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The first step to excellence in ministry is dedication. True dedication is a decision of quality - a decision where there is no turning back.

True dedication simply makes a decision based on one's commitment to God, not on feelings or emotions. The difference between operating on a decision for dedication as opposed to operating by your emotions can be illustrated like this.

Just as a marriage union is solidified by a commitment of faith instead of emotions, the stability of your ministry does not depend on your feelings. A decision for a ministry of excellence is a deep, firm resolution which men cannot alter and circumstances cannot change.

A time will come in your life when you will face commitment. How you handle it now, may well determine whether you succeed or fail and even whether you live or die.

When you finally make a full, no-quit, no-turn-back, forever-commitment to God, fulfilling your calling will be the most exciting thing you've ever done. But until the issue is forever settled in your mind and heart, you will have hell on earth. Satan will torment you unmercifully.

Don't be afraid to accept the responsibility of making a decision. God has provided the power, furnished the weapons and equipped you with everything you need. It is the same as experiencing the new birth. Once you made the decision, God did the rest. His power, His Spirit and His Word performed their function, and you were born again. A decision was all it took. All you must do is determine in your heart to obey your calling, and God will do His part.

A man once asked me what I did for a living. I answered, "I am a preacher." "Oh," he replied, "yes, I had an uncle who was in the ministry. My, it's a difficult life and a high price to pay." I said, "No, frankly I am having the time of my life."

Never be deceived by thinking that being in the will of God is expensive. The most costly thing on this planet is being out of the will of God. You cannot afford it.

Find Your Place in the Body
The Bible says that the callings of God are without repentance (Rom. 11:29). If you are called to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher or to any other ministry in the body of Christ, the Lord will not revoke the assignment given to you. He ordained you before the foundation of the world.

When you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, it will be in the light of your calling - not what you did, not what you meant to do or wished you had done, but what God said you were appointed to do. This applies not only to the fivefold ministry but to every member of Christ's body.

Each believer is anointed and endued with power to fulfill a specific function. By the Spirit of God, every individual is able to perform their calling with mastery and excellence. So, it would be to your advantage to find your calling and get in it.

Devote Yourself to Pleasing God
A decision for total dedication includes a determination to please God. Go through the New Testament and learn those things that bring Him pleasure.

For instance, But without faith it is impossible to please him (Heb. 11:6). We must walk by faith in order to please God. The Father God is not delighted when we are in the flesh. We must be spiritually minded (Rom 8:1-8).

God receives no enjoyment out of our being defeated. Defeated Christians do not delight their heavenly Father. He was grieved at the children of Israel because they were overcome in the wilderness.
For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?
(Heb. 3:16-17)
Our not walking in victory is just as offensive to Him.

Spiritual Basics
The decision to please the Father must include the decision to live in victory. The victory which overcomes the world is faith (1 John 5:4). God intents for you to use your faith for every endeavor in life. You should bat your eyes by faith! The just shall live by faith (Rom. 1:17).

In addition to faith, you must also live and walk in the love of God. Getting strife out of your life is part of your dedication to God. That, my friend, requires a firm quality decision of the highest order.

Avoiding strife is not a suggestion; it is a command.
The servant of the Lord must not be in strife. You are a servant of the Lord, so you cannot quarrel, bicker and fight with anyone. Be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves (or those that are in strife and opposition to one another); if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
(2 Tim. 2:24-26)
You cannot afford strife. It will cause you to be taken captive by Satan at his will. You are no longer a civilian. You are a soldier of the Cross. You have answered the call and taken your place in the ranks of the forces of Almighty God. Put on the armor and fight the good fight of faith. If you surrender to the enemy, you will be worthless to the kingdom of God. The last thing God needs is for His army to become prisoners of war!

Stand on the Word of God and take control of your feelings. Strife is born in the emotions. To control your emotions, you must control your tongue. The Bible says that the person who can control his words can gain mastery over his entire body (James 3:2). Don't ever make the choice to do it the easy way and not believe God for it. When it comes down to it, stand on the Word and use your faith. Always take the Word way. Always take the faith way. Stand immovable on the promises of God.

Commit Yourself to a Life of Prayer
Prayer is the foundation for success in every Christian endeavor. Jesus is your example. Did you ever notice how often the Bible mentions that He withdrew to a lonely place to pray? Jesus was in continual communication with God through prayer. He spent hours every day separated from the people, fellowshipping with His heavenly Father.

If He had a need for preparation through prayer, how much more should we? In fact, such foundation and preparation is the only thing that will keep us together when we are faced with a situation that requires a great deal of faith.

Once a woman brought a little whisper of a baby to me in a meeting in a parking lot. Its tiny feet were so badly twisted that the toes on each foot touched the backs of its legs. The mother was looking to me to do something about it. In a situation like that you need to be in close contact with the Father.

When she handed me her little baby, I started to pray. It was so tiny that both feet fit in the palm of my hand. I said, "Father, in the name of Jesus…." That's as far as I got, and I felt those little feet turn around in my hand.

I would rather be anointed of God for five minutes than to have a gold fence built around the entire state of Texas with my name on every brick. It is the greatest thing on earth. The hours of prayer and communion with God are worth the results they bring.

The demonstration of God's power in your ministry is proof of your personal fellowship with Him. You cannot have one without the other.

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Author Biography

Kenneth Copeland
Web site: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
 
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God’s WORD to their lives.
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