“ I would like to make it clear that the call to apostolic ministry does not come in a grand announcement where the whole world can see it. 

It comes as it did for a shepherd boy tending his father’s sheep. Yes, just like David was anointed in secret, the end times apostles are being selected and called out in private.

So the first sign with which you can confirm your calling is to identify when the Lord first called you to be an apostle. It was likely at a time when you were at your lowest and when you least expected it. Yet no matter when the call came, it has become a conviction in you!

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First Marker: Personal Conviction

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From the day that David was anointed as future king of Israel, he knew what his place was. Do you know what your place is? Do you have a conviction of your calling? If not, then this is the place where you need to begin. 

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Until you have that inner conviction you will never have what it takes to endure the preparation and training that waits for you. It is not enough to hope or to guess or to rely on the revelations of others. No, you must know in your own heart that God has called you to be an apostle.

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This kind of calling does not happen by chance and you cannot make such a calling up. You cannot hope to be an apostle and you cannot try to be an apostle. You are either called or you are not. 

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David was anointed with oil. There was no doubt in his mind that he was anointed! He experienced the anointing. He saw Samuel hold out the oil to him. It was his experience and no one could take that away from him!

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It was this conviction that could take David through the many trials that he would still face from that time and it is the kind of conviction that you also need to take you through. For when you have that conviction, nothing will move you. No amount of rejection will deter you, no amount of failure will phase you and no amount of fire will consume you. You will know what you are and you will know what you are called to be.

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So consider this as being the first big marker along your apostolic voyage. Do you have a conviction of who you are? Do you know that God is calling you to be an apostle? Do you know it in your heart without a doubt? If so, then you are ready to begin traveling along this way and you are ready to see what waits.

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Second Marker: Confirmation

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Along with a personal conviction, you need a confirmation of your calling. Jesus knew He was the son of God from a very young. He also knew what He was called to do. But only as He stood in front of John the Baptist did the confirmation of His calling come.

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Jesus received many confirmations of His calling. In fact, if you follow the Gospels you will see that the Father confirmed who Jesus was to His disciples through personal revelation (such as the case with Peter) and again at the mount of transfiguration.

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The Word of God says:

2 Corinthians 13:1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. By the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established.

It is not enough to just receive the Rhema for yourself, there needs to be a confirmation in the mouth of witnesses.

 

This is where the prophetic ministry comes in and the Lord will often use a prophet to confirm this calling to you. Note though that this confirmation will not serve any purpose until you first have your own conviction.

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Third Marker: Identifying With the Signs

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Then finally as you have received that personal conviction and received the confirmation, you will be able to identify with the signs of apostleship! Now I have already painted some pictures for you on what an apostle looks like, but I want to bring it home now and apply it practically to your apostolic calling.

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It is easy enough to look around you and identify the signs in others, but once you can identify the signs in your own life, you will begin to understand a bit about the journey that is ahead of you.

 

The Lord Jesus said that:

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it - .

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So before you decide whether or not you are going to accept this call and begin implementing the mandate that God has given you, you first need to see if you can identify with the signs of the apostle and then if you are willing to pay the price of that apostleship!”