and what happened? She was mute at this moment (and I was wondering why is she not talking; she is so crazy-acting sometimes) I turned to Pastor Lakewood and asked her what I said. She said that the ghost got ahold of me. The church drums and tambourines were so loud, and people were running around the church-it reminded me of a circus. I was ready to go. The party was over for me.

What did I say, Pastor? She told me not to worry. I asked why because it could have something to do with my future. Needless to say, she never told me, but she invited me to her house for ice cream. I accepted the invitation.

As a child, and now as an adult, I have learned the basic instructions before leaving this earth (B-i-b-l-e) and how to live on this earth through hearing and studying the word of God. I love, give to, and respect others. I also know how to forgive, and I find myself doing this time and time again.

Psalm 139:13–15 (NKJV)

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[a]

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

This is the right thing to do. When life is unfair and hard, I get tired of people saying, What would Jesus do right now? Well, look in the Bible and see what he did.

He had a great advantage because he could hear directly from God. God’s message to Jesus, his son, was clear and direct. I mean, he ran around in his gown, healing people and supplying needs. He had power because his father had the power. If you kept Jesus from fulfilling the scriptures, God would probably burn you to ashes. Wow, what a man, what a mighty good man, and every woman agrees.

My life is very mundane