Inspirations on “Ministry”(Part1)
by Kimberley Sasan
Its quite something to look back over one’s life and see how much transformation has taken place. If we embrace the refining process, God can take our lives and fashion them into something tremendously beautiful for His glory. When I think of who I was at the start of my ministry, it’s clear to me that through it all, what was important to God was me… I was near and dear to His heart, and who I would become in the process was significant to Him. For me, knowing Him and loving Him is far greater reward than anything I might accomplish in this life through my ministry. I could write a book full of the lessons I’ve learned and stories of God’s faithfulness to me, but for our purposes here I’d like to share with you three significant moments that defined my path.
First Significant Moment
My parents were both in full-time ministry from before the time I was born. I grew up quite literally in the church, attending every kind of prayer meeting, Bible study, conference, etc. When I was very young, I was simply present in the room. As I got older, I began to participate. Eventually, I was the one leading the gatherings. Looking back, the whole journey thus far has been quite seamless.
At one of the conferences, when I was about twelve years old, I was attending a workshop specifically for children my age. Bible trivia games kicked off the afternoon. I knew quite a bit about the Bible by that time in my life, but I was nervous to be called on. In an effort to calm my nerves, I sat there anticipating the questions and getting my answers ready to go. Funny enough I can’t remember how well I did with the trivia, but I do remember saying Galatians was my favorite book in the Bible. It was all a lot of fun and I can still see my friends’ faces as we laughed and learned together that afternoon.
As the workshop shifted to a time of teaching and prayer, the speaker with a word from the Lord said, “There are a few of you in this room who are feeling in your heart that God is calling you into ministry and missions.” He asked if any of us were feeling that way, but still a bit nervous, I kept praying and looking around to see if my friends were responding, even though I knew it was me who should respond. I wasn’t ready to put my hand up to be prayed for just yet. “I’ll give it a minute more to make sure I’m really feeling that way”, I told myself. He continued praying for God to move on our hearts and for us to experience and know the power of God. As he started to name places around the world that God might send us one day, I couldn’t contain it any more and I clearly remember standing to my feet and my hand shooting up high! I felt the tangible presence of God all around me in that moment in a way I hadn’t experienced before. I knew without a doubt that God was saying to my heart with the biggest smile on His face, “Come follow Me!” I smiled back and felt the joy of the Lord deep in my heart.
I knew in that moment that there would be nothing else I could do in this life that would match the joy of following Jesus. That saying “Yes!” to God and His plan for my life would mean more joy and fulfillment than any plan I could come up with on my own. And do you know what…it was true. What God has done for me in my lifetime is beyond my wildest dreams. That moment was significant to me because I needed to be resolved in my heart to follow God no matter what. He knew that I would face challenges that would require total dependence on Him. He knew that I would come to crossroads where I would have to choose to keep following Him. I can tell you now with great confidence that He has never let me down, and His love has never failed me. He will never leave me nor forsake me, and He keeps all of His promises. “Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” - Psalm 23:6
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