Priscilla Shirer | Find and Fulfill God’s Calling on Your Life

Priscilla Shirer shares a powerful message on 1 Kings 18 about embracing God’s calling and fulfilling the roles to which we’ve been divinely appointed. With the enemy advancing so clearly against us, we must stand firm and stay faithful in the positions where God has strategically placed us. SUBSCRIBE here:    / @goingbeyondministries   RESOURCES: https://www.goingbeyond.com/store/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GoingBeyondM… INSTAGRAM:   / priscillashirer   TWITTER:   / priscillashirer   Welcome to the Going Beyond Ministries with Priscilla Shirer YouTube channel! Our ministry is focused on the expository teaching of Scripture. Our desire is not only to see people understand His written Word but for all to experience His Power! Priscilla Shirer has equipped believers through her Bible studies, films and books including Discerning the Voice of God, God is Able, and two New York Times Bestsellers – The Resolution for Women and Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer. Her movies include War Room (2015), I Can Only Imagine (2017), Overcomer (2019), and The Forge (2024). These theatrical releases are tools designed to inspire audiences to walk with Jesus. #priscillashirer #godscalling #calling

how are you using your position within

your circle of friends the co-workers

that you have within your own home to

make sure this ball is not dropped on

your watch how are you making sure that

you being the truth of God the

perspective of God to bear in every

circumstance in which you must must find

yourself how are you preserving and

protecting the standard the truth of God

amidst a culture that is turning its

back on God modern day obad do you

realize it’s you and it’s me who have to

make sure this ball is not

dropped let’s pray together Lord I Thank

you for this church I thank you Father

for what you have brought this church

through and how you are going to use

that to conform this body even more into

the image of your son I thank you Lord

for the influence I thank you Father

that no demonic attack or assignment

will

flourish against it I pray father that

the years that are to come will be

greater than the years that have gone by

and I pray Lord that today each and

every individual man or woman boy or

girl I pray that all of us today will

see ourselves and most importantly see

you through the scriptures in Jesus name

I pray

amen okay when I was growing up um in

junior high school I played volleyball

now I want to make sure you get the

picture here um our volleyball team was

horrible we were terrible but we looked

good we had good uniforms and we enjoyed

putting our uniforms on coming out on

the court like we were really F to do

something but really we weren’t that

great at the game at the time I went to

a Christian school private school around

the corner from my house real small

school and because it was this little

Conservative Christian School we wore

kolots I don’t know if anybody remembers

kot they’ve kind of come back in fashion

just a little bit now but they were you

know midcalf length very wide pants but

we wore those to play volleyball it

might be fashionable to walk down the

street in those sorts of uh pants now

but we were playing a whole sport in

them so we had you know the jerseys and

then we had these long Kool Lots red and

white uniforms and we’d come out in our

pristine uniforms really thinking that

we looked like something and that we

were going to do something maybe

thinking for some reason those uniforms

gave gave us some you know strength and

power that we did not have in practice

but it was clearly seen right after the

team gave us the very first serve that

we were in trouble 95% of the time no

matter what team we were we were facing

we were usually in trouble one of the

things that got us into the most trouble

though was that as we stood there in our

you know volleyball stance preparing

oursel for the serve we would see that

ball com sailing across the net and

several of us would yell I got it we’d

say it loud and clear and without

apology I got it I got it I got it so we

would hear three or four or five I got

it yelling out from all over as in our

unorganized way we all tried to get to

the ball and because we were watching

our other teammates and because we heard

other people yelling I got it you know

what happened that ball came sailing

across the net and we all backed up

thinking that somebody else had it so

the ball would crash down to the ground

and inevitably we would lose the point

and lose the game because we kept on

dropping the

ball I want to encourage you and I want

to en challenge you and me today about

dropping the ball y’all we can’t drop

the ball the ball of our faith the ball

of the truth of God cannot be dropped on

our watch not

today with the Enemy advancing so

clearly against the culture against the

globe and against the things that are

happening underneath the roof of our own

house the division sometimes we feel

between us and our spouse the trouble we

feel bubbling up to the surface between

us and our children the struggles that

we are having we have to stand firm and

make sure that that we don’t drop the

ball when we’re the ones that have been

called to a position where God has

strategically placed us so that we can

be the Voice of Truth so that we can

bring God’s perspective to bear so that

we can be the ones that have hope even

when those around us might be hopeless

we’re the ones that are supposed to make

sure we don’t spend our whole Christian

experience saying I got it I got it I

got it but then when the time comes to

actually get it we all stop step back

and drop the ball so many of us are

waiting on everybody else to do what God

has called you to do has called me to do

listen you’re the one you’ve been

waiting

for there’s a portion of scripture that

keeps drawing my attention in this

regard about not dropping the ball and

about realizing how much we have

strategically been placed by God in our

homes in our neighborhoods in that

classroom on those Zoom calls at that

boardroom table in that industry in that

genre in that craft in that office we’ve

been placed there strategically placed

by God so that when the ball of his

purposes and plans Come Sailing In Our

Direction we don’t step back hoping that

somebody else will do it we recognize

we’re the ones who have been posted

there by God to respond to his purposes

that have come into our Arena and into

our

paths First Kings chapter 18 it’s a

portion of scripture that has stuck with

me so much in this regard these chapters

of the Old Testament are all about the

Prophet Elijah you know he takes a front

row seat in these chapters he is the

Premier prophet of the Old Testament he

makes such an impact that not only is he

mentioned throughout the Old Testament

but his influence reaches into the New

Testament by the time you get to the

Book of James James even Jesus himself

in the gospels references the work and

Ministry of Elijah he’s so impactful he

must be that you and I are still talking

about him today in these modern times so

the spotlight the headliner in these

passages is Elijah and yet in First

Kings chapter 18 there is another guy

named Obadiah Obadiah was a trusted

Steward in Ahab King Ahab he’s the king

at the time he’s a trusted Steward in

his household and many scholars that I

kind of studied when I looked at when I

was looking into this portion of

scripture they either entirely skipped

over him or they spent a very little

amount of time and Landscape in their

writing talking about him they don’t

focus on him that much and yet I’m drawn

to him in this narrative about Elijah

where Elijah really is the headliner and

what draws me to him is First Kings 18

verse 16 look at

this so Obadiah went to meet King

Ahab and he told him that Elijah was

there and then Ahab went to meet

Elijah listen to that

again Obadiah went to meet Ahab

and Ahab went to meet Elijah now I know

you need some backstory here so that you

can get the full clear picture of why

this packs such a punch with me and

we’ll get there but before we do I want

you to just take a moment to see that

Obadiah is this bridge that exists

between the Godless consciousness of an

entire nation represented by King Ahab

and this Divine agitator that is going

to call an entire nation of people back

to a Le to the one true God there is a

link a holy connector between Ahab and

Elijah and that connector is Obadiah

he’s been strategically placed he’s the

holy connector and the link between

these two individuals don’t miss the

strategy and the intentionality of God

in allowing Obadiah to be in the right

place at the right time so that when his

God’s purposes were Voli into his

direction if he saw it clearly as from

the hand of God and took it seriously

and was intentional about it everything

that is about to occur occurs because

Obadiah doesn’t drop the ball as a

result of this meeting between Ahab and

Elijah that famous story is about to

take place where Elijah marches up to

Mount Carmel and he demands that the

people of God stop living a lukewarm

spiritually indifferent and apathetic

existence and they choose this day whom

they’re going to serve he looks at the

prophets of Veil the idol worshippers in

their eyes and he says today the day

you’re going to see my God rain down

fire from heaven and he praise and the

Skies open up and fire Rains Down on

Mount Carmel proving once and for all

Yahweh is the one true God all that’s

getting ready to happen because one man

named Obadiah doesn’t drop the

ball I want to encourage

you about making making sure that the

ball doesn’t drop on your watch I want

you to see Obadiah here as a regular man

in the story where two other characters

are being highlighted King Ahab with all

this power and position and Elijah as

the prophet called by God to be the

Voice of Truth and Unapologetic clear uh

truth in this time and day and age

between these two characters stands this

one regular guy who recognizes that he

too can be used by God if he just won’t

drop the

ball so I thought we’d look at Obadiah

just a little more

closely at the top of this chapter First

Kings chapter 18 in verse three we find

out more about Obadiah we find out that

he had a relationship with King Ahab it

says that the king called Ahab and he

gave him an

assignment we find out that that Obadiah

he is over ahab’s household he’s the COO

of the king’s Holdings that means he is

excellent at his job he has built enough

Rapport and respect he is trustworthy

enough that when Ahab has an assignment

that needs tending to he calls Obadiah

in fact this would have been such an

important important assignment I won’t

read all of the verses Now read them in

your own time you will see that because

of the three years of drought that the

children of Israel have endured they are

suffering from a horrendous famine and

Obadiah is called by the king to go out

throughout the land and to find in the

valleys and near The Ravines find some

green grass that might be left he says

because my horses and mules and our

cattle they’re going to die if they

don’t eat in other words the whole

balance of the economy rested on what

Obadiah was about to be assigned to do

this was such an important assignment we

find that when King Ahab asked Obadiah

to participate with him King Ahab went

one way to do the job and he sent

Obadiah the other direction which means

that this assignment was so important

that the king said I got to take care of

this myself it was so important that the

king didn’t pass it off to just anybody

he did it himself and called one

companion that he trusted that was loyal

that he knew was excellent at his job

that he knew would have integrity and do

the job well and do the job thoroughly

he called that guy and said I need you

to help me with this critical and

important assignment the whole nation

depends upon what you and I establish

and find today

Obadiah this tells us that sometimes we

are in position for the purposes of God

to be Voli into our path when we are

just doing the job that is in front of

us to do it is while Obadiah is out

searching for the grass that his

employer has asked him to find that

Elijah the prophet shows up and that he

is able to have a dialogue with the

prophet and take the prophet and

introduce him to Ahab it is while he is

just playing old flat out doing his job

that the ball of God’s purposes comes

sailing as into his Direction and he

finds himself strategically placed to be

a key player on the narrative that God

is building for his glory and for the

good of his people he is excellent in

his field he is trustworthy at his

post the question is are

you I’m talking about on that 8 to five

job you got I’m talking about in that

task of raising those children or

rearing those

teenagers the project that you’ve been

given by your employer or the ministry

leader the volunteer services that you

do the organization that you lend your

creativity to are you a trusted partner

in that work when it is is time for

assignments to be done for things to be

accomplished for creativity to be pulled

on are you the person that they can call

because you’ve been loyal and you’ve

been trustworthy you’ve had

Integrity because those are the people

that will be called onto the field of

play and as you’re going about just

doing your regular job you will find

that you are strategically placed to be

the link to be the holy connector

between the king ahab’s and the Elijah

that need to meet each other so that

God’s purposes can be served do you see

that you and I don’t have to be the king

ahab’s and we don’t necessarily have to

be the Elijah there have got to be some

faithful obadias some people who just

keep showing up and washing the dishes

and making the school plans and showing

up on the zoom calls and participating

in the meetings and strategizing and

being creative we just keep showing up

and we do our job as unto the Lord

excellent

recognizing that every time we are on

assignment it is an opportunity to make

sure that the ball of God’s purpose is

don’t get dropped not on our watch not

today think about Joseph in the Old

Testament he became the prime minister

of Egypt he’s the Prime Minister he’s at

a secular post when he’s a very young

man but it is in this post that God’s

sovereignty will volley circumstances

into his

life and he becomes a strategic IC

player on the the grand scope of what

God is doing in his Redemption story or

Daniel he became one of the most

significant and influential men in the

Babylonian and Meo Persian Empire or

Nehemiah he’s described as being the cup

Bearer to the king that’s his job but he

leverages that position to secure what

is needed to rebuild the walls of

Jericho and then there’s Esther Esther

Rises up within the ranks of the per

Persian Empire and here she is

strategically strategically placed so at

the right time she is in position for

such a time as this to spare the Jews

from complete

Annihilation listen I venture to say

that those of us who are in full-time

Ministry and I could say that because

I’m one of them those of us who are in

full-time Ministry listen this is not

necessarily the place where the most

sturdy bridges are built between the

Ahab and the Elijah the people who who

are carriers of the truth of God and

those that are in positions of power and

strategy and influence that call both

together to the mount carmels the moment

of decision where people are going to

have to stop living with one foot of

Allegiance over here and another an

allegiance over here where they’re going

to be called to make a decision about

the God that they serve the people that

are most strategic in that aren’t

necessarily the people who are in

full-time

Ministry the folks that are called

called to really reckon with their

spiritual reality man it’s The Comedians

and the actors it’s the folks in film

and in politics it’s the people who are

in music or the folks that are in the

Arts it’s the social justice Advocates

the innovators the storytellers the

accountants the teachers the lawyers the

doctors the sanitation workers it’s

these people that no matter the field

they’re in they recognize they are

strategically placed by a holy God for

his glory and they refuse to drop the

ball so they build rapport there they

establish a trustworthy relationship and

reputation they have integrity so when

the time comes for them to bring Elijah

to the table they haven’t burnt so many

bridges along the way that people don’t

want to receive and respond to what

they’re

bringing stop devaluing your post sis

brother stop feeling like where you are

is not significant enough oh Bia do you

realize that this assignment that you’re

on the ball of God’s purposes is getting

ready to be sent your way don’t drop the

ball we’re counting on you it’s by

Divine

appointment that you’re in that

neighborhood it’s by Divine appointment

that you University student are in that

classroom it’s by Divine appointment

high school student that you walk down

those Halls or that you’re in that Zoom

class it’s by Divine appointment that

you’re a part of of that Outreach

organization it’s strategic you are

supposed to be in that household without

you in that household there won’t be

anybody to recognize God’s purposes when

they come so that that ball is not

dropped it’s the surgeon who has

garnered so much credibility because

he’s done his job so well for so long

that the administration can no longer

ignore the matters of faith that that

are permanent fixtures at the meeting

that that surgeon hosts it’s the

professional athlete who’s so dog gone

good on the field or the court or the

baseball diamond that the young person

leans in and pays attention to them when

that athletes share their hearts about

deeper spiritual things it’s the social

justice Advocate who has ushered in the

implementation of so many actual changes

they haven’t just talked a good game but

they’ve actually accomplished something

and instituted change that now they are

listened to because they’ve got

credibility over the Long Haul they’ve

been excellent at their craft so that so

now they are ready to connect the Ahab

and the Elijah they’re all willing to

come to the table based on the

recommendation of a person who has built

rapport with them over the Long Haul so

whatever it is that you

do listen do it with all your might and

for the glory of God the ball of God’s

purposes is on the way to you you

wherever it is that you are right

now Obadiah was not just in a strategic

position I want you to see his

unwavering pledge each day of OB

obadiah’s life his I mean his actual

life hung in the balance remember he was

living during the days of Jezebel and

King Ahab they were killing anyone and

everyone who was faithful to

Yahweh and so we find that Obadiah is

actually described in verse three as

someone who had an unwavering pledge

despite the fact that his very life

would have been in danger and he knew

that he was very aware of that and yet

he is described in verse three not only

as someone who did his job well but

someone who feared the Lord greatly even

as he did it this is the defining

resolve of obadiah’s life and his legacy

despite his surroundings despite the

decline in Morality in the culture

despite the legislation of immorality

and idolatry his Allegiance was pledged

once and for all now I want you to

notice something at the top of verse

four this connecting phrase is at the

top of verse four it

says for it came

about that’s a connection they want you

to connect the bottom of verse three

with what’s about to happen in verse 4

it says at the end of verse three he

feared the Lord greatly

then verse three verse four basically

says and as a result of that here’s what

happens verse

four when Jezebel was destroying the

prophets of the Lord Obadiah took

hundreds of them he hid them by 50s in

caves and he provided them with bread

and

water oh don’t miss this the unwavering

resolve and pledge and allegiance to

Yahweh that Obadiah had it wasn’t in

Theory it worked itself out practically

in the fact that when the prophets of

Baal were being actively destroyed by

Jezebel when she was trying and uh Ahab

was trying to make sure that the

presence of God the truth of God the

standard of God the one true God was

torn down in society we find Obadiah

fiercely protecting and preserving the

prophets of God which represented the

standard of God in that day and age this

wasn’t some past passive inactive

Mission he was risking his very life to

Harbor fugitives and sustain them with

bread and water to ensure that the

worship of Yahweh survived this

devastating time period his goal was to

protect and preserve the presence of God

and he was willing to work proactively

to make sure that

happened Obadiah shows us that not only

do we have to be people who are

strategically placed and recognize that

we are but people people who have an

unwavering pledge that manifests itself

in our proactive preservation of the

truth of God in a society that is very

strategically and intentionally turning

its back on the one true God how are you

using your position within your circle

of friends the co-workers that you have

within your own home to make sure this

ball is not dropped on your watch how

are you making sure that you being the

truth of God the perspective of God to

bear in every circumstance in which you

must must find yourself how are you

preserving and protecting the standard

the truth of God amidst a culture that

is turning its back on God modern day

Obadiah do you realize it’s you and it’s

me who have to make sure this ball is

not dropped during a time when we are in

cancel culture when to stand for

righteousness to stand for the truth of

God

unapologetically in love but clearly

making sure that our Allegiance is

firmly rooted in the truth of God we’re

going to have to be people that will

make sure that we preserve and honor the

truth of God even in spite of the

culture in which we live and it’s while

Obadiah is doing this that he

accidentally runs into

Elijah it’s while you’re just you know

washing those dishes do doing the next

thing it’s while you’re showing up to

change those dirty diapers it’s while

you’re a continuing teacher to move

forward with the difficulties of online

learning with those students but you

keep showing up it’s while entrepreneur

you keep Gathering those employees to

the table despite the uh the chaos that

may have come as a result of these past

months into your business or your

ministry Ministry leader it’s when you

just keep on showing up and doing what

God has called you to do it’s when you

are doing that faithful believe that

God’s purposes accidentally show up into

your life but it is no accident it’s God

voling his purposes and plans your

direction because that’s where he needed

you and me all along so that we could be

in place not to just yell I got it but

to actually make sure that the ball of

God’s purposes are not dropped on our

watch there are no accidents with God he

is Sovereign and providential he makes

sure that we are the obadias who were in

the right place at the right time so

that even the most mundane tasks have

attached to them Divine Destiny you are

the connection between Ahab and

Elijah in fact Obadiah the reason why I

think that you were supposed to be tuned

in on this particular day and heed what

it is that God wanted to show you from

these little simple verses from a guy

that is often over overlooked within

this story where other people are

highlighted and celebrated

and and

underscored it’s because he wants you to

know that the ball of his purposes are

on the way that if you will keep your

spiritual eyes peeled to the horizons

you’re getting ready to see that the

ball of God’s purposes and his plans are

headed in your direction and I implore

you by the by the power of almighty God

not to let the ball drop on your wife

watch and I can’t let it drop in mine

Obadiah wasn’t in the

spotlight and maybe neither of

you he was just in the dim light of

responsibility and assigned tasked face

Faithfully putting one foot in front of

the other and doing the job that was

given him to do but all the while he had

no idea that he was getting ready to

build a bridge of trust between he and

the king in the natural realm and that

that was going to forge the Firm

Foundation NE necessary for the

supernatural keg of God’s fire that was

about to fall on Mount Carmel what will

God do if you and I just make sure we

don’t drop the

ball Lord I pray that in Jesus name you

would give us eyes to

see that you would give us a clear

perspective on the tasks that you have

given our hands to do make us diligent

give us Integrity father and that I pray

when we see the ball of your purpose as

sailing in our direction we will refuse

to let the ball drop on our watch in

Jesus name amen