This past week has been a hard one for me....but I am trusting in God. Last Thursday my family and I departed Maryland on a trip to take my daughter to St. Louis, where she will be attending school this year. She is going to a non-conventional college called The Ministry Academy which is part of the St. Louis Dream Center. While attending The Ministry Academy she will not only participate in classes, but she will have the opportunity to be a part of some of the ministries of the Dream Center and work as an intern. This is an amazing opportunity that she has been presented with to go deeper into the things of God and to learn more of how He wants her to serve Him in ministry. Though I knew all of that, and even believed it...I was apprehensive having Meghan leave home. I discovered that my apprehension was not because I did not understand where she was going, or what she would be doing there. My apprehension was simply coming from not being able to let go, not being able to let my child go out into the world. In that I realized that if I was apprehensive, that I was not trusting in God and in His plan for her.
After, seeing the Dream Center and being exposed to some of the things they do for God's people I developed a peace that I had not had before concerning the situation. As, I have reflected on the situation since I have been home, God has reminded me of the things He has been teaching me and revealing to me. I realized He was not only teaching me these things to apply to my life, but to also apply them to Meg's life.
God brought me to Ephesians chapter 1 recently, through a blog post I had read. This chapter spoke volumes into my spirit about how we are each chosen, and picked for a specific purpose by God. I have an amplified Bible that has devotions every couple of pages and there is a devotion on the opposite page of Ephesians chapter 1, entitled "You Have Been Chosen". This article spoke to me, because it talked about not only being chosen, but that God chose each of us despite our faults and weaknesses. Rejection, acceptance, and reproach are big things that God has helped me work through over the years. I realized that I needed to start to share the things that God has taught me so, that others may learn from my testimony. I cannot sit and receive and not give anything back out from the Holy Spirit that lives in me. We as believers are not called to make a collection of tidbits of wisdom and knowledge, and then not do anything with that exhortation. We have to step out and share those pieces that God reveals to us with others so that they may grow too!
"Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as his own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]- [So that we might be] to the praise and commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy) which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:4-6 (Amplified)
I could quote the whole chapter, because there is some good meat and truth here that we need to take to heart. I do want to share verse 13, because it ties it all together. "In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. " Ephesians 1:13 (Amplified) Listen to me, you are saved, you believe, you rely on Him...and you have been stamped with the "long-promised" Holy Spirit. Receive it!!! This is where holding your head up high in Him comes from; you my dear one have been foreordained and consecrated. He chose you!!!
How does this all tie in to my recent experience with Meg? Go with me to Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." In, February I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti to participate in medical clinics. While there God revealed to me this incredible fear that I had of letting Him down. After I returned home, I continued to process what God was showing me and He lead me to this verse in Jeremiah. On the opposite page of verse 5 in my Bible is a devotion entitled "You Are Chosen". It talks about how even though we are not perfect that God chooses us. It also talks about Jeremiah's fear, and how God tells Jeremiah to not be afraid of being accepted.
I shared about my experience in Haiti and what God had showed me about my my fear of failure at church shortly after I returned home. Afterwards I received a word of exhortation from someone, and one of the things she shared with me was that God had revealed to her that I not only had a fear of man, but a terror of being rejected by God. I treasure this word, and I often go back to the words she had penned in purple on a piece of notebook paper. I realized that my fear of sending Meg out into the world was also apart of this terror I had of letting God down.
Yesterday, God brought me back around full-circle to Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift, or bent], and when he is old he will not depart form it." (Amplified) When, I read that I was reminded of a study I had done a few years ago. I had written two words in Hebrew in the margin of my Bible. One of the words chanak means to dedicate, and a root of the word chanukkah means consecration. The dictionary defines consecration as being set apart for a specific purpose. I realized that this was what God was trying to tell me... that not only was I set apart, but that so is Meg! And, that I need to trust in that consecration. He knows what purpose He has set her apart for, and I need to trust in Him! How freeing that realization has been, and how awesome our God is that he brought me through those steps so that I can pass the knowledge onto my children, and also onto others. So, my dear one please do not ever forget you are consecrated and set apart by God for a Holy purpose, that only you can perform!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Be Transformed, Not Conformed
It has been a while since I have written a blog post. It has been a hectic summer, which is no excuse I must say to not share what wonderful things God has been revealing to me. In June my husband and I travelled to Kenya. It was a wonderful trip and a huge blessing in my life. It was my third time to Kenya, and I was able to see people I had meet last summer while there in the same area. These people I can confidently now call friends. Thank-you so much to those of you that contributed to our being able to go on the trip, and also to those of you that prayed for us while we were there.
I have been doing a lot of processing since my return from Kenya, which is one reason why I have not posted in so long. It was a different trip for me, one of almost confusion. It has been hard to discern what God was trying to teach me and show me while in Kenya and in the subsequent two months.
When I was in Kenya, one of the men who was instrumental in making the medical clinics we participated in, kept calling me Lt. Colonel. At first I laughed it off, but he kept calling me Lt. Colonel and saluting me. When I questioned him about this he told me that I carry myself like a general and that I should have been in the military. (Well, little secret I was in the military) I began to be taken aback by this, and realized that I may need to change the way I approach others. I started to seek God as to how He wanted me to change and how I could maintain being a Godly leader.
In, the time I have been back from Kenya I have taken the time to seek God concerning my mouth, and have asked Him to show me how to be a Godly leader. I have realized that God has programed me to be a leader, but that He does not want me to act like a military dictator. He wants me to lead in love and in grace. If I continue to seek Him as to how to lead others in a way that is Christlike, I think that I can find a way to not come across as a "general". Romans 12:7-9 says, "[He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness. [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good." (Amplified version)
Essentially, I need to embrace the gift of leadership that God has given me, but I need to not be a dictator about the way I lead. God wants those He has placed in leadership positions to be loving to others and to treat them with grace. I have realized an effective Godly leader is not one who tells everyone what to do and shouts out orders, but who suggests in love the order of business. People take instruction so much better when it is spoken in kindness and with suggestion, than when it is an order that is barked at them.
I have come to the revelation that the orders that are barked come from my flesh and not from Christ. I need to lay down myself and be transformed into the leader that God wants to mold me into. In reading Ephesians 5 I came across verses 13-15 that really explain what I am trying to say, "But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and where everything is visible and clear there is light. Therefore He says, Awake O' sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless but as wise (sensible, intelligent people)". (Amplified version) God desires me to be clear and be able to reprove the light, so that Christ's light shines out of me. I think of it like a prism....what light shines in, is reflected out. So, therefore I need to reflect Christ in all I do.
Romans 12:2 states, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]." (Amplified version) I used to look at this verse in a rather legalistic way, thinking that pretty much everything of the world was off limits. But, if you are dead to sin and alive in Christ do you really want to conform to this world? I have been asking God to make me more of Him, and less of me. And, He has been answering my prayer....opening my eyes to many things I need to change. Just like the verse says it is not what is acceptable to you, it is what is perfect in his sight.
God, does not expect us to be perfect. What He does expect is that on a daily basis we go before Him and surrender to Him and His will. He also expects that we confess our sins to Him on a daily basis, and in doing so that we "crucify" our flesh. It is not our job to be "perfect" and "sinless". What is our task is to take up our cross daily, to confess our sin regularly, and to look at ourselves through Jesus eyes and to see Him in us. In order to do so, it may require you to change. It may also require you to see some things in yourself that you may not want to see. What is your true desire? Do you want to be more like Jesus? Or do you desire to not grow and progress in your walk with God?
The choice is up to you... Walking means that you are moving forward, and that you are not staying in the same place. So, if you want to progress in your walk with God then you need to give of yourself. Eventually you will have to surrender your person to God, in order to continue to walk with Him. In, order to do so you will have to choose to no longer accept conforming to the world. If you desire to continue to grow in Christ then you will have to transform yourself to His ways, His desires, His word, and His will.
I have been doing a lot of processing since my return from Kenya, which is one reason why I have not posted in so long. It was a different trip for me, one of almost confusion. It has been hard to discern what God was trying to teach me and show me while in Kenya and in the subsequent two months.
When I was in Kenya, one of the men who was instrumental in making the medical clinics we participated in, kept calling me Lt. Colonel. At first I laughed it off, but he kept calling me Lt. Colonel and saluting me. When I questioned him about this he told me that I carry myself like a general and that I should have been in the military. (Well, little secret I was in the military) I began to be taken aback by this, and realized that I may need to change the way I approach others. I started to seek God as to how He wanted me to change and how I could maintain being a Godly leader.
In, the time I have been back from Kenya I have taken the time to seek God concerning my mouth, and have asked Him to show me how to be a Godly leader. I have realized that God has programed me to be a leader, but that He does not want me to act like a military dictator. He wants me to lead in love and in grace. If I continue to seek Him as to how to lead others in a way that is Christlike, I think that I can find a way to not come across as a "general". Romans 12:7-9 says, "[He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness. [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good." (Amplified version)
Essentially, I need to embrace the gift of leadership that God has given me, but I need to not be a dictator about the way I lead. God wants those He has placed in leadership positions to be loving to others and to treat them with grace. I have realized an effective Godly leader is not one who tells everyone what to do and shouts out orders, but who suggests in love the order of business. People take instruction so much better when it is spoken in kindness and with suggestion, than when it is an order that is barked at them.
I have come to the revelation that the orders that are barked come from my flesh and not from Christ. I need to lay down myself and be transformed into the leader that God wants to mold me into. In reading Ephesians 5 I came across verses 13-15 that really explain what I am trying to say, "But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and where everything is visible and clear there is light. Therefore He says, Awake O' sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless but as wise (sensible, intelligent people)". (Amplified version) God desires me to be clear and be able to reprove the light, so that Christ's light shines out of me. I think of it like a prism....what light shines in, is reflected out. So, therefore I need to reflect Christ in all I do.
Romans 12:2 states, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]." (Amplified version) I used to look at this verse in a rather legalistic way, thinking that pretty much everything of the world was off limits. But, if you are dead to sin and alive in Christ do you really want to conform to this world? I have been asking God to make me more of Him, and less of me. And, He has been answering my prayer....opening my eyes to many things I need to change. Just like the verse says it is not what is acceptable to you, it is what is perfect in his sight.
God, does not expect us to be perfect. What He does expect is that on a daily basis we go before Him and surrender to Him and His will. He also expects that we confess our sins to Him on a daily basis, and in doing so that we "crucify" our flesh. It is not our job to be "perfect" and "sinless". What is our task is to take up our cross daily, to confess our sin regularly, and to look at ourselves through Jesus eyes and to see Him in us. In order to do so, it may require you to change. It may also require you to see some things in yourself that you may not want to see. What is your true desire? Do you want to be more like Jesus? Or do you desire to not grow and progress in your walk with God?
The choice is up to you... Walking means that you are moving forward, and that you are not staying in the same place. So, if you want to progress in your walk with God then you need to give of yourself. Eventually you will have to surrender your person to God, in order to continue to walk with Him. In, order to do so you will have to choose to no longer accept conforming to the world. If you desire to continue to grow in Christ then you will have to transform yourself to His ways, His desires, His word, and His will.
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