Finding the pasture
We are living in a world of confusion and uncertainties. People are confused about their life, jobs and family life. Most of them have some hope; they just live by sight. Even in the ministry field many people ask the same question, why am I not a success, or what is the reason I am struggling in my ministry?
They usually start to compare themselves with other people. Look he is a success, look at her she is a success, we studied together but I am still struggling. The Bible says ask and it shall be given, seek and it shall be found, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
In Jn 10.9,10 9I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
When I was reading this portion I was started thinking about the meaning of “Pasture” and finding the pasture. It was a new revelation for me. I was so excited to receive that revelation, actually it was eye opening for me, and an answer for many questions I had asked and I was asked.
Salvation is a process. It has a day of beginning, but it is like a tree growing after planting. Without a seed or stump it won’t grow. Even after planting it needs water, nutrition, and daily attention by the gardener. Here in verse 9 it says, I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Jesus is saying I am the door, if any one enters by Me will be saved, and after that the scripture explains three stages. 1) Coming in; 2) Going out; 3) Finding the pasture.
Three stages of salvation experience are coming in, going out and finding the pasture. Some people will come in, some people will come in and go out, some people will come in, go out and be in a wrong pasture, some people will come in, go out and find the pasture, which is an amazing area. The three things I just mentioned should be lined up, otherwise people will struggle.
The reason for struggle is disorder. Order will bring blessing, disorder will lead to constant struggle. For example submission to leadership, being teachable and waiting for God’s timing are part of God’s order. If you’re not teachable to those above you, then God cannot teach you. This will lead to us taking our own decisions, and ending up in a mess because we have not submitted to the Godly order of submission. Another example is when someone who is called by God to be a pastor is walking in an area of ministry that they have not been called to, such as being an evangelist. Although they are doing ministry there is a disorder in that they are not following God’s specific call on their life, and they will experience struggle in their ministry. There are always going to be struggles and trials in our life, I fully agree. Many people think and teach that if you are a Christian, there are no more struggles. But that is not true. You need to face struggles but you won’t experience failures. God will use opportunities to mould us. In order to mould our character and to shape us, sometimes He will allow struggles and trials, but He never allows us to fall. Struggles that come out of order lead to life and character formation but struggles that come out of disorder will lead to spiritual death and sinking relationships.
1. Coming in
The reason why we should come in is because the outside is not safe or you are not safe. Here Jesus is standing as a door, the door being the way we usually use to come in and go out. Without a door it is not possible to come in and go out. Suppose we have a beautiful house but no doors, that would be really funny!! After making a beautiful house if people ask you to come in you will come through the door, then you can be inside the house. The door is the entrance to a safe place. Without a door you can’t enjoy the security provided by that house; the door won’t come to the person, but the person has to enter through the door.
Once you are inside the door, you can enjoy the comfort of being inside, but you have to adjust to the principles of that house. While you were outside your thought patterns were influenced by the outside your words, your behaviours, and your character. But once you are inside that atmosphere will mould you. Inside you are in the Kingdom Training Centre area (K T C). Kingdom principles and kingdom nature, the nature of the king will be transformed into your life. That is the place character formation and impartation happens. Many times people think that anointing will decide each person’s character, but that is not true. Anointing will help for your character development, but it is inside the door that God will teach humility, submission, and the need of the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the Gospels we can see that Jesus encouraged His disciples to wait for the anointing of the Holy spirit. So they did and we can see the tremendous changes after that. Waiting time is not a wasting time. Even in the life of Jesus the first area on which father God focused was his character, which mainly grew while he was with his parents in submission and obedience, then only was He anointed for the mission. That is why the reason we need to come in first.
2. Going out
Once we are ready to go out God will encourage and release us to go out to the same place we were before, the same place we were defeated, the same place we were struggling to lead a successful life. We are back here with grace and power because we have come from inside, moulded by God for His plan and purpose in order for us to be a blessing to the community, country and to families. Previously we were a headache to the community, experiencing peace-less houses, broken marriages, rejected children. But once you are moulded by God, you will be overcoming the situations by His strength. I have seen many lives that have been changed after this experience, families who have been restored, people who overcame their insecurity. Wow!! What a change. When you come outside the situations will be the same as before, but the way you are facing the situations is different from before. Before you were under the problem, but now you are here to overcome the problem, to face the giant, to deal with the problem not to escape, to defeat not to flee from the realities of our life. In Luke Ch 10 .19 we are told, Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
ROM 16.20 says And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. Before you were struggling to deal with your family issues. In this place you can overcome sin and sickness.
3. Finding the pasture
The first two areas are understandable to most believers, but the third part is the most important part. If you miss that, you miss every thing, like having run the entire race you miss your final point or the finishing point.
Finding the pasture is being in your calling. God has a plan for your life, which is the reason God has created you in this earth, so being in your calling is the most important thing, and that is your pasture. You have no need to create that pasture, as it has already been created by your dad, even before you were born, but many people miss this point. They think doing ministry is the main thing, but doing ministry in the right place is the most important thing. Being in the right place at the right time.
Columbus discovered America, and Faraday invented electricity. America was there even before Columbus was born, but electricity was an invention. Here finding the pasture is understanding your calling and even being in the right geographical place. In that place you will have to face challenges but no defeat, there will be warfare but no failure. Even when you feel you are a failure if you are in the pasture you have not failed.
If God called you as a teacher be there and be in your pasture for His glory. It is not about what you’d like to be or how excited you are by someone else’s ministry and wishing that you could do the same as them, but it is all about being in the will of God. I fully believe God will equip you before you are placed in the pasture, because you have come from inside, equipped to fight and to win. In the pasture there will be angels ministering for you, and you will be surrounded by His glory, because you are in the will of God,
In the pasture God will fight for you. The battle belongs to the Lord, because you are empowered by His power and grace. If anything happens to you when you are in the pasture it would be a shame for you have to face challenges but you will never fail, or whatever happens in your life when you are in the will of God is according to the plan of God.
Rom 8.28And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose. Many people think that the pasture is problem free. No, not at all, look at the pasture of Jesus and Paul, full of problems and challenges. In the case of Jesus, even His mother had doubts about Him before He was conceived, which could be seen as a form of early rejection (see Luke 1), rejection from his father Joseph after the conception of Jesus when he was afraid of accepting Mary’s pregnancy which was not as a result of him. When He was growing I think he faced rejection from friends and families (even if the Bible does not specifically mention that), rejection from his own community and synagogue, authorities, the public, rich people...... I think in every way he was rejected, even at that last moment he cried “father, father why have you forsaken me??”
Oh that is really painful, the most painful moment in His life. Was Jesus in His right calling? Was he in the right place of ministry? Did his birth happen in the right way? Of course He was and did! When people look at the things happening in your life they might ask, even after his salvation and walk with God why he is still struggling? Even if you’re in God’s will, you may still feel at times that you have been rejected. Rejection does not mean that you’re out of God’s plan.
But if you are in the pasture you are safe, so make sure you are in your calling. God will guide you and lead you; once you are in the pasture KOG is ruling you, you are under the kingship of Jesus, with the heavenly passport, when I travel in different nations I know the value of my passport, every man in this world should be a part of a nation. If anything happens to an Indian, India will deal with it, if anything happens to a British national, the UK will deal with it. Like wise if anything happens to a child of God, KOG will deal with it. Isn't it amazing? Of course it is.
If you feel confused, and are wondering about your pasture and the areas God has called you to, the first step is to ask God to lead you, then identify your calling, be in your calling, be fruitful and multiply.
May God bless you, you will make history for Jesus when you are in your pasture. Wow!!
I am excited to hear from you,
God Bless you(This is an email letter and not owned by the blogger)
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