iShineInMinistry

Mark 14:36

“…nevertheless, not what I will but what You will.”

Lord Jesus, it is so easy for me to be joyful and trust Your plan when everything is going my way or when I am able to settle in a place of comfort during the season I find myself in. I know that sometimes Your plans for me are completely different than what I think my life should look like right now and that can be frustrating as I try to understand why my plans are not aligning with my current situation. Lord, I ask that my heart’s desire will be for your will to be done in my life and that I will be content as that perfect will unfolds each and every day of my life. I ask for a heart of worship, a sense of Your presence and an extra measure of faith that reminds me that Your way is perfect and I can trust in You with all of my heart.

Lord I ask for my hopes and dreams to be what Your purpose and plan is for my life. I pray that I will not step out in disobedience and that I will trust Your perfect plan, I will trust the Creator of the universe, the Author and finisher of my faith. I pray that You will comfort me in times of doubt and remind me of Your precious promises in times of discouragement, dismay, sorrow and sadness. I pray that I will remain in You and that You will remind me to delight in You.

Lord, I thank You for being my heavenly Father, the one that knows all, the God who sees me and the one that loves me most and knows what’s best for me. I thank You for being my all in all, my everything. Please remind me of this when I start to get off track and help me to fix my eyes back upon You. I love You Lord Jesus and pray these things in Your name…so be it, Thy will be done, amen!

Psalm 119:2 NKJV

 

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,

 

Who seek Him with the whole heart!

 

 

 

More and more, life seems to become increasingly hectic and tragic around us. There are a variety of reasons to be discouraged, dismayed, frustrated, infuriated or just get to the point of apathy because you are so done with all the bad and terrible news. I’m sure we can find ourselves settling in a little cloud of affliction as we see horrific encounters, read of devastating injustices and see that everything around us is in shambles; yet in all of the bad that surrounds us, we need to make sure that we continue to be the light in this dark, sad world.

 

 

 

Our job is to keep His testimonies, to seek the Lord with our whole heart. I know this seems like a “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” statement. However, how often do we let other trivial things in our life crowd God out of our hearts? How many times a day are we more interested in seeking a career path, lifestyle, husband, dress on sale, popularity via Instagram likes or a higher status overall instead of seeking God with our whole heart? How often are we caught up in vanity of vanities and not caught up in ministering to our coworker that just lost a loved one or helping a friend in need during a spiritually dry season of life? How often are we ready to go on a mission trip and document our good works via social media and not even take care of our own loved ones who are close by and need us?

 

 

 

Are we keeping His testimonies throughout our day or sweating the small stuff, acting petty and just plain losing focus of what truly matters? Let’s remember to look to the Lord and His word to lead us, direct us, allow our lives, path and thoughts to be established and then let Him work out how things are supposed to “work out”. Too many times we get in the way, take matters into our own hands or just do not respond in a godly way.

 

 

 

Let’s be women that are really blessed in every sense of the word, seeking Him and His kingdom above all things…and allowing life to go in the way that He plans for us. For we all know, that is the best way!

 

 

 

Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

 

 

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Isaiah 6:8(KJV)

 

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

 

 

 

Day in and day out we find ourselves in the same routine with no visible signs of change coming our way. We stay in this funk, whether or not we like it, because at least we know how it's going to pan out at the end of the day. While life may not feel grand, it's stable, predicable and doable in this uncertain world we live in. This sounds okay at best, but when you look at life through the lens of faith...this seems like a pathetic existence. Our lives are supposed to be lived out in faith, belief, the joy of the Lord and in the blessed hope of His promises as He equips us. Why don't we do this?

 

 

 

I truly think that each of us needs to take some time each day and pray through a new, exciting and even outlandish thing that the Lord may call us to do. Maybe He will have us do a small, kind gesture...or perhaps He may send us over to the other end of the earth to serve Him. He may just tell us to make a new friend or pray for someone that is "not our favorite". No matter the charge He gives, let's be faithful and obedient to do what He shows us to do.

 

 

 

I pray that we will not be so mundane in our lives and just exist rather than live. I pray that we will all allow the Lord to give us faith and strength to do EVERYTHING that He is calling us to do. I pray that we will answer the call and not just pretend that we are hearing things or maybe the word we heard was for someone else. I pray that we will go where God sends us...even if it means we have to clean up, get up, give up something, quit our normal routine and truly live surrendered, stepping out in faith and seeing what the Lord can and will do. Enjoy the day and get ready for amazing adventures with the Lord as He sends you!

 

 

 

2 Chronicles 16:9(NKJV)

 

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

 

 

 

Psalm 138:8 NASB

 

The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Are you feeling disappointed today? Do you have this unsettling feeling in your heart and mind that something is putting a cloud over your joy? Is life as you know it feeling more like a routine set on auto-pilot than a beautiful picture of God’s plan for you? Are you waiting and starting to lose hope in letting patience have its perfect work? If any (some or all) of these statements is true for you, let me remind you to meditate on this area of scripture and also let’s remember how much the Lord loves us.

 

 

 

Romans 5:1-5

 

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

 

 

 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to grow in endurance, character and hope as you start to get disheartened by how much longer this season is lasting. Jumping the gun and forcing your own way may seem like a good idea for the here and now, but think of the better option God has for you, think of all the unsaved people around you that are watching how you respond to life. Think of the amazing way the Lord is using you right now in whatever situation you find yourself in. Don’t lose heart!

 

 

 

We may not understand why things end up the way they do or how it all seems to work out, but we do know that the same God that willingly sent His only begotten Son to the cross for us always has our best interests in mind as He orchestrates each moment of our lives. Let’s trust what He is doing and let Him have His way in our lives…we will be much better off and an amazing testimony of His truth and faithfulness!

Heart check time – are you doing all to the glory of God right now? As you sit at work, in your volunteer position, in class or in a meeting...are you truly focused on the Lord and bringing Him glory in all you do? I know for a fact that I am not right now. I have a severe case of "short-timers" as I am in the process of transitioning from one position to the next big thing that God has for me. However, I need to finish strong so that I can do the last fantastic thing that God gave me to do in this season. Might you be encountering the same problem?

 

 

 

Let's encourage one another today. We need to keep going in the right direction and let our work ethic be a testimony of our devotion to the Lord. Let's get our tasks complete, bless those around us and keep doing the work that the Lord has called us to do. Let's be extra-sparkly as we worship the Lord in spirit and truth through our actions and everything the Lord allows us to do in this life.

 

 

 

I will keep you in prayer in this endeavor...and please also pray for me!!