How to walk in the high altitude of your calling -Part One
By Colin Smith

Have you ever wondered why the mighty Apostle Paul accomplished so much in his lifetime? What are the secrets that caused him to say: "I have fought a good fight I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2 Tim 4:7) In order to unlock your potential, first you must use the right keys. I have observed the life and ministry of Paul and listed the main principles he practiced. Under each key, there are steps we can take that will ensure we will cross the finish line as champions of our callings.

1. Remain In the Security of your calling
"I have not been disobedient to the heavenly visionà" Paul's security in his calling caused such a momentum to build in his life that even when he was locked in prison his productivity continued. Imagine that! Locked away in a dark pit somewhere to be forgotten and forsaken by the world and, yet, in that time he penned the greatest writings of all time. He wrote 25% of the New Testament, but the substance of that 25% contains 72% of the doctrine! Had Paul not been secure and focused in his calling, he would have sat there and felt sorry for himself and his great revelations would have perished with him. At that time the only doctrine the church had was what was preached by the apostles in person. Paul began the greatest mail ministry ever. (I wonder if he knew those letters would one day be the daily bread of the modern Christian?)

• Find your calling. What burns in you, what are your desires?
  Eph. 1:9 "redeeming the timeà" Eph. 5:16-17 "àdo not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
  Before you can become secure in your call, you must first know what it is. Every believer has a call. There is the general call - Mark 15 &16 - every believer must seek to do that. Then there is the specific call. For you it is your own unique ministry, the purpose you were born for. The Bible labels this call your vision. "Without a vision the people perish." Ask yourself, "What burns in my spirit?" This is one of the keys of finding your specific calling. God has placed certain desires inside you. Quiet down your soul by waiting in God's presence and listen to the voice of your inner man, your spirit. God does not speak to our head, he speaks to our spirit. Learn to listen to the inward leading. (We will look more closely at being led by the Spirit in a later study.) Show me a man who is unhappy in his work and I will show you a man who is not walking in his calling. Sure, there will be trials and frustrations, but there will still be an underlying satisfaction that you are fulfilling your destiny. That, my friend, is how Paul and Silas with their backs bleeding and their hands and feet clamped in chains could sing with joy in a prison at midnight.
  Next, spend time seeking God in prayer and fasting and ask for specifics. He may not give it all to you at once. The more you invest time seeking, it will become clearer to you. Continue to move as you are seeking because the vision is progressive. I like to look at it as a journey. You are walking down a path. You cannot always see what is around the bend until you reach the bend. Obedience is vital to the progressive unveiling of God's plan for you. Job 3:13 "Seek God, He will tell you what you are called to do."

• Stay in your calling and be the best you can be.
  Once you find your calling remain in it. A train is designed to carry heavy loads over great distances. The train will arrive at its destination as long as it stays on the tracks. The tracks are not a prison, but they are there to guide, stabilize and make the train's journey possible. Think of your calling as the tracks. As long as you stay on track, you will arrive at your destination. The moment you leave the confinement of the track, you will spin your wheels in the dust - making a lot of noise but going nowhere. Allow the confinement to become your friend. God has placed boundaries to your calling for a purpose. Don't go beyond the boundaries God has placed. The devil has also placed boundaries - called comfort zones --- these are the counterfeit for the tracks God has laid for you. Obeying God's call on your life will require constantly breaking through these comfort zones. There will be opportunities that you will have to turn down in your life. Not every opportunity is of God. Pursuing things outside of your calling will cause your destiny to be derailed. I feel I had better clarify this for the less mature believer who may be reading this. That does not give you a license to be lazy. There are natural things that must be pursued: i.e. To have a tent making trade (a job). Just do not allow it to become your focus or give your hunger to it. Determine to be the best you can be in it. Become diligent and give yourself to study and preparation. Make a quality decision right now - determine to walk in excellence. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Don't be in a rush to do it all by tomorrow. Pace yourself and focus on quality rather than quantity. It is better to do one task and do it with excellence than 10 tasks done shabby and halfhearted. For some it is difficult to slow their insides down to pace themselves, but it is vital. The call is for the long haul.
  
  Find a man who walks in excellence and he shall come before great men, he shall not stand before unknown men"
  
  Many have failed to climb the mountain of success because of lack of excellence. "The bitterness of bad quality will outlast the sweetness of a cheap price." Tom Leding

• Don't worry what others say or do, run your own race. Paul's security in his calling allowed him to concentrate on what was before him, and not be distracted by those around him. Without that security, people tend to follow what others are doing instead of what they are called to do. Who will fulfill your calling while you are fulfilling someone else's? The tendency to "keep up with the Jones' only comes when you don't have a vision you can call your own. When you have your own vision; those without one will first become jealous then speak against you and, finally, when they see you succeeding they will imitate you. Their opinions will sway - one day they may love you, the next, they may hate you. So forget about trying to please man and just please God. Never allow yourself to worry about what others think. The moment you do those people will control you. If they criticize you, ignore them; let your fruit do the talking for you. Who shall we please? Man or God? Security in your call will cause you to continue while under fire. (Nehemiah)