I truly believe you are here on Earth by assignment, and God is fully expecting you to carry something out during your lifetime.
When you die, there will be a tombstone with your full name on it. Your birth date will be on the left side and the date that you died on the right side. But it’s that little dash in the middle that determines what you did with your life. That little dash determines everything. Did you fulfill God’s plan for your life or fulfill Satan’s plan for your life?
One of my favorite verses is John 17:4 (Message) – “I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.”
I truly believe you are here on Earth by assignment, and God is fully expecting you to carry something out during your lifetime. Years ago, I heard the Lord say these words, “your calling is calling”. You don’t have time to waste any longer. Your life is precious. Every single day you live is a day recorded in history never to be relived again. David actually wrote, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.” It’s time to pursue God’s calling all the way.
#1 Pick Up the Call!
Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t answer my phone much. OK, hardly at all! I would much rather send a text message than talk! And I never answer my house phone! In fact, when people are over and the phone rings, they’ll say, “Aren’t you gonna get it?” The truth is, I don’t even hear it anymore. Why? Because I’ve ignored it for so long.
You may have ignored God’s calling on your life for so long that you don’t even hear Him calling anymore. Other people may see gifts and potential in you and they’re saying, “Aren’t you going to do something with that?” But you don’t even see it anymore.
- Don’t let your past keep you from answering the call.
- Don’t let other people keep you from answering the call.
- Don’t let finances keep you from answering the call.
- Don’t let past failures keep you from answering the call.
- Don’t let satan talk you out of answering the call.
- Don’t let “busy-ness” keep you from answering the call.
- Don’t let shame and guilt keep you from answering the call.
- Don’t let insecurity keep you from answering the call.
My cell phone has a little button I can push when it’s ringing that says, “BUSY”. My old phone said, “IGNORE”. Don’t ignore God’s call anymore. Determine to not be too busy to take the call of your life! Your decision to ignore God’s plan or pursue it affects you forever. And you are the only one who can make this decision. The first step in pursuing God’s plan for your life is to DECIDE today that you will “pick up the call” and not ignore it any longer.
#2 Prioritize
Someone once said, “Don’t prioritize your schedule; schedule your priorities.” If you want to fulfill the very purpose you have for being born you have to make time with God the #1 priority of your life! Time with the Lord is THE VERY THING that has brought the most healing to my life. It’s built my confidence where I was terribly insecure and inferior. It’s healed my heart where I was so brokenhearted. It is the most precious thing in my life, and it’s the easiest thing to neglect! Unless you make it a priority and actually SCHEDULE ALONE TIME WITH GOD, you just won’t do it!
Spending time alone with God (just you and Him) is the #1 way to discover His next step for your life. Paul spent time alone . . . after the Damascus Road experience. Moses spent time alone on the backside of a desert. Joseph spent time alone in a prison. Jesus spent time alone in the wilderness before He ever launched his earthly ministry. Jerry Savelle (Dad) spent 8 hours a day for 3 months in his guest bedroom studying the Word before he ever stepped out in ministry. Keep in mind, when you pursue God, you are pursuing your dreams!
Whether it’s 8 hours or 10 minutes a day, the key is in consistency. Don’t feel bad if you only spend 5 minutes a day, stick to those 5 minutes and watch what God will do in your life. Spending quiet time with God will cause you to get closer to Him, more comfortable with Him and more sensitive to His voice.
#3 Prepare
Bobby Knight said, “The will to succeed is important, but what’s even more important is the will to prepare.” What are you doing right now to prepare for what you believe God has called you to do? Are you researching? Are you reading books about it? Are you taking any lessons? Are you attending a class? Are you saving money for it?
Preparation takes effort! You have to invest in your future. Make time to learn, to grow, to expand your thinking. Get on a quest to feed your faith more today than you did yesterday. Success isn’t something you arrive at – it’s something you prepare for! You have solutions and opportunities at your fingertips. You just need to expose yourself to new things, new people, new books, and new places. Your calling won’t just happen. You have to go after it!
John Wooden said, “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” My dad said that back in the early 1970’s when he was working for Kenneth Copeland, the Lord told him to “prepare” because the day would come when Mr. Copeland would ask him to preach with him. So, he did. He prepared messages, he prayed over the people who would “one day” come hear him preach . . . and he was ready.
Months and months went by, but one day, his phone rang in that little hotel room in Jacksonville Beach, FL and Mr. Copeland was on the other end saying, “Are you ready?” And he was. He prepared for his calling and when opportunity came, he was able to seize it.
Answering God’s calling is not an event, a one time moment, a special occasion, someone laying hands on you, it’s a daily choice and it shows up in your daily routine. Prepare now for tomorrow.
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For years, Terri Savelle Foy’s life was average. She had no dreams to pursue. Each passing day was just a repeat of the day before. Finally, with a marriage in trouble and her life falling apart, Terri made a change. She began to pursue God like never before, develop a new routine and discovered the power of having a dream and purpose.
As Terri started to recognize her own dreams and goals, she simply wrote them down and reviewed them consistently. This written vision became a road map to drive her life. As a result, those dreams are now a reality.
Terri has become the CEO of an international Christian ministry. She is an author, a conference speaker, and a success coach to hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Her best-selling books Make Your Dreams Bigger than Your Memories and Imagine Big have helped people discover how to overcome the hurts of the past and see the possibilities of a limitless future. Her weekly podcast is a lifeline of hope and inspiration to people around the world.
Terri Savelle Foy is a cheerleader of dreams and is convinced that “if you can dream it, God can do it.” She is known across the globe as a world-class motivator of hope and success through her transparent and humorous teaching style. Terri’s unique ability to communicate success strategies in a simple and practical way has awakened the dreams of the young and old alike.
Terri shares from personal experience the biblical concepts of using the gift of the imagination to reach full potential in Jesus Christ. From stay-at-home moms to business executives, Terri consistently inspires others to go after their dreams. With step-by-step instruction and the inspiration to follow through, people are fueled with the passion to complete their life assignment down to the last detail (see John 17:4).
Terri and her husband, Rodney Foy, have been married since 1991, and are the parents of a beautiful redheaded daughter, Kassidi Cherie. They live near Dallas, Texas.