At the very time that you are called, you are not chosen. You have to go through a process and a series of tests before you are chosen!
The 10 Tests for Preparation for ministry
- Time Test (God test):
This is a wait test to build your faith and kill your flesh. This test is instill in us that things work in God’s time. Time will purify your motives and attitude. God can’t use you if your motives are selfish and your attitude is stank. He has to work the selfishness out of you so that you have kingdom motives.
2. Word Test:
God will allow the Word to test you. Not only do you “Study to shew thyself approved.” But you study the Word so that it becomes written on your heart. You should be able to have the word flow from your heart so that you are able to stand on it in the day of adversity. This test develops character, wisdom, and humility.
3. The servant’s test:
Tests your faithfulness. You can never make an able man faithful, but you can make a faithful man able. If you would just STAY and serve, God will anoint you and set you in a place of honor. When Elisha served Elijah, he refused to allow Elijah to leave him behind. Elijah tried to leave him at Gilgal (the place of faith), he said, “No, wherever you go, I go!” Then Elijah tried to leave him at Bethel (the place of decision), again Elisha refused to be left behind. Finally, at Jericho (place of warfare) Elijah tried again to get Elisha to stay but he refused again. When you refuse to be left behind by your leader and you stick close enough that you can ask them for anything and they can trust you with it. Elisha asked for a double portion of the anointing on his leader and that’s what he received. Elisha also stuck so close to Elijah that when he was taken up, he was close enough to pick up the mantle that was left behind. You have to refuse to leave the post that you know God has given you. You must learn to be willing to serve others without asking what’s in it for you. When it is your time to be blessed, you will be.
II Kings 2
4. Wilderness Test:
This test is designed to teach you the ways of the spirit. When you learn the ways of the Spirit, you forget the ways of the world. For example, Moses was in the wilderness for 40 years. He was in the wilderness for God to remove Egypt. Acts 7: 29-30; Exodus 2:11-3:1 He was the leader of a few sheep in order to learn to lead nations. The wilderness was to strip Moses of everything Egypt put in him. You can’t go to the new place God has for you with “Egypt” still on the inside of you. Stop babysitting you bondage!! The wilderness is not always a bad place, the Lord takes us to a place of separation for consecration and teaching.
5. Patience Test:
Teaches you how to surrender your life to God’s will. Gen. 5:32 God waited until Noah was 500 years old before he revealed to him what He wanted Noah to do! God waited until Noah was perfectly surrendered to Him. Gen. 7:1 Noah had to be patient and had to trust God wholly because no one had ever seen rain from the sky before. Noah had to build the ark to very detailed specifications.
6. Frustration Test:
This test makes you fix your gaze (sight) on things not temporal but spiritual. II Corinthians 4:18 The Lord will take us through a process of being frustrated with our situation or ministry so that we will seek Him for what we really need to do. If we start off right but get off course, the Spirit of the Lord will cause an uproar on the inside of us to force us to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” Matt. 6:33
7. The prayer test:
When you are put under pressure what comes out of you? Do you scream or do you pray? Do you cry or do you pray? Do you get mad or do you pray? Prayer is a PRACTICED lifestyle. As God works “Egypt” out of you, you have to learn to kill the old self by responding according to the spirit instead of the flesh. If you claim someone or something almost made you lose your religion, then what “religion” did you have in the first place if it could be lost so quickly. Maybe the problem is, you need relationship rather than religion! Close your mouth and practice prayer as your response.
8. Warfare Test:
Develops your spiritual muscles to make you strong. Often times, we will be thrown into confusion or we run in to a roadblocks and it is up to us to have our eyes, ears and spirits in tune with the Lord. He is not the author of confusion. Galatians 5:7-10 We must remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are spiritual and mighty THROUGH God to the pulling down of strongholds! Ephesians 5:11-18 Gives us our full armor of God. Gal. 5: 22-23 We can’t forget the fruit of the spirit as our greatest weapon. When we return hate with love, it destroys yokes and confuses the enemy. When we have self-control when others are out of control, or joy & peace when others expect us to be upset and angry, it is a great way to combat the enemy.
9. The Vision Test:
strengthens your prayer life because you have to be able to see beyond where you are now to where the Lord wants to take you. Nehemiah comes to mind. He saw a problem and he formulated a plan, inquired of the king, and he strategically placed families on the wall to rebuild where he knew they would fight the hardest and build the fastest. Neh. 1:1-11; Neh. 2:1-6; Neh. 4:6-10. You cannot become dynamic until you get specific! Don’t worry if everybody you talk to about your vision doesn’t “get it”. It maybe that they just aren’t the ones who are going to help bring the vision to manifestation. The moment the vision becomes clear, move towards it with all of your might, unrestrained zeal. As long as you make sure faith is involved (even if no one else believes, you continue to believe) and your vision will come to pass!
10. The Promotion Test:
Strengthens your position in God. God is the one who anoints and appoints. Instead of trying to promote yourself, let God promote you and you keep your eyes fixed on serving. The Lord tested Hannah I Sam. 1:6 Your enemies will try to provoke you when it appears that your promotion is not going to come. But it should cause you to press into God even more. Take no concern for what your enemy is saying, but pray to find out what God has to say. I Sam. 1:10-11 & I Sam. 2:10 The Lord will avenge you and promote you in the presence of those very same individuals. Look at Saul and David. Both were anointed, Saul with a vial and David with a horn. I Sam 10: 1 I Sam. 16: 1& There is a difference between a vial anointing and a horn anointing! Vial= judgment (Saul) and horn= blessing (David) The man who appoints himself will receive a vial anointing, but the one who is after God’s own heart will receive the horn anointing. God not only anoints the man/woman but also the ministry attached to them. They both started out as God’s men, but along the way Saul’s motives, which originated in his heart became for himself with no repentance or regret. You have to learn to serve to lead.
Comments
Excellent! Love this! We are proved to be approved by the King!
Thanks a million for sharing on this topic...this is exactly what my Dance Ministry need to hear at this time!
Fabulous and a blessing! Thanks for this.
This is what I needed.............to refocus and rethink.
Thank-You...I read this twice!! I'm going through a few now and been through a few others.
Amen! Praise the Lord!
I came on the call late but did get the ten test. Will share with my dance teacher and flag team in the future. Thanks. I know I am going through some of these now. Be bless.