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Scheduled Amendments
What do you do when Jesus wants you to amend your current schedule of events? Do you say to the Lord, “Wait just a minute. I need to do this, or that, first.” Or do you just ignore Him. Read this story – Matthew 21:28-32
We cannot know the story from before these events but we know a snippet in time. The Father interrupted their current life and told them to go work in the field. For us the field is our ministry. We could be out plowing one field and Jesus interrupts us. He tells us to go work in another field. You may have worked there before and failed. You may have worked there before and left. You may never have worked there before at all. How do you deal with this change of venue?
I am in this situation as we speak. I have been plowing a field Jesus gave me since I was a baby Christian. He has now sent me to another field; one that He has been preparing me for, now that I think about it. He has been preparing my mind for a couple of year and my husbands. BUT I did not go without saying “no” first. I am still trying to wrap my head around the residual. What do I do with this, and that, and them?
I am clear that as a Christian, I have two objectives: find Jesus and follow Him. This is the first time He has made Himself so clear to me that He is easy to find. He has affirmed my field many times since He sent me, even after I said an emphatic, “NO!” While I was learning in one field, He was preparing this other field for me. He has put a joy in me to harvest in this field.
Is Jesus sending you into a new field? What have you said to Him? Have you refused Him and stood your ground? Have you refused Him but going anyway? The Lord of the Harvest is calling you to His field. Don’t waste one moment disobeying Him. His field is ripe for the harvest and the Father is sending workers. Are you going to be one of them? Go with Jesus on a scheduled amendment. Your life will always be filled with abundance because of it.
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Focus on Doing My Best
In my quest to become useful in the Kingdom of God I have done a ton of things, some failed, some successful for a time and some never got off the ground. Some I told God I would do and some He told me to do. I am somewhere in between right now. I am working on projects that have been going for a couple of years but they need more of God in them or they need to end. I have to tell you I am a little scared to do anything right now because I am gun shy. I don’t want to give up what I am doing now but I don’t want to start anything new either because I am scared.
I am not allowing fear to cripple me but I am allowing it to stop me from making mistakes – if that makes any sense to you. I think my fear at this moment moves me into the sound mind realm. In my not so sound mind I made decisions that cost me a lot of money and a lot of time only to see them fail. In my not so sound mind I made decisions that cost me emotionally and physically. Each of these has taken its toll on me and made me scared today. As a result my decision-making is much more thought provoking and much more focused. My first thought when I have to make a decision is – what is this going to cost me? I am not just talking about any decision I am talking about all decisions.
My goal daily now is to talk to Jesus about everything. I am trying to focus on doing my best at everything I do. Today was my first day at it and I have failed miserably already. As I was driving home from my day job the Spirit told me to pray before changing tasks from now on so on my way into the house I prayed that I would be a better wife, a better cleaner, better at everything that I do in this house. Then I went to my kitchen and did what I do and forgot to pray but then I came down to write this and prayed. For someone who used to pray once a month (if that) God is really doing a work in me daily to keep me in communion with Him.
Pray for me to continue this goal of doing the best I can with everything I do and to be in constant communion with Jesus. If you want to join me in this task let me know you are coming along by commenting and we will banter back and forth through out this quest. Comment regarding what you are learning and how you are learning it. We are going deeper with Jesus so not all He reveals to you is for my ears but some can be. Ask Jesus how you can teach me and I will ask Him how I can teach you. Enjoy these next couple of days communing with Jesus and expect to be transformed through all He reveals to you!
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Let Him Choose!
Elijah, the prophet of God Almighty, killed 450 prophets of Baal and believed at this time that he alone stood for God (1 Kings 18-19). He was exhausted and ready to give up. He went up to the top of carmel and put his head between his knees waiting for the rain to come. It came but it poured down more than just water. Elijah had to run for his life to Bersheba. God ministered to him there but he was still running under the impression that he was the only one. It is a great encouragement to know that God has a plan and you are not the only one working it but until you know you are still alone. God asked Elijah what he was doing in Horeb. He told God he alone is zealous for Him. God, before He told Elijah about His plan first showed him His glory then He informed him he is not alone.
Elijah built his ministry by himself. He walked by himself in the zeal of the Lord! He alone went against Jezebel. He looked around and listened but there was not anyone with this same zeal. I feel like this sometimes. I feel like I alone am filled with the zeal of God and it is draining sometimes. Over this couple of weeks I have seen that Jesus has spoken the same words to others as He has spoken to me. He is training me with the same instruction He is using with others. He is showing us His glory before He chooses our fellow workers for His cause. When we are ready He will unite us!
Sometimes we feel we are alone but when God tells us that He is going to do something He does it. We CANNOT do God’s works on our own and if He has shown us that we will join with others He has those others already chosen. He is moving them into place just as He is moving us into place. God knows exactly what we need in a partner worker to accomplish His Word. I am finished trying to pick my fellow workers I am going to let Jesus do that for me and see the wonderful people He adds to my life for the glory of God. He definitely has revealed to me that He can do a better job choosing His workers than I can!
Action Plan: If you feel alone you are in a good place because your aloneness will make you available to view the glory of God from the place where you can see it best. This week open you eyes and ears to what others are saying so you can hear how God is working just for you. Sometimes you have to reveal God’s plan for you even though you have discounted it out of barrenness. That is when God will reveal to you the work He is doing!
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A Change Maker not Making Change!
I am a change maker except I am making no changes in my community at least that is how I feel at this moment or rather a moment ago. Has God directed you as He has me that you will be a change maker but He hasn’t released you to make much change except in yourself. My innards are bursting to make change in my community! They are curdling with age though! I wrestle with what to do! I wrestle with how to do it! I am a wrestler at this moment not a changer.
God has taught me over the past year that I am a learner right now. I read the Word, I learn the Word and I read other books that help my mind get ready. BUT I wrestle with learning. I think I know enough! I think I can but apparently God has a different plan for me. What I learned recently to help me deal with this is – I cannot understand God’s plan for me because my feelings get in the way all the time.I know that He has a plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11) and I know that I am predestined to walk in that plan (Ephesians 2:10) and I know that He will finish what He started (Philippians 1:6) but my human feelings get tangled with the world. [She has my job, he is doing what I want to do, she is being used by God in the way that He will use me.] All of this gets the better of me sometimes making me feel unused and unwanted by God!
This is why He revealed to me that I am not focusing on Him. I have memorized verses just for this reason – to focus on Jesus and not on the world but I had forgotten why I was memorizing them. I recently came into a situation where I decided my feelings were getting the better of me so I started focusing on the verses I memorized. Amazing enough I was relieved of the turmoil and found peace again.
Action Plan: Last week we attempted to discover what it is that God has gifted us to do but what do you need to learn to be more efficient at that gift? Begin that process of learning this week but don’t get discouraged. It may take 12 years, like me, or it may take 2 before God starts using you in His Kingdom. Whatever the number the goal is to be ready to be the change maker that God has revealed you’d be!
