YOU MUST BE CALLED

All Praise Dancers must understand the importance of being called by God to dance (Exodus 3:1-12).  This is important, because as you begin to take this journey, you may be placed in various assignments such as leadership, mentorship, teacher and speaker.  You will not be able to hear from God as to the proper spiritual steps to take unless you have had what I call, "Your Burning Bush Experience".  This moment is the exact moment when God caused a supernatural experience that made you aware of Him calling you as a Dance Minister. Just as He did when He called Moses to lead the Israelites!(Exodus 3:1-12)

My moment was in a Spiritual Growth Class and the pastor was teaching on, "Believing God For Your Purpose".  This class went on for several weeks and it was during this time that I was praying and asking God to show me my purpose.  While sitting in this bible study, God spoke audibly to me and told me, "you are to teach".  I didn't know how to take this, but it was later revealed that I would begin a dance ministry and now I have my own ministry with two sites and a main location.  God is great and if we line up with His will for our lives, we will do great things in the Body of Christ for Him.

Here are some simple steps to insure that you have had a "Burning Bush Experience".

1. In prayer meditate on the moment it was revealed to you to dance.  Think about the surroundings. What was the weather like?  Did He have someone speak to you or did you audibly hear His voice.  Think about all the details of that moment.  Write it down, always keep a journal.
2. God always confirms His request (Isaiah 44:26). What was the moment or moments that God confirmed His calling on your life?  Again meditate on all the details.  Write it down, always keep a journal. 
3. God always takes us through a process of perfecting our calling (Ephesians 4:12).  What were the steps He gave you to perfect your calling?  Did He tell you to take classes?  Did He give you a mentor?  Did He place you in a ministry?  Whatever he has ordered since your calling would be the process of Him perfecting your gift.  Again, write it down, always keep a journal.

Remember to continually develop and strengthen your prayer life with God.  This should be your number 1 priority for always having clear direction and building your relationship and calling with Him.

Be Blessed!

 

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Praise Dance Ministers Must Have Intimacy In Their Personal Relationship With God

In my last post, I shared knowing your "Burning Bush" moment, your calling.  Well, in this post I want you to understand the importance of having an intimate and personal relationship with God. Intimacy is knowing the voice of the Holy Spirit in a personal way.  The Holy Spirit is our Power, Counselor, Comforter, Leader, Teacher,Truth, Intercessor, Wisdom, Understanding and Christian Character (John 16:26).  God deposited His Spirit in us so that we are able to speak to Him in His language.  You nor Satan knows what is being said, it's your spirit communicating with His Spirit (Romans 8:26) . As you purpose to become intimate you will learn, what moves Him, grieves Him, pleases Him, and how to seek God's face on a deeper level.  As a result of this, when you dance, God's power will fill the room and move on the people in unusual ways.  This power is what makes you bold, knowledgeable, wise and ready for the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).  Even Jesus had to receive the Holy Spirit's anointing in order to fully execute the plan and purpose for His life on earth. (Acts 10:38).  Having an intimate relationship with God, involves the following:

• Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior, repenting for your sins  (Romans 10:9).
• Receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:29,31).
• Developing a daily prayer life and praying in the Spirit for the edification of your spirit. (Romans 8:26,27).
• Praying that your Spirit of Discernment is increased so that you will know the voice of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:7-11).
• Studying the Fruits of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit and praying that you operate according to God's Will as it relates to them all (Galatians 5:22).

Have you received the Holy Spirit yet?  If not, you need to go to your pastor or spiritual mentor and ask them to pray with you for the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

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Dance Leaders Must Allow God To Train Them

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,-Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)

Having trained leaders in the Body of Christ is critical to the success of our mission in God’s kingdom.  God has given each of us a purpose and once he has reveled this to you.  He will begin a process of spiritual training and development.  I like to call, “purging and cleansing” of your Christian Character.  Every person, situation and test you encounter is designed to strengthen you in your purpose.  These things are key to your development as a leader.  Your church, your pastor, church leaders and even those who are just regular members will be a part of your development.  These individuals will question you, give instruction and direction to you.  This will sometimes be challenging because you may be given instruction that is wrong or just doesn’t make sense and ultimately can cause you to be reprimanded.  This happened to me on several occasions.  When this happens you may or may not understand the reason, however, your will need to pray and ask God for understanding and wisdom.  Understanding and Wisdom are two of the most important characteristics of being a great leader.  What do I mean by this?  Well, sometimes I wanted to defend myself, but instead I prayed and ask God for understanding.  God would always tell me why I was experiencing the challenge and how to move forward spiritually.  Being in God’s will was more important than being in mine.  In God’s will you have protection, guidance, wisdom and total clarity.  There were times when I wanted to walk away from my calling.  Remember, to continue to pray so that God’s ultimate plan for my life will be revealed.  God’s plan for me was to show me how to submit to authority.  I had to learn how to seek His approval in every area of my life.  He also explained that as I submitted to Him and the natural authority, I would learn how to be sensitive to the needs of the people in my ministry.  Before speaking ill against my fellow brothers and sisters who I felt mistreated by, I would learn to pray for them instead.   There are times when we want to point the finger at what others should have done instead of looking at our own actions.  Taking ownership and doing spiritual self examinations will be an important process that you will have to do continuously in your walk as a leader. 

Here are some tips to help you hear clearly from God while he is developing your character:

·        Make sure that you have a consistent daily prayer life.

·        Make sure you understand how to pray according to the challenge you are experiencing

·        Make sure you know your purpose. If not, begin to seek it in prayer.

·        Understand that God will place people in your life that will spiritually develop you in the various aspects of your character, such as boldness, spiritual knowledge, patience, faith, obedience, submission and more. 

·        Each time someone comes into your life, pray and ask God what their assignment is as it pertains to your purpose.   

·        Pray and as God to show you your weaknesses so that your able to understand His correction. 

·        Before reacting to the people or the challenges that upset you, pray and ask God what is the lesson He wants you to learn.  

Remember God loves you more that you could ever understand.  Therefore, he is careful to watch over and protect us.  It is important that you yield even when you don’t understand.  God is the master of the plan He has for you life, your job is not to tell Him what you are going to do but to trust, follow and obey.  This was the only way I was able to begin a ministry designed for the community.