Good morning people who are called to live like John the Baptist.

Matthew 3:1-3 MEV In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’ ”

The truth of “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” is inseparable from the prophetic call to “prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.”

John the Baptist was literally the fulfilment of a prophetic word spoken by the prophet Isaiah. It was declared that someone would be a voice crying in the wilderness. Their mission and their mandate would be to prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight. This is exactly what John did.

Do you know that every believer is to have the same prophetic call as John the Baptist?

We are not called to simply build churches, run programs, feed people, meet needs, read our Bible and pray. All of these are great if they fulfil the main purpose for which you and I are still on this earth: to prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.

We live amongst a wicked and perverse generation. Righteousness is being called evil, and evil is being called righteous. Truth is now declared to be whatever you want it to be.

As the people of God, we are not called to fit in, go with the flow, or worst of all, become so at one with the world that we lose our witness and our identity in Christ.

We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). We are called to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). We are called to be ministers of reconciliation as though God was making His appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). We are called to be like Jesus in this world (1 John 4:17).

This is our calling! This is how we partner with God to bring about on earth as it is in heaven.

People need to encounter Jesus. People are most empowered to do this if God’s people live every moment with the mindset “I am preparing the way of the Lord”. Our actions, our words, our motivation and our selfless love for others testifies to the reality of Christ. This is why we are here, and now is the time for the church to shine!

Will you prepare the way of the Lord today? Will you make His paths straight?