Keep The Faith magazine - Britain's leading publication about Black faith

Gladys Famoriyo says that when God gives us an assignment, our focus should not be on its start or size, but instead, we should focus on fulfilling God’s purposes. Has God given you a vision to fulfil a particular assignment? If so, what have your attitude and response been towards this? The reality is that some of us appear to embrace a number of incorrect attitudes which translate into the actions we take (or don’t take). To start with, some of us may buck at less glamorous tasks that influence how we approach it.

If it isn’t a task that puts us on a ‘platform’ or brings recognition or power, for instance, we tend to want to resist such.

So to help you along, ponder over the following principles:

God loves it when we put our hands to the plough and get on with things. Our obedience pleases Him. Zechariah 4:10 states that God “rejoices to see the work begin” in reference to Zerubbabel and the returning exiles rebuilding the temple. They demonstrated their commitment to the call by taking consistent action until the job was done. So, get on with your assignment. You will be amazed at what God will do with the little in your hands.

Fix Your Attitude

Have you been complaining at the lack of progress concerning your assignment? Your sentiments may have been, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose…” (Isaiah 49:4). However, be assured that nothing we do for God goes unnoticed and unrewarded. Whilst you may not see the fruits of your labours (even in your lifetime), your obedience and diligence are accomplishing God’s plans and purposes. So change your attitude, and see yourself as a vessel of honour being used by God.

Don’t Try To Outrun God

At times, we feel God’s pace is too slow and so we try to hurry things along.  We get anxious about our progress, and want to make things happen; but one thing you can be sure of is that God is never in a hurry. Psalm 37:7 encourages us to “be still” whilst waiting for Him to act on our behalf. Moreover, your assignment is an opportunity for God to work on you as you take each step. And this takes time. So, resist the urge to speed things along, recognising that Father has a plan. Instead, tune in to get direction (Isaiah 30:20-21 and 42:16).

And so, in closing, don’t get hung up on your success or even on your failures of yesterday. As long as you remain obedient and committed to the task, God will bless the work of your hands (Job 36:11). Don’t look down on where you are today, because it’s the platform God will use to elevate you tomorrow. So, get on with your assignment.

But our challenge does not end there. Some believe that if our assignment is not ‘all singing and dancing with whistles and bells’ - especially from day one - then something is amiss.

We pick up false notions that God can't possibly be in anything less than our own humanistic expectations, but God does not always operate in the way we think. In fact, if we were to take a peek into the lives of some people who answered the call of God, some of them had nothing spectacular or fast-paced happen early on. These include Joseph, Moses, David and Elisha, though they went on to achieve great feats. And there’s Jeremiah, who, in his years of ministry, did not see a positive outcome at all, though he continued to deliver God’s messages.

Hence, as a result of our own attitudes, coupled with a whole list of other factors, some of us either don’t get beyond the starting line, or abandon the race shortly thereafter. Let’s take, for example, a man or woman who feel led by God to start a ministry of some sort. It is not uncommon to find a barrage of assumptions and expectations to show up, such as expecting an easy ride or great feats to happen from the outset (though this is not impossible with God). This is compounded by popular measures of success, which tend to be limited to the likes of church/ministry size, the level of income generated, popularity, CD sales, etc. They look over the fence and see others who seem to be making progress – according to their own definitions – and want to be like them overnight. When they measure their own progress against their own preconceptions and seem to fall short of it, there is a tendency to become disheartened, and they may pull back from what seems like small beginnings. Their expectation is to experience what they define as ‘progress’ from the very start.

Whilst our aspirations to do great things for God are admirable (though one needs to keep a check on one’s motives), God has His own measures of success, which include our obedience and commitment to the call, regardless of what we face. And so, this should be the yardstick we use to measure our success. Deviate from this, and you are likely to take the wrong turn. So, our real mandate is to “Obey God and leave all the consequences (ie. the outcome) to Him” as Charles Stanley says. We must be faithful with the little that God places into our hands. Moreover, it’s about sowing and watering our seeds, in the form of our daily actions, and stepping back to allow God to do what He does best – bring about growth and elevation. For when we persevere with Him, He makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).Just Get On With Your Assignment

Gladys Famoriyo is author of Overcoming Emotional Baggage.  Visit www.gladysf.com or call 0870 750 1969 for details about her ministry.