It's Your Moment!

Esther 4:13-14
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (NLT)

Esther astounds me. So many people have stood out to me in the Bible, but she is so my favorite. She came in contact with her calling in an incredible way, and she stepped into it. It was a CHOICE. You make decisions every day, no matter how small. Those decisions have the ability to define you and your future. If you choose to stay silent when He calls you to do something outstanding for Him, He'll bring someone to do it. Don't miss out on your calling because you're insecure or afraid of the outcome! Know who you are in Him, and when the time comes, run. Run with all you are toward who you're meant to be. He has strategically placed you in the position you are to do something GREAT for the Kingdom. One moment can alter your entire life. When given the opportunity, stand up boldly for righteousness and take your place as a son or daughter of God. Don't think for a second that you aren't as valuable or usable in the Kingdom of God as someone else. He's providing you with opportunities to do awesome things for Him and have Him work through you. It does require sacrifice. Esther was willing to be killed to save her people. What are you willing to do? You might risk your reputation, or your friendships, or any number of things. But what are those compared to being part of something BIG and impacting the world? He can bring along someone else to do your job, but He wants YOU. Esther was willing to give up everything to do what she was created to do. It was her moment and she took it. What about you?

Blog of the Utterly Amazing

Okay, everybody! My dear friend Lindsey has made her fantastic blog open to the public (well.... ish) for viewing! Check it out!

http://livingforthefather.blogspot.com/

The Battle

I've had it on my heart lately to write about pornography. We're always told it's a sin, but not necessarily told why. What does it really do to people? To their relationships, present and future? I've come to this conclusion: It changes entirely the way they see the opposite sex. Not just hott guys or girls, but even your parents. Their respect for their authority diminishes. They begin to see people as objects, not the fantastic people they are. It will affect their marriages and relationships far greater than they could ever realize. We're losing our generation to this, among other things. It IS a battle, and so many are struggling with it. It's just another tool that the enemy uses to render people ineffective in the Kingdom when they could be doing so much more. Guilt and denial will keep them from the calling God has on their lives and hold them back from receiving the full measure of joy He has for them. I've never heard it this way, but I really think God revealed it to me, it changes their view on who they're looking for in their future spouse. It becomes more about appearance than about the heart of the person and the life you could have together. They're stripping themselves of an incredible relationship with the person they should spend the rest of their lives with to settle for mere attraction. It affects them far more than they could ever understand right now, but they'll have to live with the repercussions in the future. God's grace can renew absolutely everything, and He's constantly surprising me with all He can do. Where would we be without hope of salvation and acceptance from our King?

Beneficial and Constricting Fear

There's been no time to write! AH! But now I'm making time! Hooray!

It occurred to me that the younger generation is attacked by fear. Some people may say that it's just a little kid thing, but I believe it's more than that. I think we've opened a door to fear for them. We may not all have extreme phobias or anything, but we do have certain fears, not necessarily of things like the dark or ghosts, but of other things. Things like showing people who you really are, fear of rejection, fear of putting yourself out there and being able to stand up for something. Debra Gurr talked about courage at the women's conference the other day. She was very eloquent and made good points. Courage is doing something despite of your fear. We have succumb to this way of living as Christians where fear is prevalent and perfectly natural in our lives. We are doing something, but we could be doing so much more. We cannot operate in fear. I think we all experience different levels of fear in our lives at different times. And I think some fear can be constructive. Such as the fear of the Lord for instance. It says in the Bible that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." If we realize that we're not all that, then it opens us up to learn from Him.

The Gift of Ministry

I'm in awe of how beneficial and satisfying ministry is. I was leading Greenhouse worship today and I realized how much I love it. Because I know it's where I'm supposed to be. I've been involved in our children's ministry for some time and I've had a dream for them to come to know what true worship really is. And I'm so blessed to be in a position where I get to teach them. But somehow, I learn from them all the time. It's the best thing in the world to be lost in worship then to open your eyes and see all these kids deep in worship and knowing that you played a part in that. I've had the joy to get to know each one and their personalities and it's an honor that they look up to me like they do. And it's my privilege to live a life that sets a great example for them. I get to see directly the effects of the effort I pour into their lives and this ministry and it makes me want to do so much more.

There are so many facets of ministry and each requires special talents, that each of you possess. Quite often, it requires some stretching and dedication as well. It's another way to serve God and commit your actions and your time to Him. He'll show you things and begin to reveal new aspects of who you are. No to mention that there is an immense blessing that goes along with submitting yourself and coming under authority. He'll allow you opportunities to learn and to lead. He is calling you to participate and to GET INVOLVED (kind of the same thing but whatev).

So, my challenge to you is to focus on ways you can make a difference and what ministry He's calling you to. Keep in mind that it not only blesses you, but you're blessing the Kingdom of God and setting raising the bar for Christians. You'll find you really love it. Because when you're where you're supposed to be, even on the challenging days, which do come, He'll provide you with the patience and resourcefulness to overcome the obstacles with graciousness and poise. (Or He'll let you fall on your face and learn from mistakes. He doesn't promise everything's going to be perfect for us, but He does promise to always be there with us and teach us. Sometimes when we fall our faces and really mess up, it's just a lesson in humility.) :o)