Answering the Four Calls of God

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Shouts Crush Strongholds

The walls of Jericho didn’t fall because of strategy or strength but because God’s people lifted their voices in obedient praise. Shouting to the Lord isn’t about volume—it’s about declaring trust in His power over every impossible situation. Just as Israel’s praise shattered physical walls, our worship dismantles spiritual strongholds. What seems unshakable in your life—fear, addiction, despair—cannot withstand the authority of Jesus’ name. Praise shifts the atmosphere from defeat to victory. Today, choose to shout not at the problem but to the One who holds the solution. [28:47]

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat.
(Joshua 6:20, ESV)

Reflection: What “wall” have you been staring at in silence? How might praising God for His faithfulness—even before you see breakthrough—shift your perspective?

Day 2: Trading Onions for Manna

The Israelites craved Egypt’s onions while holding heaven’s bread in their hands. Sin’s temporary pleasures often masquerade as satisfaction, but they leave us emptier. Moses chose hardship with God over Pharaoh’s palace because he saw beyond the moment. Our cravings reveal where we still trust the world’s menu over God’s provision. Every compromise whispers, “This will fill you,” but only Christ satisfies. What tastes bitter in the end still tempts you? [59:21]

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
(Hebrews 11:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: What “onion” have you been longing for? How can you actively fix your eyes on the eternal feast God offers instead?

Day 3: Follow Me—Not Your Blueprint

Jesus didn’t ask Peter to adjust his fishing business—He called him to leave it. Following Christ means abandoning our agendas, not inviting Him to bless them. Like the disciples, we’re tempted to treat faith as a side hustle while clinging to familiar nets. True discipleship requires releasing control of the boat, the catch, and the destination. What are you still rowing toward that Jesus hasn’t asked you to pursue? [54:08]

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, [Jesus] saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
(Matthew 4:18-20, ESV)

Reflection: What “net” have you hesitated to drop? What practical step can you take today to follow Jesus more fully?

Day 4: Consumed by the Fire of Nearness

Mascus entered the cloud not to escape life but to encounter God’s consuming presence. Surrender isn’t a one-time prayer—it’s daily choosing the fire of His nearness over the safety of distance. The altar isn’t meant to comfort us but to transform us. What parts of your life still fear the flame? True freedom comes when we stop bargaining with God over what to withhold. [01:10:23]

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
(Romans 12:1, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life have you kept outside the cloud? What would it look like to bring it fully into God’s presence today?

Day 5: You Were Chosen for More Than Survival

Jesus didn’t save you to endure life—He appointed you to bear fruit that outlasts you. Ministry isn’t for the qualified but the called. Like Moses at the burning bush, your limitations aren’t obstacles but invitations for God’s power. Every “I can’t” is a doorway for “I AM.” What kingdom work have you dismissed as impossible? Your ordination began at salvation. [40:37]

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.
(John 15:16, ESV)

Reflection: What assignment have you avoided because it feels too big? How might God use your weakness to showcase His strength?

Sermon Summary

Jesus tells the disciples in John 15 that they are no longer merely servants but friends who receive what He has heard from the Father. Christ makes clear that what God gives cannot stop with one person. Every generation must pass on what it has received, and every believer is chosen, appointed, placed, and purposefully planted to bear fruit that remains.

The call of God begins with a call to come out. Moses refused Egypt’s passing pleasures because an encounter with God changes what a person loves. Sin may still have habits attached to it for a while, but its pleasure begins to lose its grip when God opens somebody’s eyes to its destruction. Egypt can be left behind while Egypt still remains in the heart, and that is why Israel could complain over onions while manna was lying on the ground.

Moses shows that a person cannot deliver others while still living as a prisoner. God meets Moses in the wilderness, calls him from the burning bush, and sends him back to Egypt as a deliverer rather than a captive. Christ calls the fishermen the same way. He does not join their fishing party. He says, “Come follow me,” and changes both their direction and their purpose.

The call of God also says, “Come up.” God calls Moses up the mountain and tells him to remain there. The higher place is not a temporary spiritual high or roller coaster Christianity. God calls His people into a steady walk where joy, peace, and faith are not controlled by the pull of the world. The upper room shows that when believers stay in God’s presence, fearful and doubtful people can become bold witnesses whose lives draw others out of sin.

God then says, “Come in.” Moses enters the cloud and comes into the consuming fire of God’s glory. Whatever stays outside the presence of God becomes a place where the enemy can camp. The living sacrifice brings the whole life to the altar, including plans, desires, fears, suffering, and objections. Greater anointing may bring greater crushing, because oil comes from olives after they have been crushed, and God’s work means less of self and more of Him.

The final call is a call to ministry. Christ gives leaders to equip every believer for the work of the kingdom, not to create spectators. The Holy Spirit is greater than every limitation, fear, excuse, and feeling of inadequacy. God calls His people out of bondage, up into deeper life, in to His glory, and out again into His purpose.

Key Takeaways

1. God calls people out of Egypt God does not merely remove people from a bad place. God changes the desires that kept them tied to that place, even when old habits take time to catch up. Freedom becomes real when the heart stops longing for the very things that once brought destruction. [45:49]
2. Freed prisoners become God’s deliverers Moses could not help Israel while he was still operating by Egypt’s ways. God met him in failure, called him afresh, and sent him back with a different identity. Deliverance becomes a testimony when God sends a freed person back to reach those still trapped. [52:26]
3. Coming up means remaining with God God’s higher call is not a quick mountaintop moment followed by a return to the same old valley. God calls His people to stay in the place of deeper faith, steadier peace, and growing surrender. A changed life in God’s presence becomes visible to those living below the mountain. [65:13]
4. The altar leaves nothing held back God’s consuming fire reaches every area kept outside His rule. Surrender sounds easy until God asks for the plans, comfort, health, control, or future that a person has quietly protected. Greater anointing may involve greater crushing because God makes room for His life by bringing self-rule to the altar. [76:23]
5. Every believer is called into ministry Christ does not reserve kingdom work for a few people with titles. Every blood-washed child of God receives a purpose in the business of the kingdom. The Holy Spirit is more than enough for the assignment God has chosen, ordained, and appointed.

## [83:02]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[27:04] - A Shout of Praise
[27:54] - Jericho Strongholds and Praise
[31:18] - Weakness and God’s Strength
[33:53] - The Calls of God
[37:30] - Chosen to Bear Lasting Fruit
[41:59] - The Call to Come Out
[47:15] - Moses and the Burning Bush
[53:31] - Come Follow Me
[62:39] - The Call to Come Up
[68:43] - The Call to Come In
[77:01] - The Call to Ministry
[79:42] - Today Is the Day
[83:57] - Responding at the Altar

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 15:15-16
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” [33:53]

Hebrews 11:24-27
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.” [43:12]

Exodus 3:1-10
“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.' When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.' And he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” [47:45]

Observation questions

In John 15:15–16, what changes in the relationship between Jesus and His disciples, and what purpose does Jesus give them?
What choices does Hebrews 11:24–27 say Moses made concerning Egypt, suffering, and the temporary pleasures of sin? [43:12]
In Exodus 3:1–10, where is Moses when God meets him, and what mission does God give him?
What contrast is drawn between Israel longing for Egypt’s onions and God providing manna in the wilderness? [58:59]

Interpretation questions

Jesus calls His disciples friends and shares with them what He received from the Father. What does this show about why believers should pass faith, wisdom, and ministry on to others? [38:33]
Moses refused Egypt’s passing pleasures, yet Israel later longed for things connected to Egypt. Why can a person be physically removed from an old life while still being tempted to desire it in the heart? [58:31]
God meets Moses after his failure and sends him back toward Egypt with a new purpose. How does this help explain the difference between returning to an old setting as a captive and returning as someone God can use? [52:26]
Jesus appoints His people to bear fruit that remains. What kinds of lasting fruit might be seen when a believer’s life is rooted in Christ rather than built around comfort, recognition, or temporary success? [40:13]

Application questions

Is there an “Egypt” in your life—a habit, relationship, entertainment, attitude, or pattern—that God is calling you to leave behind? What makes it difficult to fully let go of it? [01:01:51]
Where have you noticed that your desires have changed since following Christ, even if some old habits have taken time to change? What is one practical step that could help your daily choices catch up with what God is doing in your heart? [45:49]
Have you ever tried to solve a spiritual problem through your own strength, like Moses trying to act before he had encountered God’s direction? What did that reveal about your need to depend on God? [48:40]
What would it look like for you to “come up” into a steadier walk with God rather than living from one spiritual high or low to the next? What rhythm of prayer, Scripture, worship, or fellowship could help you remain close to Him? [01:04:26]
Is there an area you have kept outside God’s control—such as your future, finances, comfort, health, fears, relationships, or plans? What would honest surrender of that area look like this week? [01:12:24]
Every believer is called to take part in God’s kingdom work. What excuse, fear, or feeling of inadequacy has held you back from serving or sharing your faith, and how does the Holy Spirit meet that limitation? [01:23:02]

Sermon Clips

27s

#FreedomInChrist

“And you can't do that as long as you're still in the same prison. You see, prisons have no power to to have other prisoners get free. You gotta be set free by the power of God brought out of the mess you're in, and then you reach your hand back to those who are in prison and say, come on and go with me where God's brought me.”

31s

#EgyptOutOfYou

“You see, it's one thing to be brought out of Egypt. It's a ket of another color to get Egypt out of you. I I begin to think about this story. I begin to think about the children of God and us sometimes. Ain't it interesting how Satan can make you long for the very things was destroyed your life before Christ started changing you.”

50s

#EveryoneIsCalled

“And I noticed as soon as I used that word, 90 some percent of y'all in here checked out and said he ain't talking to me. He's talking to those four, five, or six people that says we've been called, you know, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. Well, that's not what the word said. The word says we've all been called for ministry. Every person in this room, if you have been born again, washed in the blood of Jesus, your name has been written in the land's book of life. From the day of your spiritual birth came a call of God to be involved in the kingdom of God and in the business of the kingdom of God.”

41s

#BeTheDifference

“To see that God is calling us out of the world is not to be arrogant. It's not to be exalted. It's not to be an isolationist, but it's to live differently, to act differently, to walk differently, to think different, to be different while you're still in the environment of this world. If we're gonna impact our world, then we gotta be different than our world. Let me say that again. If you're gonna make an impact in your circle of friends, then they got to see the difference in you.”

55s

#LetGodLead

“He's not asking us to let him in our vehicle. He's not asking you to let him be the passenger. He's asking you to get out of your vehicle, to get in the passenger seat, to get in his vehicle, and let him drive. And if you want the scariest trip of your life, do that. You don't get to tell him where you're going. You don't get to tell him how fast he goes or how slow he goes. You don't get to tell him whether he turns left or right. You don't get to determine your destination. You are totally committing yourself to the to the God as the one who directs your life.”

30s

#WalkingInRighteousness

“But hear me carefully. If your spirit has been transformed, your flesh has no power to keep dragging you back into the pit. There's gonna come the day that your flesh is gonna give up and say, you got your spirit. You have been changed. We're gonna stop doing that mess, and we're gonna start walking in the ways of righteousness.”

39s

#FromPrisonToDeliverer

“now leaves this wilderness of unbelief and doubt and fear, and he goes back to the place that God brought him out. Oh, I got... Somebody gotta hear this. He goes back to the place that God brought him out of, but he's not the same person as he was when God met him. He's not going back as a prisoner. He's going back as a deliverer. Somebody in here needs to know today that God wants to send you back to some of those places he brought you out of, to some of those people used to hang around with. Not to be a prison with them, but to be the one that God says I'm gonna use you to bring them out of the mess that used to be in with them.”

35s

#MountainToMission

“And Jesus is not like, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not bringing you up here to isolate yourself. We have a world down at the bottom of this mountain that's still in the bondage of sin, and I wanna send you from the mountain of the presence back to the prison of this world so that you can tell people what it's like till when you get up here. So that you will encourage them to take that step and move up.”

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