Well, it’s still spring-cleaning time around here…but it feels
like winter! It’s been a very cold,
windy and damp last few days in Indiana and so it sure doesn’t feel anything
like Spring. Nevertheless, I did manage
to get some extra cleaning done last week, but it helped to have the motivation
of having family coming for a few days to visit and hosting a baby shower for
our daughter-in-law.
If you remember, last week I shared with you the quote, “You
worship what you ultimately prioritize.”
I suggested that, as we went throughout the week, to make a point of
evaluating those things of which we spent our time and money. We were to ask ourselves if what we had
planned was really what God wants us to do or if our focus had turned
inward. Hopefully as we did this, we
found that God was in favor of our itinerary and our purchases.
I think once we get our priorities in order, we can then
contemplate the second quote that I came across a couple of weeks ago. It is a quote of Bill Hybels in which he
said:
“Every significant vision that God births in you
will put your courage
to the test.”
Yep, I knew there was a catch to making sure our priorities were
in order! Once our focus is where it
should be, God can then lead and direct us to exactly where He wants us to
be. Unfortunately though, that often
means that He has to push us way out of our comfort zone to get that
accomplished. UGH. That can sometimes be painful and can take
courage that we have no clue we even possess.
I think that many of us have had visions or ideas that we have
given up on due to timing, finances, family obligations or possibly most
often…our fear of failure. The thought
of all that it will take to see our God given vision come to fruition, seems
overwhelming, and surely does put our courage to the test. It often seems easier to just give up and
shove the vision to the back of our mind as we settle for the humdrum daily
life in which we find ourselves.
We read these interesting words in Joshua 1:9, “Be
strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. For I am with you and will never
forsake you.” Do you know what
this verse is telling us? These powerful
words are telling us that we don’t have to know how we are going to accomplish the
visions and ideas that God has “birthed” in us!
We don’t have to know how we are going to find the time, money or
courage to carry out the goals that He has set before us, because He is right
by our side, knows every detail and will never let us down!
In church yesterday morning, we sang the song “No Longer
Slaves”. The words to this song are such
a wonderful reminder that we dare not become a slave to our fears. The words to one of the verses really spoke
to me. They were:
You
split the sea so I could walk right through it
My
fears are drowned in perfect love
You
rescued me and I will stand and sing
I
am a child of God
I’m
no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
What a wonderful reminder that there is nothing that is too big
for our God. If He can split the sea…He
surely can handle whatever He has placed in our path. If we are His child, He will provide what we
need to see that His will is accomplished.
Maybe while we are spring cleaning, it would be a good time to
“dust-off” some of those ideas that we have shoved to the back of our minds. Is there a vision that God placed before us
in the past that we have given up on? Or
is there an idea or dream that He is currently impressing on us that has us
feeling scared to death? We need to be
strong! We need to be courageous! We need not be afraid! Why?
Because HE is with us and has promised to never abandon us and we no
longer have to be a slave to our fear.
If you make the decision this week to pursue the vision that God
has birthed in you, I would love for you to let me know. It would be my privilege to pray for you as
you seek Him and begin to put one foot in front of another towards His plan for
you, knowing that He will give you whatever you need to see it
accomplished.
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