Where are you now and where are you going? Are you quick to run to warm and pretty places? Quick to embrace the sparkle and glitter of life? Or, do you follow where God leads you? To those places outside your comfort zone? To the person you'd rather not minister to? Do you sit down and stay awhile in the not-so-good circumstance -- asking God what His plan is and to give you wisdom? Or, do you run to your little Utopia, fingers in your ears and lips singing, "I can't hear you..."?
Can you only be in one place or the other? Is there a balance between "self care" and serving God?
I really love to minster one on one...I believe that it's part of what the Lord has called me to do.
It ALWAYS happens outside my comfort zone...that's how I know it's God.
I always take a chance of looking like a fool...it's never a sure thing, it's a slight whisper or faint picture and I go from there.
I found myself not listening and just going about my business, not even looking up while at the grocery store or wherever I go because I'm afraid God will want me to share with someone and maybe I'm not feeling to spiritual or maybe in a rush to grab my things and go.
For years, my kids didnt like going places with me cuz I always found someone to talk with about God.
I would say lately, I've been in my own little world and that isnt pleasing to Him.
OK, I'm out to have lunch with my daughter...there is a table full of people, say 10 people...i hear the Lord say "go over and prophesy to those people" so I ask Him, "what do you want me to say" I dont hear anything.
well, needless to say, that ruined my lunch cuz the whole time i was nervous wondering what to say to them. No, I didnt do it. My nerves got the best of me!
there have been times when I do it, and the Lord fills my mouth but other times I just dont have the courage.
sorry, you probably didnt want to know all this but to answer your question, yes I have been feeling like tip toe=ing through the tulips, It's safe...but then, it gets boring. There is no RISK taking in the tulips, haha.
If I may, this provides a good example for me to ask about. I am rather inclined on definitions. One thing I have noticed in the Christian world is phrases that I do not know what to do with, I do not know how to translate them into specific action or thought.
You said "Quick to embrace the sparkle and glitter of life? Or, do you follow where God leads you?" What are some examples of embracing the sparkle? How do you know where God is leading you?
River
You said: "It ALWAYS happens outside my comfort zone...that's how I know it's God." Not accusing you or being sarcastic or anything like that, genuinly curious, do you have any scripture to back up that idea? Or is it more of a feeling?
These are the kind of statements where I fall down and don't understand. So I'm tryiing to learn.
Embracing the sparkle would be embracing things that entice us. Some examples of "sparkle" would be friendships that are shallow and based purely on having fun, indulging in self-pleasure, and being involved in ministries that are easy and do not promote spiritual growth or even truly reach out to others.
"How do you know where God is leading you?" Well, I would say that there are three primary ways. The first is through the Bible (God's revealed will), the second is through prayer, and the third is through our circumstances.
The Bible doesn't give us a play-by-play of what our lives should look like, but it does tell us many things that we should be doing and many other things that we should not do. An internalization of God's Word will place things on our road map that we may not otherwise be inclined to include on our life's course. An example of this would be loving our enemies.
Through prayer, we experience the prompting of the Holy Spirit and are given wisdom. In cases where there is not a clear-cut answer for us in Scripture and we sincerely seek wisdom, God will give us wisdom.
Circumstantially, assuming that we're living in obedience to God, it is generally safe to assume that we are exactly where He wants us and that He has a plan to display His glory through the circumstance. I think that many of us (myself absolutely included) are quick to look at a negative circumstance and say, "Well, this isn't good. I better escape as soon as I can!" I think that a lot of Christians confuse the words "escape" and "redemption." I know that I've certainly been guilty of praying, "God, please get me out of this," when I should be praying, "God, help me glorify you through this."
If you'd like me to clarify things any further for you, let me know =)
@River:
You're fine and you said some good things here. I especially liked what you said about ministering one-on-one. Honestly, I think that God calls each of us to do that. We all encounter individuals daily that we should be ministering too. It can be so easy to put on our pretty clothes and head down to church where we gab with our girlfriends for hours while making decoration for VBS, all while our next door neighbours desperately need Jesus -- the neighbours whose names we don't know and who we have no desire to talk to! And, no, I'm not saying that helping out with VBS is bad, just that we shouldn't ignore the individuals whom God has placed right in front of us, in favour of helping out with mass ministry. We shouldn't select a ministry based on what is most comfortable or fun for us. Feelings can be so deceptive!
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This all makes me think of this illustration I heard years ago... Imagine two trees in front of you. The one towards the left is beautiful and has good fruit on it. There's a very nice looking man all dressed up in "church clothes" standing next to it offering you some of the fruit. There's a lovely, shaded spot to sit under the tree. Birds are singing. You can hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance. It's all very nice -- a little slice of paradise. There's another tree to the right, or rather, pieces of a tree in the shape of a cross. There's a man hanging from it. He's naked and bleeding. It's not a pretty sight.
You have no other information about either of the trees. What do you do? Do you walk towards the idyllic scene or towards the gruesome one? Surely, it can't be edifying to look upon nudity and blood? What good could there possibly be in walking that way? It could even be dangerous, right? God wouldn't want you to step into a potentially violent situation, right? Why get involved? Why taint your pure mind with such images? There couldn't possibly be anything wrong with walking towards the lush tree with good fruit, right? It's good to nourish yourself. Enjoying God's creation is good too. And the man over there has clothes on. It's much more wholesome, right? Which do you choose?
I read your post,It is as though you are not looking for answer,but rather to provke people to think (using ones mind) about their relationship with Yeshua and with others.
I am not looking for an answer personally, as I already have a strong opinion on the topic! I am hoping that it will make people think and would be interested in knowing what people think, if they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts here. I know that it IS a little more personal and reflective than you all normally get over here =)
Im a quiet and pretty shy person...so stepping out in faith to minister to someone or giving a word to someone, is always outside my comfort level. If I overthink it, I wont do it...I get to nervous.
do you still want me to find scripture for that?
well, I have faith that if I step out He will fill my mouth
Excellent question. I'd love to be able to say, "Of course I always listen to God and give he who asks my cloak and live outside my comfort zone," but I am not as mature as that. Rather than being a citizen of Utopia and not yet being a perfect servant, I am caught up in the glorious becoming -- the ever-leaning forward, the ever-maturing, the chastening striving towards a more complete obedience.
Wherever I am, I strive to ask, "God, what would you have me do here?" I have felt those moments when I am in the center of His will, to be the best moments of my life, because that feeling of knowing, absolutely, that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, that I was pleasing Him, drowned out everything else.
