After you pray the prayer of salvation:
Almighty God, I come into your presence
Confessing my sin nature and behavior,
Having remorse in my heart,
Wanting to repent,
Asking Your forgiveness,
Forgiving those who have sinned against me
And believing I am saved from eternal damnation
By faith, the grace of God and the Substitutionary Atonement of Jesus Christ
I pray that the Holy Spirit will
Occupy and purify my heart,
Make known to me the will of God,
Help me discern the truth,
Be Lord of my life
And keep me on the path of repentance, faith and obedience,
Continually reaffirmed and renewed.
Amen
what comes next? Here are some general guidelines:
If you prayed this prayer to the depths of your soul,
You’re redeemed from the bondage of sin.
Serving God is now your primary goal,
He will work hard to make sure you win.
You are born again by the Spirit of God,
And baptized with His Spirit as well.
Your soul has transformed by His wink and His nod,
And you’re no longer headed for Hell.
Should you tell those who may not believe it?
Should you reveal what you know to be true?
How can you help them receive it?
Let God lead them to truth via you?
You must help the lost cross the finish line,
After God brings them one step away.
God says, “I want to possess what has always been mine.”
We must double our efforts today.
But should we not wait until God calls us to something specific? For example, didn’t God specifically call Isaiah to a prophetic commission (Isaiah 6:8)? Shouldn’t we wait for a burning bush experience?
Many years ago, a missionary, to the far-east, described to me his Walmart Theology. Suppose, hypothetically, you are trying to decide whether to apply for a job at Walmart. You drive to the Walmart parking lot early in the morning and get on your knees facing the door. You say, “God, if You will cause that door to open when no one else is near, then I will know that I should apply for a job at Walmart.” My missionary friend said, “The door will never open! God is a God of action. He expects you to get up and walk through the door. You may not get the job. Or you may get the job and, after a while, decide it’s the wrong job for you. But until you get up and walk through the door, your life is in neutral.”
When Jesus said: For many are called, but few are chosen (Mat 22:14), perhaps He meant multitudes are called but few prove themselves the chosen ones. Perhaps God did not specifically address the call to Isaiah when He said: Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? (Isaiah 6:8). Perhaps Isaiah simply overheard God make an appeal to many. Isaiah overheard the call and accepted the mission.
The call of God is not for a special few, it is for everyone. The chosen ones are those who hear the still small voice questioning all the time: Who will go for Us? It is not a question of God singling out a person and saying: Now you go. God neither pleads nor compels you to service. He simply says to everyone, Follow Me! (Chambers, January 14th)
