Steps in Seeking God's Will

I got a new Bible for Christmas. It's the Life Application Study Bible, and I love it! I was just browsing through the topics in the concordance and found some verses on seeking God's will. I randomly chose verse, Acts 16:6 "They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia."

Okay, that didn't say much to me. At first I thought I was reading the wrong verse. And then I read the commentary below which explained the verse in depth. It reads:

We don't know how the Holy Spirit told Paul that he and his companions should not go into
Asia. It may have been through a prophet, a vision, an inner conviction, or some other circumstance. To know God's will does not mean we must hear his voice. He leads in different ways.

When seeking God's will:
(1) Make sure your plan is in harmony with God's Word.
(2) Ask mature Christians for their advice.
(3) Check your own motives - are you seeking to do what you want or what you think God wants?
(4) Pray for God to open and close the doors as he desires.

I like that! Easy to follow. Unfortunately God does does not usually speak to us in an audible voice telling us which direction to turn at every intersection. But if we make our decisions by following those four steps listed - I think we will make wise choices - Godly choices.

This is just a beginning for me. I'll be digging DEEPER on this topic!!

It's as simple as...

Hope, Peace, Love.

In my previous blog I was obviously feeling anxious & unsettled. I want a focus. I feel God's calling on my life, but for what?? I'm praying for a clear direction. So a couple of days ago I went for a run in my neighborhood, and I kept hearing these three words in my head, "Hope, Peace, Love. Hope, Peace Love." Yes! That's what Christ was sent here for! To proclaim freedom for the captives (Hope), bind up the broken-hearted (Love), and release prisoners from their darkness (Peace). And as Christians (followers of Christ), we are called to do the same.

Maybe God will call me to a specific mission, a specific group of people or cause. Until my direction has been made clear - my purpose is to spread the Good News. There IS Hope! We CAN experience a Peace regardless of our circumstances! And because God loves you, and I love you - let me share with you what Christ has done in my life. He can do the same in yours - and more!

It's as simple as that. The ultimate purpose for my life is to spread Hope, Peace & Love. The message is the same to the poor, destitute and deprived as well as the rich, powerful and famous.

More to this life...

Have you ever been so anxious about something that you can't sit still...but you're not sure why you're feeling so anxious?? Have you felt like sitting down is wasting time - there's so much else to do!?

I was off work for over a week for the holidays. Today was my first day back. For the majority of the day I was very busy catching up on things, but by 3:00 I was done. Checked out. Done working. Had it. I stood up and looked at my desk...took a walk into the copier room...walked back to my desk & stared at my chair. I don't want to sit there ANYMORE!!!! But I work until 5:00. That's two hours that I could be reading about something - learning about something! Two hours of cleaning that could get done. Two hours of writing! Two hours of making a difference in my life, in my kids' life, in this world??!!

I have a great job. No complaints, really. My boss is wonderful to me. I love the girls I work with - I consider them my friends. The pay is decent. The schedule isn't bad - it's actually extremely good compared to many jobs. But is it where my passion lies? No. Does that matter? I don't know. I think it does though. There's more to this life than punching the clock and looking forward to the weekend!

I've decided that as long as I am working - at this job and anywhere else for that matter - I will open my eyes to opportunities God will place before me. Maybe a patient needs an encouraging word - or a simple smile. Maybe a co-worker needs Godly advice or just someone who will listen & love them. I will look for opportunities to serve people.

God, use me! Show me where I am needed to advance your kingdom here on earth! Let me be a light in this dark world - a light people are drawn to because of You! Give me the strength to step through my fear and out of my comfort zone. I know your favor rests on me. Remind me of this every day! You called me to do your work - and my heart's desire is to please you and give you glory & honor. I want to impact lives around me - I want to be in business with You, changing lives. Giving people hope. Showing them how to experience peace in all circumstances. Empowering them with the Truth. And this I am incapable of without you, Father. I am your vessel - work through me. Use me. Bring kingdom purpose to my life. Lord, I am willing.

Pop it in the microwave!

We live in a society where faster is better. We don't have time for patience. We look for the short cut. Eat dinner in the car - on the go! We want immediate results. We want to buy it now and pay later! Instant gratification. Skip the diet - do lipo. "Overnight success" is the American dream! We want it, and we want it NOW. Does this affect our spiritual walk? Are we looking for shortcuts? Do we want instant gratification in our spiritual life too? Well, it's not called a spiritual walk for nothing. It's a journey. Not a race. It takes effort and it takes time. And the walk has been laid out before us...we just need to follow Jesus' footsteps. He has already made the journey. He's drawn out the map - and the road is narrow. So narrow that most people never find their way - we're used to looking for the easy route - the quickest way to get from here to there.

Even as christians, with good intentions, we find a new book - like "The Prayer of Jabez", "Purpose-Driven Life", or "Your Best Life Now" - and we dive in and praise the author for book well-written, meanwhile our Bibles still sit on our night stands collecting dust. Don't get me wrong - those books are great aids to add to our quiet time or Bible studies. But when we replace the Bible with these "quick fix" books, we are minimizing the power of the Scriptures and we are forgetting that Jesus can and will teach us everything we could ever want to know - more than any book written by MAN will ever teach us! Jesus IS the Word. "The Word became flesh."

What would happen if we stopped reaching for the latest best-selling book, we stopped listening for prophesies, we stopped chasing around the great evangelists...we just stopped? Jesus is our perfect example. He drew close to his Father through prayer, by often withdrawing from the hussle & bussle of "life" and seeking God in the silence. He did only what he saw his Father doing. His focus was always on God. Not on the miracles. Not on his mother, Mary. Not on prophets. He walked through life, in tune with God, his Father, and constantly aware of where God was at work around him - then he stepped in. That's when the miracles happened. That's when God's power was revealed through Jesus. Jesus was a man - like us. And through Jesus, WE have the same access to God's power! But the power is not in the access. We will experience his power, his miracles, his love, faithfulness and provision when we take steps of faith through the access! We seek Him. We spend time with Him, studying His Word. We love people the way Jesus did. Our hearts change. Our motives change. Our desires become His desires. There's no shortcut to time spent with God, our Father.

It's time to turn off the TV, put away the books, get off the internet, and stop chasing an "experience". God sent his Son, Jesus. We must get to know him. Study Him. Worship Him. Follow his footsteps. Seek Him. Draw near to our Father. Spend time in prayer & studying the scriptures. The Bible is the living Word of God. Pick it up, dust it off and simply read it. It's better and more powerful than magic. The Word is ALIVE. It will speak to you. It is in these moments, studying the scripture and on your knees in prayer, that you wil lencounter God Almighty. Our goal is to become more like Christ. That takes time. It takes effort. It will not be an "overnight success". However, His love is immediate! His faithfulness is immediate. His goodness is immediate. Walk in Him. Do life in Him. Experience Him. Take TIME to get to know Him. You can't pop Jesus in the microwave and expect a miracle! Go to Him...He's waiting...

Angels In Our Midst?

I work in a dental office. I'm the girl who schedules appointments and takes payments, etc. The job itself is extremely repetitious and I could be bored out of my mind every day if it wasn't for the people! I work for a general dentist, so we get repeat patients...at least twice a year if they're GOOD patients, right?! ;) Anyway, I've been there enough years now to know which patients I look forward to seeing...and others, maybe not so much. :) There are a few elderly patients that always manage to capture my heart when they come in! One of them came in last week. She is suffering from Alzheimers, and she doesn't even know who she is anymore. Deborah, her daughter, always brings her in for her appointments. Deborah speaks to her mother now as if she is just a child. ...I put myself in Deborah's shoes for just a moment...what would it be like if I was mothering my mother? Even worse...she doesn't even KNOW me! After all the conversations & life experiences I have shared with my mother - the woman I turn to most for help & advice, comfort & guidance - she has lost all memory of me, her daughter, her first born? I am a stranger to her now? No, I can't imagine it. I honestly cannot even imagine what Deborah must be feeling. I admire Deborah's patience. I mostly admire the love she obviously feels for her mother. So, last week they come in for her routine cleaning appointment. But today was extra challenging for Deborah. Her mother doesn't use the restroom anymore, she's like a baby...and she had an "accident" in the hygienist's chair. Apparently this is not the first time this has happened, because Deborah came prepared. She brought her mother around to my desk to pay her bill. She had a seat protector she placed on a chair & had her mother sit there while she wrote the check. I could tell Deborah was more flustered than usual.... Then a sort of miracle happened. :) Deborah stopped in the middle of writing her check and froze for a moment. Then she leaned toward me and said, "Listen. Listen to her. Can you hear her?" I listened. Her mother was humming. Then through her tears, Deborah says, "She's humming Amazing Grace...I haven't heard her sing that song in years..." I watched her mother as she was sitting in that chair, looking up toward the ceiling with a smile on her face, humming the tune of Amazing Grace - how sweet the sound! How sweet the sound!! :) Then I saw Deborah wipe away the tears that fell down her face as she finished writing the check. I asked Deborah if her mother used to sing. Yes, in the church choir - she loved to sing...but she hasn't in years. Then Deborah had me keep an eye on her mother as she ran out to the car to get her a change of clothes.

I didn't tell Deborah that I was also dealing with my own personal challenges. I was depending on God's strength to carry me through a time in my life. And that moment with her mother was a reminder to me of how CLOSE God is! Even if your mind is stolen by a disease such as Alzheimer's, He breaks through!! We may forget our daughter, or others we have loved...but nothing will keep us from remembering His love and KNOWING He is near...and He promises to take us home, when we are ready. :)

I believe her mother was singing with the angels. There was a peace about her that you could feel in the room! I wrote Deborah a letter expressing how much that moment meant to me! I told her how much I admired her relationship she has with her mother. I wanted Deborah to know that her mother touched my heart. I got a letter from her yesterday, and she wrote...

"...With God's help, we can get through anything. He really is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Sometimes I wonder how people who don't know Him can survive..."

There is no Plan B

As Christians, we are always asking God, "What is my purpose?". We want to know what His plan is for our lives. We want to make the right decisions. Sometimes we're afraid that when we make a wrong choice, maybe it messed up God's plan somehow. Maybe God had something really wonderful planned for our lives, but because of sin - we messed it up. We missed our big chance - we screwed up God's plans. Or maybe we're stuck at a crossroads and we're not sure which direction to turn. Neither way seems right or wrong - just different. What if we make the wrong choice?? Great. Messed up God's plan again. Guess He'll have to go to Plan B. Thanks to my selfishness, lust, greed, indecisiveness, whatever...God had to toss out Plan A, and if I can keep my act together, hopefully I can at least be used in Plan B (Or Plan J, K, or wherever you are on your "list".)

Sound familiar? Guess what...it's utterly ridiculous. Did we forget that God understands our weaknesses & failures? WE have to understand and TRUST that God already has it all figured out! He KNOWS we mess up...He knew we were going to "mess up" before He even created us! He works all of our decisions (good & bad) into our Plan A! God is that good. He doesn't punish us for getting off track. He uses the consequences of our actions and works them into our Plan A. Ahhh....yes. We can rest knowing that we CANNOT MESS UP HIS PLANS FOR US!!!! As long as we continue to turn to Him - He will continue to put us right back on track with His Plan A for our lives. He is so good.