The Transitional Experiences of God's Call
by Dr. John Tetsola

Before the call of God is fully accomplished in your life, you will have an abundance of transitional experiences. These experiences are those things that happen which try to discourage and prevent you from realizing the call of God upon your life. They are wilderness experiences. Many calls, dreams and visions have died in the transitional phase. Transitional experiences will frequently involve the protraction of time. The most difficult time in a trial, test or persecution is not the trial or test itself, it is the duration or extension of the test and trial, and the delay of resolution. Let us look at some of these experiences.

Faithfulness in Errands

And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
Genesis 37:13-14

Whenever God calls you to a thing or gives you a dream and assignment, you will always have to start with a menial job or minor task. God does not just put you in a place of glamour and prestige. You first have to learn to be faithful with the smaller things. Joseph, even though God called him and promised to make him great, still had to start with the messenger position. He began as an errand boy. He did not just become what God said he would be overnight. He had to prove his faithfulness as an errand boy. With all the calls and promises of God, his father still sent him out to the field to see about the welfare of his brothers. He did not tell his father, "Well, don't you know that I am called of God to become the next governor, the next pastor, the next apostle, or the next prophet?" He was not disobedient to the menial task. He did not reject his season of development nor his season of preparation. He was faithful as an errand boy.

Imagine this for a moment. What if you were Joseph and God gave you an incredible call that you are going to be a great apostle or a great prophet, and that you will travel all over the world, and that your name would be great and known? Imagine how you would feel and react. Today, some Christians will not even show up for Sunday services. Some will not be respectful to authority, and neglect doing the menial tasks. Some have become deluded and deceived by a distorted sense of self-importance. But the way God releases a call on an individual is by the individual completing their first works -- being faithful in the menial task. Sometimes you have to begin as an errand boy, as a church cleaner, an usher or even a parking attendant. Your degree of dedication, commitment and faithfulness to what God has you doing right now will decide how quickly the next level of the call or dream arrives. Character and integrity have to be produced within us in each of these stages.

The Conspiracy Against Your Calling

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 
Genesis 37:18-20

Another experience when trying to obey the call of God or the assignment from God is that there will always be conspiracy against your calling and an attack will be launched to eliminate it. The enemy always thinks that he can kill your calling or your assignment. He forgets that it is not your calling, but God's call upon your life. Joseph experienced this. His jealous brothers ganged up against him and conspired to eliminate him, thinking that killing him would eradicate the call. The enemy always thinks that in the event that he kills you, he then has killed your calling. But know that everything means for evil, aimed at the call and assignment upon your life, God will turn it around for your good!

The Stripping of the Coat of Many Colors

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
Genesis 37:23

The next experience while trying to obey the call of God is that He Himself will strip you of your glamour, your pedigree, your tactics, your intelligence, your strength and your might. He will strip you of your coat of many colors. The words "many colors" here speaks of many uses. What God does is, He allows you to be stripped of your available tactics, your available ideas, your own strategies, so as to clothe you with His own "coat" of vision, and then use you as He planned. You cannot accomplish God's call and vision with your coat of many colors. It will distract you. The coat of many colors is a type of egotistical strength and might. It is a type of human effort. God's call will only be accomplished by the might of God's Spirit. The Holy Ghost will have to overshadow you to get the call accomplished. Look at what was done to Joseph. He was stripped of his coat of many uses, by who? By his own brothers under God's design.

The Testing of Your Success

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.

And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;

There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
Genesis 39:1-10

While obeying the call of God, know this. God will continue to prosper you. But that prosperity will be tested. It will be tried. The devil will try your prosperity to see where it comes from; whether from him or from God. If it comes from him, you will compromise with him when the trials and testing begins. But if it comes from God, no matter what the devil does, you will still remain focused on the call. This was exactly the position of Joseph. Even while at this stage of his call, while he was prospering, he still refused to compromise by sleeping with his master's wife. Despite several attempts by the master's wife, he refused to bow to sin. He was focused. He knew God called him and he knew he had an assignment. He was not ready to sell his call for a piece of flesh. His first allegiance was to the One who called him. This is an attitude that must be taken if you are called. Don't compromise! Stand and remain obedient to your God in the midst of these experiences!

The "On the Shelf" Experience

But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.

But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:

Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
Genesis 39:21-23; 40:3, 4, 14, 23

Save yourself a lot of hard feelings and misunderstandings while accomplishing God's assignments. Know that you will have an "on the shelf" experience. God is going to put you on the shelf for a while before He finally releases and blossoms you. The "on the shelf" experience is never an interesting one. It is a time that, if you are not careful, you will begin to doubt your calling. You will wonder why the ministry is not blossoming rapidly, or why the speaking engagements are not coming to pass. You'll agonize over why your congregation is now growing quickly like the other church across the street, or why your face is not yet seen on television and your voice not yet heard on radio. This experience makes you question a lot of things about you and around you. You'll move into comparison and competition, and your self-esteem will plummet. Your confidence in God will be shaken. It does not mean that because you are on the shelf that God forgot you or that you have sinned, or even that you are not walking according to the will of God. It is just part of the process. Your emotional responses to this season when you will feel seemingly neglected must be harnessed. While on the shelf, God will still bless you.

Look at the experience of Joseph. He was on the shelf - in prison. The Bible says that even while he was on the shelf (locked up in prison), God was still with him. God still showed him mercy and gave him favor. Listen to me, child of God! God keeps you on the shelf for a specific period of time. The greatest mistake you can make is to try to come down off the shelf before God's timing. Joseph desired to come off the shelf before his time. He tried all he could, but he still could not come off. The "on the shelf" experience is just for a season. Joseph even told the officers, when he interpreted their dreams, "But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness . . . and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and bring me out of this house - get me off this shelf!"

Why Must You Be Placed on the Shelf?

by Dr. John A.Tetsola