"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
In my last blog I wrote on being called. In the weeks that have passed since writing that blog it's been quite apparent that God is continuing to remind me that we are all given gifts and talents to serve a purpose and to fulfill his plan. Working within our giftings from our father serves the needs of those around us and for ourselves. Until I began writing this blog I had no idea why God called me to write until he revealed to me, I have a gift of encouragement. That's what this blog has always been about, encouragement of others in their faith journey as well as often times an encouragement to me to keep going and trust in the Lord in all things.
Too often I've allowed the baggage of life to rob me of serving in the capacity I've been called. I can find a million excuses as to why I can't do something and sometimes find it hard to find one single reason to do it. The only reason I need to do it is because Abba Father asked me to. It's not out of total disobedience that I resist the call, but many times a feeling of inadequacy... that I simply can not do what he's asked. Sometimes it's because I feel I'm not smart enough, sometimes a feeling of I'm not good enough and sometimes a feeling of no one could possibly want or need what I have to offer. Do you ever feel that way? That God picked the wrong person? How could he possibly choose me for this task or bless me with this gift that could serve him in such a way?
There's where that word baggage comes into play. We drag this big old bag of "stuff" with us wherever we go of things from our yesterdays. Perhaps it was a parent that said, you can't do that. Maybe it was a teacher that said, you just aren't very bright. Maybe it was a classmate, a peer, or a "friend" who reminds you, "remember how awful you use to be, how awful you were just a few moments ago?" We keep lugging that baggage around allowing it to stop us from being the called women and men of God that we are. The enemy loves our baggage. He uses it against us every moment he can, it's his greatest tool to use against us because it's something we seem to want to hold on to tighter than we do our relationship with Christ. You may be shaking your head right now and saying, "no I don't". If that's the case, then what's stopping you from being all God has called you to be? What is stopping you from serving with your whole heart? What is preventing you from giving your all to Christ? Let it go... we all must let it go to walk in the way God has called us to walk. I am so guilty of picking up my baggage and throwing it into the mix of the day. The Holy Spirit will reveal in my spirit that I'm doing it and remind me, "Heather do you know who you are and even greater do you know who you belong to? Your Father is the King of Kings!" There is nothing that we can't do through Christ, nothing. If he has called you, then he will equip you. It's time to toss the baggage of the past into that great sea of forgetfulness and take your place in the body of Christ.
What baggage are you holding onto that is stopping you from fulfilling your role and using the gifts and talents that God has given you? What baggage do you need to let go of once and for all so that you can be a great lamp standing on a hill? You've been called, you are fearfully and wonderfully made... when will you choose to hold onto the promises of God tighter than the baggage of the yesterdays? Is today the day?
Blessings,
Heather
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Called; Ephesians 4:11-13 & Jeremiah 33:3
Ephesians 4:11-13 "And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
Jeremiah 33:3 " Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
My husband is currently working on a talk of Christian Action and as I've listen to him begin to write the words God is laying on his heart I've pondered the very topic myself, what does it mean to be in Christian action? Along my journey I've been able to serve in a variety of ways, most of which I've enjoyed and have been able to be blessed and watch others be blessed because of the obedience from not only myself but by the obedience of themselves as well. I've also felt the struggle in times when I'm simply fulfilling a need and not the direction of the Father. It has been one of my greatest struggles to know when to serve and when to be patient and allow God to appoint and anoint the right person for the job and the right person is not always me. Ouch!
The last several months I have had quite a restlessness and if you read my last blog I attributed that to a quieting of the Holy Spirit within me. Along with this quiet comes a time of listening and waiting on the Lord to direct my steps to the next phase of my walk with Christ. Chris and I spent some time recently in a public area just sitting and watching people as they passed by and listening to the music being played by a local band. I found myself wondering about the lives that crossed my path that day. Chris and I began talking about how if you quiet yourself and really listen to the "beat of the drum" you can hear the music of life being played out for you. If you begin to quiet yourself, you will hear the call that God has placed on your life for a particular moment and time. Sometimes the music at first doesn't appear all that beautiful but as you begin to truly listen with the desire within you crying out to the great songwriter you begin to hear an incredible melody.
God has called and equipped each of us in different and wonderful ways. Some are called to lead and some are called to serve along side of leaders. Each one of you reading this has a gift that God has given you to be a part of the body that only you can be for the unification of the body of Christ working together in a world that is in need of a Savior. I can't say that I'm always willing to do whatever God leads me to do at first, too often I fight him and resist the new task because it means I have to grow and that sometimes means moving out of my comfort zone surrounded by my wonderful support system and entering into a brand new one.
In the first passages from Ephesians that I draw from in sharing this with you, it's clear that God has called us all for a purpose, for a specific mission in life. We aren't all called to be teachers or preachers, some are called in different form of ministry but all are equally important in being part of one body of believers. We are directed in Jeremiah to call to our father and he will answer us.
What is God calling you to do today? Can you hear him? Are you listening? Are you patiently waiting for a response? Are you ready to completely surrender and allow the work that he has begun in you to take hold and allow you to be the servant he's called you to be? Perhaps you have been called to help others hear the melody for their own life as the music is played so that they can join in chorus with the rest of the body to give praise to the Father.
Blessings,
Heather
Jeremiah 33:3 " Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
My husband is currently working on a talk of Christian Action and as I've listen to him begin to write the words God is laying on his heart I've pondered the very topic myself, what does it mean to be in Christian action? Along my journey I've been able to serve in a variety of ways, most of which I've enjoyed and have been able to be blessed and watch others be blessed because of the obedience from not only myself but by the obedience of themselves as well. I've also felt the struggle in times when I'm simply fulfilling a need and not the direction of the Father. It has been one of my greatest struggles to know when to serve and when to be patient and allow God to appoint and anoint the right person for the job and the right person is not always me. Ouch!
The last several months I have had quite a restlessness and if you read my last blog I attributed that to a quieting of the Holy Spirit within me. Along with this quiet comes a time of listening and waiting on the Lord to direct my steps to the next phase of my walk with Christ. Chris and I spent some time recently in a public area just sitting and watching people as they passed by and listening to the music being played by a local band. I found myself wondering about the lives that crossed my path that day. Chris and I began talking about how if you quiet yourself and really listen to the "beat of the drum" you can hear the music of life being played out for you. If you begin to quiet yourself, you will hear the call that God has placed on your life for a particular moment and time. Sometimes the music at first doesn't appear all that beautiful but as you begin to truly listen with the desire within you crying out to the great songwriter you begin to hear an incredible melody.
God has called and equipped each of us in different and wonderful ways. Some are called to lead and some are called to serve along side of leaders. Each one of you reading this has a gift that God has given you to be a part of the body that only you can be for the unification of the body of Christ working together in a world that is in need of a Savior. I can't say that I'm always willing to do whatever God leads me to do at first, too often I fight him and resist the new task because it means I have to grow and that sometimes means moving out of my comfort zone surrounded by my wonderful support system and entering into a brand new one.
In the first passages from Ephesians that I draw from in sharing this with you, it's clear that God has called us all for a purpose, for a specific mission in life. We aren't all called to be teachers or preachers, some are called in different form of ministry but all are equally important in being part of one body of believers. We are directed in Jeremiah to call to our father and he will answer us.
What is God calling you to do today? Can you hear him? Are you listening? Are you patiently waiting for a response? Are you ready to completely surrender and allow the work that he has begun in you to take hold and allow you to be the servant he's called you to be? Perhaps you have been called to help others hear the melody for their own life as the music is played so that they can join in chorus with the rest of the body to give praise to the Father.
Blessings,
Heather
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