One day while reading Paul was fully persuaded and
convinced of what he was talking about, I had an “Aha moment,” and realized I
needed to be more like him. I needed to be fully persuaded about the things of
God. No, more wavering back and forth.
Girls, I would love to tell you it just happened overnight—but
it didn’t. It has taken determination and a mindset and attitude that I was
going to agree with God in all
matters. Like it or not!
Over the years I’ve not only read the bible, but studied it.
And then I started to stand on what it said. I took one thing at a time and then one
day, I found myself fully persuaded that Romans 8:28 is real and applied to my
life! “And we know that all things work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” And because I
did, it became my hope in the most difficult times in life.
Now, I’m not saying its easy, or that no
matter what I never falter or doubt. No, I’m not implying that, but once I get
over the initial shock or disappointment of the matter—I can begin to stand on
Romans 8:28, in full trust.
Through this scripture, I am convinced no
matter what I’ve done in the past, or what things I’ve put into motion (even in
my most sinful days), God is and has used them for the better. It has helped me
to look at my life and no longer feel guilty for the poor decisions and wrong
choices I’ve made. It helps me to have courage to forge on when life is
hard—because I'm fully persuaded God is working it out somehow and someway. It is a
reminder of His promise to never leave or forsake me.
Yup! I get all that from that one scripture.
But that is not all—it also tells me not to run.
Sisters, I’m no different than anyone else.
When the Lord allows the pressure to be put on, I want to run. I am tempted to
take things into my own hands, especially when God seems to be taking too long
to make something happen. In fact, I have run and taken things in my own hands
before. And like Sarah, I ended up with a mess! But now I know better, so I do
better.
Growing up feeling unlovable and unwanted put
a huge hole in my heart. And yes, I spent too many years looking for love in
all the wrong places, but once I found the only Love who could fill the hole
and make me whole—I still didn’t believe or really trust. It took time for me
to build a relationship with God and believe He loved me.
Too many times I’ve questioned His love. I
often wondered, “If He really loved me why did He allow my childhood to be so horrendous?”
But the more fully persuaded I became about Romans 8:28, the more I could see
how He used it all for good.
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He
has anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor; He has sent
me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Luke
4:18 (NKJV) Yup! That is what my ministry for women and children in crisis
has been for years, and still continues to be to this day.
God used my hurt, pain and sorrow, so I could help and show
others the way. I have lived through many trials in my life. In fact, I wasn’t
sure I was going to make it sometimes. But I did—and I'm anointed to help others.
I would so love to tell you that at age 63, God has eased up
on me in my older age, but that is not true. The past 6 months have been rough
and a great learning experience. Did I want it to hurry up and be over? Yes, I
did! Was I tempted to make plans for an out? You better believe it! But there
is no sin in temptation; it only comes about once we act on it. Therefore I’m
still waiting. ~Smile~
It never ceases to amaze me how much God loves us. Here I am, 63
years of age, and He is not done with me yet. He’s still concerned about the
things that are holding me back from being my best.
There are some hurts in life, which take a lifetime to go
through. And I am happy to say that I am no longer a wounded soul, by any means, but I still have some
issues from my past. What I’ve just learned recently, is, I stuff things when I
should deal with them head on. And my situation hasn’t changed yet, because now
I have to walk through this
revelation and that takes time. Well, let me rephrase that—it has changed in
that I’m changing and handling things differently. But my outward circumstances
are still the same.
And the past 6 months hasn’t just been about me. Nope, in
the midst of all the chaos—I’ve still been Luke 4:18, on many occasions. You
see my dear sisters; it’s never really just about us.
Life on this earth is hard. In fact, we have sisters and
brothers all over the world who are suffering in ways we can’t even imagine.
But how is it that they hold on in such extreme circumstances? They believe!
They believe the Word and God! They are hungry to learn and know the truth, and
like little children they believe and not question. Their mindset is, “If it is
in the bible then it is true. If God said it, I believe!”
The Bible is loaded with God’s promises, his way of doing
things and so much more. But, we have to study it to know them. And as James
says, “Don’t just be a reader of the Word, but a doer also.” And that means
stepping out in faith when you are afraid. That means, standing still and
waiting on God when it seems He has forgotten you. It means—walking through the
trials and tribulations of this world, believing God is handling things—that He’s
working it out! And again I say, “Walk.”
No one wants to experience hard times and life tragedies,
but we must. No one escapes. But in Christ Jesus we can do all things we are
called to do. And the truth of the matter is—we can’t run away from anything
God has set as part of His great plan for us anyhow. We only prolong the lesson when
we take things into our own hands. Changing jobs, leaving husbands (Now if he
is abusive in anyway…yes, leave the home.), moving and skipping town before
God’s timing, changes nothing. Because whatever the issue is, we take it with
us.
As painful as it can be, it is during the hard times; we
grow and mature the most. It is in these times we learn to trust God. And when
we make it to the other side, we are able to look back and see what God was
doing and that He hadn’t forgotten us.
Knowing and trusting the One who knows all about us and has
the power to make things right or better, is the only real way to live in the
Kingdom of God.
Hold on...now this is a hard one, “Consider it pure joy, my
brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know
that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its
work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-8 (NIV) It’s hard because,
when life is on fire, the last thing our flesh and soul wants to do is count it
joy, let alone pure joy. But if this is what the Word says we are to do, then
we must work on doing it. Amen!
We all need to be fully persuaded when it comes to the
things of the Lord. We all need that one scripture that is rooted so deep in
our heart, that when the dust settles, we find that we are still standing.
Read and study your Bibles.
Agree with God. Then walk…don’t run!
Until next week...
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