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Posts Tagged ‘purpose’

Broken Vessels

Posted in From My Heart, tagged , , , , , on September 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

broken vessels

 

 

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Many of us have read this scripture, but have a hard time believing it could ever pertain to us. “You don’t know my past,” you argue, “There is no way God will ever give ME a hope and a future!” You are wrong, my friend. If God can’t use you because of your past, then He can’t use any of us. We ALL have things in our past that we are ashamed of. We ALL have things that we have done or things that were done to us in our past that keep us from being all that God wants us to be. Let me tell you a secret: God loves to use broken vessels to glorify His name! If God couldn’t use us because of our past, then His will would NEVER be accomplished. The Bible is full of men and women with a past that God has used to glorify His name. Following are two examples of how God can use men and women with a past:
Moses was a man with a past. Moses murdered an Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. When Moses realized that his crime had become known, he panicked and ran away. Years later the Israelites’ cry out to God to deliver them from their captors and God speaks to Moses from a burning bush. Moses did not want to be the one God used to deliver the Israelites. Moses argued with God, but God still chose to use him. This was not the end of the story for Moses. Even after God convinced Moses to obey Him, Moses slipped up. In Exodus 4:24, we find God ready to kill Moses. Why? Moses had not circumcised his son, as was one of God’s commands for the Israelites. Zipporah, wife of Moses, circumcises their son and saves her husband’s life. Despite his past, God chose to use Moses to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians.
According to Joshua 2:1 Rahab was a prostitute. She was a woman with a past. God knew that and chose to use her anyway. Joshua sent out two spies to look over the land that God had promised them. He specifically told them to go check out Jericho. They went and stayed in the home of Rahab, who hid them from the king of Jericho. Rahab had heard of the miracles that God performed on behalf of the Israelites and believed in the God of the Israelites as a result. Because of her faith, God saved Rahab and her family when the Israelites attacked Jericho. Not only did God protect Rahab and her family, Matthew 1:5 lists her in the genealogy of Jesus. Imagine, Rahab, the prostitute, a direct ancestor of the Messiah!
God has a plan for your life. God can use you, regardless of your past, to accomplish His will. There is always hope when we abide in God. There is nothing in your past that God cannot use to glorify His name. I am encouraging you to surrender whatever it is that’s keeping you from embracing the future God has for you. Give it to God. He can take it and turn it into a beautiful testimony of His love and mercy. Let it go and embrace the future God has for you.

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The Road Less Traveled

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on September 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

the road less traveled

Are you traveling on the road that will take you where you want to go? If not, Why? What is keeping you from making a U-turn and heading down the right street?

I have wasted to many years traveling down the wrong road. The main reason, for me, was because I simply didn’t know where I wanted to go. At the age of 43, I think I’ve finally figured it out! I have found the right road for me. It is a fairly deserted road. Every once in awhile, I bump into someone to share the journey with, but for now I’m traveling alone.

My road is all about living in community and sharing the Gospel with others. It is a road less traveled. I hesitated at the start. I could see all the pot holes, the ditches, the mud I might get stuck in when it rained, the isolation. It seemed so much easier to pick another road. A road that every other ministry leader was going down, the road of evangelism and modern day crusades that end up being all about the money. I could not travel that road. God was leading me elsewhere and I had to follow Him. I need to live in an intentional community like those of the early Church in the Book of Acts. Sharing our resources and serving the poorest of the poor. I am still searching for that community, but I will find it.

In my experience, I have found 6 reasons that we avoid the road that takes us where we want to go:

1. We don’t know where we want to go. It took me 43 years to figure this out! If you are struggling with this, take it to God. Ask Him where He wants you to go. What are you passionate about? What cause, people group, etc. has God given you a burden for? God usually gives us the talents and skills to match His purpose for us. What are your skills? What talent has He given you?

2. We are fearful. It is easy to look down the road, see the obstacles and become paralyzed with fear. I have been there. God never promised that our lives would always be obstacle free. Every road has it’s share of pot holes, ditches and mud. It will rain. God did promise that He would travel the road with us. He sees all. He knows all and He will guide us if we ask Him to.

3. We get distracted. This has been a big issue of mine. I start down a road and then I realize that this or that needs to be done. I start to question whether I really have time for this. If it’s a passion, if it gives me joy, if it fits into God’s will then we need to find the time. Get a planner and start scheduling time into your day to take steps down the road you have chosen. Even if it is baby steps and you don’t seem to get to far, get started. One day you will look back and be amazed at how far you really have gotten.

4. No support. It is hard to do something that people in your life don’t agree with. It is never easy to go against your loved ones. I understand this. Sometimes we have to follow our hearts, regardless of what others think. If God is leading, then we MUST follow. He is the only one that matters. Be respectful of the opinions of loved ones, but if you know you are in God’s will, then follow Him.

5. We can’t see the end of the road. I always like to know the end result. I like to know that what I am doing will be a success. Unfortunately, we won’t always know the end result. We won’t always know if what we are doing will succeed or fail. What matters is the journey. Knowing that we are in God’s will needs to be enough. He knows what the end result will be. If we walk with Him, more than likely we will succeed, but if we wander off the road, we will most likely fail. We have to trust God and simply obey.

6. We don’t want to travel alone. I completely understand this. It is hard to be the only one championing a cause or serving a people group. There are times when we may the only ones with the life experience or skill set that can do the job God wants us to do. We are never really alone. God is with us. He is all we really need.

Where is God leading you?

What are you afraid of?

What is distracting you?

Do you have the support of loved ones?

Can you see the end of the road?

Are you traveling alone?

Ask yourself the questions above and write down whatever is on your heart. Use these questions as a tool for communicating with God. Ask Him to show you His heart and He will.

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Babies and Bi-Focals

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , , on July 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I know it’s been a couple of months since I posted. Those couple of months have been eventful and have left me reflecting on life and God’s will for mine. I am facing a new season of my life and it has left me excited and scared about where God is leading.

babies

I started having to face the fact that I’m not getting any younger last year when my oldest daughter, Cherokee, graduated high school. In October I was completely unprepared to hear that I was going to be a grandma. In March, Cherokee and Nick were married. Last month, Kiowa graduated high school and is making that transition into adulthood. On June 8th, I turned 43! 43! WOW! On June 13th, my beautiful granddaughter Ava Rose was born and I became grammy to this precious baby girl. Well, you might think that would be enough to convince me that I’m getting older, but God seemed to think I needed another reminder. I have been having a hard time focusing when I read. I have had a hard time seeing the small print of my Bible. I love to read, so when I was forced to change the font on my kindle so I could actually read the print, I knew it was time to go to the eye doctor. As a diabetic, I know how important eye care is. I knew bi-focals were a probability, but until the eye doctor actually said I needed bi-focals, I was able to live in denial.

readingowl

 

 

I can’t live in denial anymore. I am entering a new season of life. I still have dependent children at home, but I know that my life has shifted and God is preparing me to answer the call He has placed on my life to encourage and minister to women. I now have a choice in how to accept this realization that I am getting older. I can either kick, scream and deny this reality or I can accept it with grace and look with excited expectation at what God has planned for my future.

Entering a new season of life is never easy. We may be fearful of the changes that are coming. We may feel a sense of loss when we realize that changes sometimes mean losing those things or people that are near and dear to us. Believe me, I know it isn’t easy, but God wants to walk through this transition with you. God wants to give you a peace that only He can give. God knows what the future holds for us and He loves us enough to walk through this new season with us. There is never any reason to fear the future. Trust God to work ALL things out for you. Your heavenly Father is waiting, with a hand held out to you. Take His hand and step into this new season together.

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