As I prepare to head to Modjadjiskloof, South Africa, I cannot help but meditate on everything that had to happen in my life in order to get me to this point. I am the type of person that had to always be in "control"; I was a planner. I liked to know what I was doing, when I was doing it, and how I was going to do it. Boy, how things have changed. Ive realized I dont have to have ANYTHING figured out. The only thing I have to have is FAITH in Jesus! He is my SOURCE FOR ALL THINGS. He is my comfort,my stength, my father, my joy, my refuge, my security, my everything. Everything I am is in him. I look back at my life and this scripture seems to catch me everytime.
"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." -Isaiah 64:8
You know there is a lot of things that have happened in my life that I look back on and ask God, "Why was I like that? Why did I do that?, Why did that have to happen to me?" But the truth is if ALL those things hadnt of happened,if I hadnt been that way- so broken and desperate for something- then I would not be where I am today in my relationship with the Lord. Now, I thank God for those trials, sufferings, and oppurtunities because it has made me even stronger in HIM. It shows me just how MIGHTY HE IS TO SAVE. Because there was nothing that could have changed me EXCEPT HIM! I flashback now and can see all the times God was molding and shaping me, and he still is. It is such a beautiful place to be in the hands of the Lord.
I was offered the oppurtunity to go and stay with some dear friends of mine, the Salemi Family, who are now missionaries in South Africa, for a month over Christmas break. Of course, after many nights of prayer God began to show me that this is exactly where he wanted me to be for Christmas. My best friend, Ashley Yarborough, such an amazing woman of God, and I will be departing on December 13 to head to Modjadjiskloof until mid January. Needless to say, it is very much out of my comfort zone to leave my surrondings, much less head to another continent. It would be much easier to stay here with my family and friends and enjoy this beautiful season. But why would I ever think God would ask me to go and do something that his hand was not in? Something he would not equip and sustain me for? I came across this passage, one I am sure everyone is very familiar with, but this seems to be a passage that keeps coming up over and over again. It is like God is speaking directly to me.
"And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him DENY himself and TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW ME. For whoever would save his life will LOSE it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will SAVE it." -Luke 9:23-24
Wow! It is not an option. We cannot choose which parts of God's holy word applies to us. Sometimes we pick and choose the parts of the Bible we want to follow or which parts will be easy or convinent for us; which ones won't take us out of our comofrt zone too much. Which one's will still alllow us to live OUR life the way WE want. But in HIS WORD he tells us to DENY OURSELVES DAILY AND FOLLOW HIM. Everyday I wake up I have to deny myself-my desires, my wants, my pleasures,my plans, BECAUSE IF I DO, I will be giving up my life whole heartedly to the Lord, and when I do that, that is when I will FIND IT! I am not saying it is easy by all means, BUT it is not suppose to be. There was nothing easy about God sending his one and only son to die on the cross and to take our wrath so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have a personal relationship with him and inherit eternity in the kingdom of heaven. I dont know if we can fully wrap our minds around this type of love. He gave the greatest gift of all, so why cant we give our WHOLE HEARTS, OUR WHOLE LIVES TO HIM? It is already his to begin with- because this is not OUR LIFE- IT IS HIS. We are here to be his hands and feet on earth, to further his kingdom, and to make him known! So now, I no longer live for me, I belong to him. He is my beginning, my forver. No matter how AWESOME the plans I have envisioned for my life may seem, they are nothing compared to the plans the Lord has for me. So I will follow wherever he leads and lay down my life and desires, because I know what he has for me is SO MUCH MORE than anything I could ever have for myself!I TRUST in him!
I am so thankful God has brought me from the darkness I was once living in, to the light- HIS LIGHT! I am marveled at how he has worked in my life and in my heart. I am excited about this amazing oppurtunity he has given me to go to Africa and I am ready to see how he is going to use this to continue molding and preparing me to further his kingdom. I know this is just the beginning and he will continue to reveal himself to me and in my life. In him I find my purpose- even when its uncomfortable, even when its not what I had planned, even when it means denying myself and following him- no matter what the cost, because like I said he gave it all, so...so should we!It is a daily choice to follow him, whether we are here or somewhere else, God wants us to surrender our lives TO HIM, SO IN HIM we find the best life of all. And that is a surrendered life to Christ!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Jesus Is Calling
Sometimes in life we flutter around-unsure of our "calling," contemplating back and forth believing God has something MORE for our lives. Sometimes the call feels stronger than others and some days it seems much clearer of what exactly it may even be.
You may ask what is a calling? A calling is simply Gods plan for your life to further HIS kingdom..Of course, many others wil have a different perspective of what a "CALLING" is to them. But one thing is for SURE..God has a plan for each and every person and he propsed that plan before we were even created. Two scriptures always come to mind:
John 15:16 "You didn't choose me, I chose YOU. I appointed you to go and produce LASTING FRUIT, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: LOVE EACH OTHER."
AND..
Jeremiah 1:5 "I KNEW YOU before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I SET YOU APART and appointed YOU as my PROPHET TO THE NATIONS."
Wow, after I read that, I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around the fact that MY FATHER loved me so much that before he even created me, he knew who I was and set me apart to be used as a tool BY HIM to further his Kingdom and to simply make his name known.I cannot believe HE CHOSE ME AND WANTS TO USE ME.Did he really say "I was a prophet?" When I sit back and take in these scriptures I cannot help but to become OVERWHELMED that my father has a PLAN for my life and though I may not see exactly what it is right now, there is ONE thing I know" I am his prophet" and I am called to 1) Go to the Nations and 2) Love others.
You see, I don't have miraculous talents or lots of money, but I have GOD'S LOVE and I am called to go and produce LASTING FRUIT; to share with others the good news of the GRACE that was offered unto us through the Love of Jesus Christ. Through him we are no longer in bondage. WE HAVE BEEN REDEEMED. Tonight I came across this passage and Jesus once again pierced my heart with his words. I am beginning to see the preparation he is planting in my heart.
Isaiah 58:10-11
"If you POUR YOURSELF out for the hungry and SATISFY the desire of the afflicted then shall your LIGHT RISE IN THE DARKNESS, and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will GUIDE YOU CONTINUALLY AND SATISFY YOUR DESIRE IN SCORCHED PLACES and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose water DOES NOT FAIL."
Once I removed MYSELF from the equation and WHAT I WANTED, his will became so much CLEARER. Sometimes we run from God's calling afraid it might take us out of our comfort zone, leave us empty from our own desires, and scared of what it could mean for our lives. But you see he tells us that the Lord will guide us continually and he will satisfy our desires in the scorched places. It does not matter where God calls me or what I have to give up because even in the scorched of places he will SUSTAIN, SATISFY, AND FULFILL ME. We believe if we step out in OBEDIENCE that darkness may arrive because its not "quite what we pictured for our lives",but he shines his LIGHT and fills us with a spring of water, love, and joy that will not fail us.It is his everlasting , unconditional love that satisfies us. If we follow HIS CALLING and die to our PLAN he will not leave us to feel dry and empty but will overwhelm us with a joy and satisfaction far more fulfilling than anything we could ever plan for our own lives.
I pray I live out Gods plan and not my own, oh how I would be missing out for what the Lord has already prepared for me. Once we make his will our will, his wants our wants, and his desires our desires we cannot go wrong.
God is speaking his calling into our lives everyday. We just need eyes to see and ears to hear! Once Jesus reigns SUPREME in your life he becomes your SOURCE and in him you find YOUR place in this world.
"Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."
-Matthew 6:33
.
You may ask what is a calling? A calling is simply Gods plan for your life to further HIS kingdom..Of course, many others wil have a different perspective of what a "CALLING" is to them. But one thing is for SURE..God has a plan for each and every person and he propsed that plan before we were even created. Two scriptures always come to mind:
John 15:16 "You didn't choose me, I chose YOU. I appointed you to go and produce LASTING FRUIT, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: LOVE EACH OTHER."
AND..
Jeremiah 1:5 "I KNEW YOU before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I SET YOU APART and appointed YOU as my PROPHET TO THE NATIONS."
Wow, after I read that, I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around the fact that MY FATHER loved me so much that before he even created me, he knew who I was and set me apart to be used as a tool BY HIM to further his Kingdom and to simply make his name known.I cannot believe HE CHOSE ME AND WANTS TO USE ME.Did he really say "I was a prophet?" When I sit back and take in these scriptures I cannot help but to become OVERWHELMED that my father has a PLAN for my life and though I may not see exactly what it is right now, there is ONE thing I know" I am his prophet" and I am called to 1) Go to the Nations and 2) Love others.
You see, I don't have miraculous talents or lots of money, but I have GOD'S LOVE and I am called to go and produce LASTING FRUIT; to share with others the good news of the GRACE that was offered unto us through the Love of Jesus Christ. Through him we are no longer in bondage. WE HAVE BEEN REDEEMED. Tonight I came across this passage and Jesus once again pierced my heart with his words. I am beginning to see the preparation he is planting in my heart.
Isaiah 58:10-11
"If you POUR YOURSELF out for the hungry and SATISFY the desire of the afflicted then shall your LIGHT RISE IN THE DARKNESS, and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will GUIDE YOU CONTINUALLY AND SATISFY YOUR DESIRE IN SCORCHED PLACES and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose water DOES NOT FAIL."
Once I removed MYSELF from the equation and WHAT I WANTED, his will became so much CLEARER. Sometimes we run from God's calling afraid it might take us out of our comfort zone, leave us empty from our own desires, and scared of what it could mean for our lives. But you see he tells us that the Lord will guide us continually and he will satisfy our desires in the scorched places. It does not matter where God calls me or what I have to give up because even in the scorched of places he will SUSTAIN, SATISFY, AND FULFILL ME. We believe if we step out in OBEDIENCE that darkness may arrive because its not "quite what we pictured for our lives",but he shines his LIGHT and fills us with a spring of water, love, and joy that will not fail us.It is his everlasting , unconditional love that satisfies us. If we follow HIS CALLING and die to our PLAN he will not leave us to feel dry and empty but will overwhelm us with a joy and satisfaction far more fulfilling than anything we could ever plan for our own lives.
I pray I live out Gods plan and not my own, oh how I would be missing out for what the Lord has already prepared for me. Once we make his will our will, his wants our wants, and his desires our desires we cannot go wrong.
God is speaking his calling into our lives everyday. We just need eyes to see and ears to hear! Once Jesus reigns SUPREME in your life he becomes your SOURCE and in him you find YOUR place in this world.
"Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."
-Matthew 6:33
.
Jesus Rescued Me
Sometimes we go through life and we are missing something, but we are unaware of what it is we are even missing. I am defintely a prime example of tihs. All through my life (which I always had a good life..great family- nothing too bad) no matter how "good" things were going for me , something never felt just "right". I would go to bed so confused at how I could not be overwhelmed with joy by how great my life was. Then one day I had a wake up call. You see so many things in my life seemed so perfect, so right, but on the inside I was miserable. Now this was not because of anyone else. I had everything I had ever wanted and I could not be more thankful that God had placed such great people in my life along my journey. But it didnt matter who was in my life, because I was dealing with something on the inside. Nothing was ever good enough or fulfilling enough; I was always wanting more. I was so insecure about myself, about my life, at all the possibilities that could happen. I was so jealous and envious of everyone else's life. Of course at the time none of this was even subjeted to be talked about, but you know sometimes it takes God getting us to our lowest point until we realize what it is exactly he is trying to tell us. You see, for years I tried to live my life on my own: doing what I wanted, what pleased ME, what made ME happy. It was all about ME. One day my whole world came crashing down and all the sudden it was not about ME anymore. Wow, the past year of my life has defintely been a roller coaster but I would not change one second of it. People say without a test we have no testimony, and without everything that had happened in my life I would not be where I am today in my relationship with the Lord. Needless to say, Jesus Christ, the son of God, that was what I was missing in my life. That is why things never felt just "right",that is why no matter what this world had to offer me it still was not enough. Because you see without Christ we are NOTHING and we have NOTHING. He has given me life, He has given an unfathomable joy, my hope, my happiness, and a peace that surpasses all things. HE IS MY FIRST, MY TRUE LOVE. Our God is a jealous God and he WILL NOT allow anything in your life to be above hime. I had always found my fulfillment and happiness out of this world and out of my relationships, BUT NOW MY HAPPINESS AND MY SECURITY COMES FROM THE LORD. I have never in my life felt this way. Jesus removed the veil from my eyes and my life has not been the same since. Something important to note though, we MUST walk through the valley to get to the mountain top. And if I had not been so empty, so insecure on the inside and gone through all trials I had I would not be where I am today with the Lord. I would go through all the hurt and all the pain all over again just knowing the simple fact of the Love and Joy I received from Christ Jesus. JESUS RESCUED ME. I have found my satisfactoin in Chirst ALONE. I am now made a new creation through Christ.
"This means that ANYONE who BELONGS TO CHIRST HAS BECOME A NEW PERSON. The old life is GONE, and a NEW life has BEGUN."
-2 Corinthians 5:17
How amazing is that, that through Christ I am made new; I do not have to be who I once was. I find my confidence and my security in the Lord. With him my past and who I was is wiped away and I am beginning a new life, but this time I WILL NOT FAIL because if Christ is for ME, then WHO CAN BE AGAINST ME. My ashes have been turned into beauty and now HE IS ALL I AM LIVING FOR! Words cannot descirbe how He has changed my life and changed my heart and it is ONLY THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB THAT I HAVE BEEN MADE NEW! I no longer live for me, I NOW LIVE FOR HIM. I BELONG TO HIM. I AM HIS CHILD! JESUS RESCUED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
"This means that ANYONE who BELONGS TO CHIRST HAS BECOME A NEW PERSON. The old life is GONE, and a NEW life has BEGUN."
-2 Corinthians 5:17
How amazing is that, that through Christ I am made new; I do not have to be who I once was. I find my confidence and my security in the Lord. With him my past and who I was is wiped away and I am beginning a new life, but this time I WILL NOT FAIL because if Christ is for ME, then WHO CAN BE AGAINST ME. My ashes have been turned into beauty and now HE IS ALL I AM LIVING FOR! Words cannot descirbe how He has changed my life and changed my heart and it is ONLY THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB THAT I HAVE BEEN MADE NEW! I no longer live for me, I NOW LIVE FOR HIM. I BELONG TO HIM. I AM HIS CHILD! JESUS RESCUED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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