#12 Invest in spiritual training and development
Verse 31: Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
To move in fire and power to perform good works and exploits in the name of the Lord, here are five training schools women in ministry must enrol in and graduate from with flying colours.
1. The school of genuine conversion: To have access to the secrets of God and perform creative miracles like Jesus, our profession of the faith must be sincere. Psalm 15:2-5 lists the qualities of those who will abide in the tabernacle of God as “The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honours those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.” There is no place for hypocrisy in ministry so work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
2. The school of brokenness: God will not use a vessel that is not broken because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Brokenness is explained in Philippians 2:3-4 as “ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Brokenness means thinking of others first, letting go of your right for the sake of another and working together for the common benefit of others. If you are ready for ministry, brokenness is a requirement as anointing without character is one of the common personal tragedies of ministers.
3. The school of the dead: John 12:24 explains that “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” In essence, unless the seed of carnality dies, the Lord cannot endow you with fire and power for good works. Manifestations of the flesh such as envy, rivalry, jealousy, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, discord etc must be eliminated to operate effectively in the realm of God’s power. Only those who are dead to the things of the world can witness and demonstrate the power of Christ.
4. The school of the word of God, prayer and fasting: These three spiritual activities form the backbone of ministerial success. Luke 18: 1 reminds us “men always ought to pray and not faint.” Prayer must also be backed up with the word of God for the full demonstration of God’s power while fasting must be observed to sharpen the spiritual senses. Strict discipline and constant practice in these three areas will add value to ministerial success.
5. The school of spiritual retreat: Oftentimes in the bible, Jesus was alone praying. A personal spiritual retreat is very useful when you hunger and thirst for the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual retreats keep you spiritually refreshed and recharged so its indispensable in ministry. Ezekiel 47:5 talks about the level of the infilling God desires “but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross.” This level of depth comes at a price which spiritual retreats can help you attain.
Like the sons of Issachar who had an understanding of the times and seasons and knew what Israel should do (1 Chronicles 12:32), ministry requires understanding and wisdom. When we walk and work with the Lord, it is our responsibility to develop ourselves spiritually. The gifts of God are the skills needed to get the job done while the fruits of the spirit are the Christ like qualities we need to work together as the body of Christ. Spiritual training must not be overlooked as it aids maturity and growth.
Women of His Kingdom 