What is it that we are really looking for?
AFFIRMATION...APPLAUSE...GLORY...A RED CARPET...PRAISE
Being in love with Jesus, will compel us to do stuff we haven't done before and to go places that we haven't gone before.
Love just grows and spreads and has a way of getting in our business and all over us and the people around us.
All for
His glory, for His praise, NOT our own.
Love just grows and spreads and has a way of getting in our business and all over us and the people around us.
All for
His glory, for His praise, NOT our own.
Here's a scenario of what can happen to distract us from acting on the LOVE:
A person feels a tug at their heart to do something. A something that can only be explained by the Lord putting it on the person's heart. Things like...mission work....donating time and resources....going to Bible study....being part of a church.
A person feels a tug at their heart to do something. A something that can only be explained by the Lord putting it on the person's heart. Things like...mission work....donating time and resources....going to Bible study....being part of a church.
Then...so many times we instantly disqualify ourselves to follow through on the "tug" by blaming others; our spouse, our children, our parents, our job. Whoever is conveniently located that may not be jumping up and down at our first suggestion of 'going to Africa' or whatever your particular tug happens to be.
I have this recurring revelation that has come full circle in my life several times. When God lays something on your heart...HE KNOWS who you are....HE KNOWS your life!!! He knows who you are married to, He knows who your kids are, He knows who your boss is and what your job is.
TRUST HIM WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES.
Often times we won't even approach the person that we need to 'run it by', we just use them as the escape goat because we
ASSume
they will not be on board.
And frankly we are timid and a bit embarrassed about what we want to do.
TRUST HIM WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES.
Often times we won't even approach the person that we need to 'run it by', we just use them as the escape goat because we
ASSume
they will not be on board.
And frankly we are timid and a bit embarrassed about what we want to do.
I've learned there is a big difference between, not being on board, and saying NO!
I have yet to hear a hubby say NO you can't help someone, or no you can't go to church, or you can't go to Bible study, or you can't go on a mission trip, but we often use that as our reason for NOT stepping out if faith.
I have yet to hear a hubby say NO you can't help someone, or no you can't go to church, or you can't go to Bible study, or you can't go on a mission trip, but we often use that as our reason for NOT stepping out if faith.
We won't even have the hard conversation because of our pride, and our insecurity.
We are not POSITIVE ourselves that God wants us to do that 'thing' in the first place, and we certainly don't want to be on the line if things don't go perfect. So,we just say things like....we are waiting on the Lord....or it's not our time.
All that may be true some of the time, but I think, more times than not, it's just that we don't want to put ourselves out there and actually GO for it. It's easier to blame everyone else.
We are not POSITIVE ourselves that God wants us to do that 'thing' in the first place, and we certainly don't want to be on the line if things don't go perfect. So,we just say things like....we are waiting on the Lord....or it's not our time.
All that may be true some of the time, but I think, more times than not, it's just that we don't want to put ourselves out there and actually GO for it. It's easier to blame everyone else.
I think of Lashae when she wanted to go on a mission trip her Senior year of high school.
We WERE NOT in favor of mission trips. AT ALL!
We especially were not fans of our 17 year old going to Africa with NO experience AT ALL, no money, and going at the end of her Senior year of high school.
The whole thing seemed ridiculous to us.
The time.
The money.
OUR DAUGHTER going.
I mean, why HER? Why not anyone else?
We WERE NOT in favor of mission trips. AT ALL!
We especially were not fans of our 17 year old going to Africa with NO experience AT ALL, no money, and going at the end of her Senior year of high school.
The whole thing seemed ridiculous to us.
The time.
The money.
OUR DAUGHTER going.
I mean, why HER? Why not anyone else?
She put herself out there...she told us what was on her heart , she tried to answer our questions, but mostly her answer was this,
"I DON'T KNOW, I JUST THINK THE LORD IS TELLING ME TO GO AND I REALLY WANT TO",
and then she prayed a lot and let the Lord work on our hearts.
She was so respectful and patient and firm in her conviction.
She took the step of faith and had the hard conversation and continued to pray and trust the Lord.
Of course the rest is history, He changed our WHOLE FAMILY through that experience.
What if she would have said,
"They will never go for it, so I'm just going to wait until I can decide for myself".
Because without the Lord changing us and working on our hearts, she would have been RIGHT to make that statement, but we would have missed out on so much blessing.
"I DON'T KNOW, I JUST THINK THE LORD IS TELLING ME TO GO AND I REALLY WANT TO",
and then she prayed a lot and let the Lord work on our hearts.
She was so respectful and patient and firm in her conviction.
She took the step of faith and had the hard conversation and continued to pray and trust the Lord.
Of course the rest is history, He changed our WHOLE FAMILY through that experience.
What if she would have said,
"They will never go for it, so I'm just going to wait until I can decide for myself".
Because without the Lord changing us and working on our hearts, she would have been RIGHT to make that statement, but we would have missed out on so much blessing.
I think of the things the Lord has put in front of me, and so many times, I jump to this excuse or that excuse.
But,I am here to testify, when He speaks to me and I TRUST HIM and step out in FAITH....
EVERY TIME, EVERY SINGLE TIME,
that I have actually trusted Him and moved forward in obedience, He ALWAYS provides above and beyond anything I could imagine.
He provides the
GRACE and the GUIDANCE
with people, with finances, with responsibilities, with timing.
He does not miss a STEP.
God doesn't usually lay it on Charlie's heart or my kid's hearts to suggest to me that I go and do whatever. He deals with them as well, but on their own stuff.
He is such a personal God.
He lays it on my heart because He is interested in a personal relationship with me and my trust and my obedience. And the same is true for each person.
If we never take that first step of faith, to speak what is on our hearts to those that we are in relationship with, those HE has so graciously put in our lives....it won't go
ANYWHERE.
We must trust HIM with our people. :)
But,I am here to testify, when He speaks to me and I TRUST HIM and step out in FAITH....
EVERY TIME, EVERY SINGLE TIME,
that I have actually trusted Him and moved forward in obedience, He ALWAYS provides above and beyond anything I could imagine.
He provides the
GRACE and the GUIDANCE
with people, with finances, with responsibilities, with timing.
He does not miss a STEP.
God doesn't usually lay it on Charlie's heart or my kid's hearts to suggest to me that I go and do whatever. He deals with them as well, but on their own stuff.
He is such a personal God.
He lays it on my heart because He is interested in a personal relationship with me and my trust and my obedience. And the same is true for each person.
If we never take that first step of faith, to speak what is on our hearts to those that we are in relationship with, those HE has so graciously put in our lives....it won't go
ANYWHERE.
We must trust HIM with our people. :)
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