CALLED DOESN'T MEAN READY!
Your Gift Can Take You Where Your Character Cannot Keep You
By Cynthia Prather | Eagles’ Awakening
I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately on my journey and the journey of some of my friends in ministry.
More than 20 years ago, several of us were part of a ministry together. And man, things were going GOOD for a while!
We loved Jesus. We were excited about our callings. We knew God had chosen us for something, and we couldn't wait to get started!
We wanted to lead. We wanted to minister. We wanted to do everything God had shown us we were called to do.
And then life happened.
Spiritual battles came. Relationships were tested. Things fell apart that we never imagined would fall apart.
Looking back now, I realize something that I couldn't fully understand back then.
We were called, but we weren't fully prepared for everything that calling would require.
We had gifts.
We had passion.
We had zeal!
But we still had a LOT to learn.
And we needed to stay in the fire a little longer.
Sometimes God Speaks to Us About a Different Season
Have you ever received a word from God and immediately thought you were supposed to start walking in it?
I have!
And I believe many of us do that.
When we first get saved or begin recognizing our calling, we get so excited about what God is showing us that we want to jump right into it.
But sometimes God reveals our destination long before we're ready for the journey.
He may show you that you're called to pastor, teach, evangelize, prophesy, or lead.
That doesn't necessarily mean you're supposed to start leading an entire ministry tomorrow!
Sometimes He's showing you what He's preparing you FOR.
Now, don't misunderstand me.
Sometimes God does call us to act immediately.
We need to be ready to obey Him when He speaks.
Second Timothy 4:2 tells us to be ready in season and out of season.
But there's a difference between being ready to obey God today and assuming we're fully prepared to carry every responsibility He's shown us for tomorrow.
A calling is not always an immediate commissioning.
And the preparation matters just as much as the assignment.
Look at How Jesus Trained His Disciples!
This is something I believe we need to understand better in the Church.
When Jesus called His disciples, He didn't simply hand them titles, send them out into the world, and tell them to figure everything out!
He said:
"Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." — Matthew 4:19, NKJV
Notice those words.
FOLLOW ME.
I WILL MAKE YOU.
There was a process!
Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus (also called Judas, son of James), Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.
These were ordinary men from different backgrounds.
Some were fishermen.
Matthew had been a tax collector.
Simon was known as a Zealot.
They had different personalities, experiences, strengths, and weaknesses.
But Jesus called them to become His apostles and participate in the work of His Kingdom.
The Gospels don't give us a separate individual ministry assignment for every one of the twelve, but they do tell us what Jesus appointed them to do together.
Mark 3:14 tells us that Jesus appointed the twelve so they could BE WITH HIM and so He could send them out to preach.
Oh, I love that!
Before the sending, there was the being with Him!
They walked with Jesus.
They listened to Him teach.
They watched Him heal the sick.
They watched Him cast out demons.
They watched how He treated people.
They saw His compassion, His authority, His humility, and His obedience to the Father.
And I'm sure there were times He had to correct their attitudes!
Remember Peter?
He was bold and passionate, but he also needed some serious character development!
James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven on people who wouldn't receive Jesus. They still had some things to learn about the heart of the One they were following!
And Thomas needed to learn about faith beyond what he could see.
Jesus wasn't simply teaching these men how to perform ministry.
He was developing their character.
And eventually, as Mark 6:7 records, He began sending them out two by two.
But even then, their training wasn't finished!
They continued learning through their experiences, their mistakes, and their relationship with Him.
That should encourage every one of us.
You don't have to know everything to begin serving God, but you should never stop being teachable!
We Were Still on Training Wheels!
Now, let me bring this a little closer to home.
More than 20 years have passed since some of my friends and I began walking together in ministry.
And would you believe that we were separated for almost half that time?
But God was working!
He was working on them.
And He was DEFINITELY working on me!
We had some growing up to do.
We needed to learn about character, healthy relationships, trust, humility, spiritual maturity, and how to function together without becoming dependent on one another in unhealthy ways.
I used to be incredibly codependent.
I didn't fully understand it then, but God had to teach me the difference between codependency and interdependence.
There's a BIG difference!
Codependency is when our identity, emotional well-being, or sense of worth becomes wrapped up in another person. We can begin feeling responsible for their happiness, decisions, or problems. We may even feel that we cannot function without them.
Interdependence is when we have a healthy identity of our own while recognizing that we still need one another.
We can stand in who God created us to be without trying to control someone else or expecting them to carry responsibilities that belong to us.
And that is how I believe the Body of Christ is supposed to function!
We are not called to be isolated individuals.
We're not called to possess people, either.
We're called to become mature believers who can recognize and value the gifts God has placed in one another.
Sometimes God has to develop us separately before we can walk together in a healthier way.
And sometimes He has to keep us in the fire a little longer before we're ready to carry the responsibilities we so desperately wanted years ago.
Don't Get Too Big for Your Britches!
LOL! There's a good old saying for you!
I used to be one of those people who would say, "I know!" every time somebody tried to teach me something.
Have you ever done that?
Somebody starts showing you how to do something, and before they even finish the sentence, you're saying, "I KNOW!"
Well, if you already know everything, how is anybody supposed to teach you anything?
God had to work on that attitude in me!
And I'm still learning!
We have to be careful that our gifts, knowledge, or ministry experiences don't cause us to become puffed up with pride.
Proverbs 16:18 says:
"Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall." — NKJV
Pride was central to Satan's downfall as described in the biblical passages Christians commonly associate with his rebellion.
And pride can destroy a minister's effectiveness, relationships, and ability to receive correction.
We should never become so impressed with what God is doing THROUGH us that we stop allowing Him to work IN us.
That is a dangerous place to be.
Anointing is not a substitute for character.
Neither is knowledge.
Neither is a title.
And neither is a certificate hanging on the wall!
I Was Ordained, But I Was Still Learning!
I have been ordained and licensed through the National Association of Christian Ministers since 2014.
You can learn more about NACM here:
https://nacministers.com/
I am grateful for the recognition, training, and accountability that have come through that association.
Eagles’ Awakening was founded in 2018 and chartered in 2019 through the same organization.
But let me tell you something.
When I was ordained, I still had a LOT to learn!
And I STILL DO!
God is the One who calls us. Credentials recognize our ministerial standing, and they can be important for serving in places where official recognition is required.
But a certificate doesn't mean we've arrived spiritually.
And you don't have to be fully developed in every area before you begin serving!
We all have to start somewhere!
I learn a lot through hands-on experience.
Sometimes you can sit in a classroom and learn about something for years, but you don't really understand certain aspects of it until you begin putting it into practice.
There are lessons you learn by DOING.
There are lessons you learn by making mistakes, receiving correction, and trying again.
That's why we need both training AND practical experience.
Get under healthy leadership.
Find a mentor.
Watch.
Listen.
Ask questions.
Serve.
Learn how to receive correction without becoming offended every time someone shows you a better way.
And when opportunities come to put what you've learned into practice, TAKE THEM!
Just don't confuse having an opportunity to minister with having outgrown your need for discipleship.
I'm Commissioned and Sent, but I'm STILL Being Trained!
Over the years, God has placed many spiritual mothers, spiritual grandmothers, mentors, and ministry leaders in my life.
Each one has helped develop something in me.
Indiana holds a particularly special place in my journey because that's where I was commissioned and sent out in my apostolic calling.
Jennifer and Munday Martin laid hands on me and sent me back to Owensboro carrying what God had been developing in me through years of preparation.
But that wasn't the end of my training!
For almost five years, Kevin and Celine Thompson, along with Kimchi and Craig Blow, have been important apostolic training leaders in my life.
I still travel to Indianapolis every month to lead worship.
And I LOVE it!
But Indiana isn't just another place where I minister.
It's both a mission field AND a training ground.
Even though I've been commissioned and sent, and even though I'm now helping train other leaders to be sent, I still need to learn.
I still need to grow.
I still need accountability, wisdom, encouragement, and correction.
I want to continue learning from those who have walked ahead of me.
Then I can bring what I'm learning back to Henderson, Owensboro, and wherever God opens doors for Eagles’ Awakening.
That's how discipleship is supposed to work!
We receive.
We grow.
We put into practice what we've learned.
And then we help equip others to do the same.
Putting It Into Practice at Tuesday Morning Prayer Group!
And here's another beautiful part of this journey.
Every Tuesday, I get to put so much of what God has been teaching me into practice at the Tuesday Morning Prayer Group in Owensboro!
And I have my spiritual mother, Sidney Ebelhar, right there with me!
I am so grateful for that woman and the role she has played in my life.
Tuesday Morning Prayer Group isn't simply somewhere I go to pray or minister.
It's another place where I get to learn, grow, serve, and put into practice what I've received through years of discipleship and training.
And I get to do it alongside someone who has helped shape me spiritually.
I can take what I'm learning through my apostolic training in Indiana and put it into practice right there in Owensboro, with my spiritual mother beside me.
How beautiful is that?
And that's exactly what healthy discipleship should look like!
We don't simply receive teaching and tuck it away in a notebook.
We take what we've learned and begin walking it out.
We pray together.
We minister together.
We learn from one another.
We encourage one another.
And we continue developing the gifts God has placed in us.
I may be called to help train and equip others, but that doesn't mean I've outgrown the blessing of having a spiritual mother in my life!
Being a leader doesn't mean you stop being someone's student.
I'm grateful for the spiritual mothers, grandmothers, mentors, and apostolic leaders God has placed in my life.
Every one of them has helped prepare me for different parts of my calling.
And I still need them!
Because this isn't about becoming so independent that we no longer need anyone.
It's about becoming spiritually mature enough to walk together in healthy interdependence.
That's the Body of Christ functioning the way it's supposed to!
We learn together. We grow together. And we go together!
There's a Reason God Gives Us the Five-Fold Ministry!
Ephesians 4:11–13 tells us that Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry and help the Body of Christ grow toward maturity.
Notice something.
The purpose isn't to collect people under our leadership.
It's to EQUIP them!
We should want the people we're discipling to grow beyond where they started.
We should want them to discover their gifts.
We should want them to mature in character and learn to hear and obey God.
And we should want them to become equipped enough to help someone else!
That doesn't mean we no longer need one another.
It means we're developing a healthy, functioning Body.
A good leader doesn't want people to remain dependent on them forever.
A good leader equips people to grow in their own relationship with Jesus and become everything God created them to be.
That's one of the reasons discipleship is so deeply rooted in my heart and in the vision of Eagles’ Awakening.
The Training Wheels Will Come Off!
There is a time when a child has to take the training wheels off a bicycle.
But you don't put a child on a bicycle for the first time, remove the training wheels, and send them down the biggest hill in town!
You help them learn.
You walk beside them.
You hold the bicycle steady.
You encourage them.
You help them develop balance.
And eventually, you let go.
But even after they learn to ride, there are still new things to learn!
The same is true in ministry.
There is a time to watch.
A time to practice.
A time to serve under leadership.
A time to take on greater responsibility.
And a time to be sent.
Sometimes those seasons overlap.
Sometimes God calls us to step out before we feel completely ready, and we learn as we go.
But we should never be so eager to ride alone that we refuse the wisdom of those who are helping us learn.
And leaders should never be so afraid of letting go that they refuse to release the people God has called them to equip!
Discipleship should produce maturity, not lifelong dependence on a human leader.
Let Me Bring This Home!
When I look back at where my friends and I were more than 20 years ago, I can see how much we've grown.
We were excited.
We were passionate.
We knew God had called us.
But we didn't know everything that calling would require.
We needed more character development.
More maturity.
More wisdom.
More healing.
And more time learning how to walk together as a healthy part of the Body of Christ.
I'm grateful God didn't give up on us during those years.
I'm grateful for the people He placed in my life to help develop me.
And I'm grateful that He's still teaching me!
Because I've learned something.
Just because God shows you where you're going doesn't mean He's finished preparing you for the journey.
So if you're newly saved, newly called, or just beginning to recognize the gifts God has placed in your life, don't get in such a hurry to arrive!
Enjoy the journey with Jesus.
Learn His heart.
Study His Word.
Develop your character.
Find healthy spiritual mentors.
Serve faithfully where He has placed you.
And don't despise the years of preparation.
On the other hand, if you've been waiting for years and God is opening a door for you to step out, don't allow fear to keep you on the training wheels forever!
There comes a time to GO.
You may still have things to learn, but God can continue developing you as you walk in obedience.
And if you're already leading others, don't ever believe you've reached a place where you no longer need discipleship yourself.
Keep learning.
Keep growing.
Keep receiving from the people God places in your life.
And help prepare others to do the same.
Because here's what I want you to remember:
Your calling reveals what God has placed within you.
Your preparation develops the character to carry it.
Your commissioning releases you into greater responsibility.
And discipleship continues through ALL of it!
We're not supposed to spend our entire lives sitting on the sidelines.
But we're not supposed to run ahead of Jesus, either!
Before He sent the disciples, He called them to be WITH Him.
And that is still where everything begins.
Not with a title.
Not with a platform.
Not with a ministry license.
But with JESUS.
The One who calls us is also the One who teaches us how to walk in what He's called us to do.
And His grace is sufficient for every season of that journey.
This is why I say:
WE LEARN TOGETHER.
WE GROW TOGETHER.
AND WE GO TOGETHER!
Because awakening comes before revival, and a mature, equipped Body of Christ is worth every season of preparation.
With love,
Cynthia (Cindy) Prather
Founder, Eagles’ Awakening
Author | Songwriter | Worship Leader | Discipleship Pastor | Apostolic Leader
Scriptures for further study: Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 3:13–19; Mark 6:7–13; 2 Timothy 4:2; Proverbs 16:18; Ephesians 4:11–16; Philippians 3:12–14.