iShineInMinistry

Joshua 24:15 ?...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

We all have day-to-day, moment-to-moment decisions that have to made in our lives and sometimes our plans seem so small and insignificant. Even in what appears to be a small choice, we can open a door to allow other decisions to become easier, both good and bad. As we conclude what we are going to do with our lives, we absolutely have to make our decision to follow Jesus top priority; if not, we open the floodgates for small changes that morph into compromise, which then redirect us and can potentially get us out of God's will and on a downward slope to backsliding- we sometimes even fool ourselves!

We all know our weak spots- for some (like me) it could be coveting pretty things, for a single girl hoping for marriage it could be attention from guys (whether or not they are saved), for another girl binge eating could be the issue; or you can have other temptations that are easier to hide such as impure thoughts, thinking highly of yourself without outwardly voicing it (but it's seen in your actions) or being self-centered. I think each of these issues can really go back to being focused fully on self. This is why we have to completely decide to follow Christ. If we don't, we will forego the opportunities to die to ourselves and then skew our self-absorbed actions and little by little trick ourselves into thinking we are still godly and doing godly things.

We can pick out the things to do as our reasonable service that we prefer rather than presenting ourselves fully as a living sacrifice. We can be bossy leaders that pretend we are serving when we are in fact just telling others to do what we should be doing ourselves. We can love the giftings God has graciously blessed us with to the point where we stop even thanking Him for what He has done in our lives and take the credit for ourselves! There is no way to be a light with this kind of insincere heart...which is why we must decide.

We need to decide to give all of ourselves to Jesus; not just 30%, 70% or 92%, but all of our hearts no matter what the cost or where it takes us. We must decide that Christ lives in us and we have been crucified. We can't do this easy, breezy, cookie-cutter Christian girl facade and expect the lives in our sphere of influence to be encouraged as we only pick the 'fun parts' of our faith. We need to decide to fully follow God, to serve Him with all we have, without making excuses in those areas we may struggle in and be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. What will you decide?

Do you only choose to serve in ways you prefer? Do you only decide to follow God in similar ways that your friends follow Him? If you were the only Christian in your home or workplace, would you fully decide to follow Him or just go with what everyone else does? Do you allow a little extra compromise in those areas where you struggle a little more?

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

James. 3:17-18 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peace-able, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy...

Sometimes my first thought when dealing with people is to help them understand a point I'm trying to make. Sadly, communication is not everyone's strong suit anymore, probably because of the joys of modern technology, which allows us to just shoot off a message without fully explaining anything. Texting, tweets and emails allow us to just get to the point, whether or not the receiving person understands doesn't always concern us as long as we have "said it". I am not one of these people. I love to explain and communicate in such a way that there is no misunderstanding; I love the gift of thoroughness. Unfortunately, sometimes people just don't get it...in those times, I have two choices.

I can talk until I'm blue in the face in hopes that something finally clicks. This usually causes me frustration and I begin to flesh out and wonder "Why aren't they as smart as me?" Yes I know this is the exact opposite of a gracious and humble way to respond, but that's just where my mind wanders first. Then, I have to remember to be loving and kind, esteeming others higher than myself and choose to be peaceable and gentle as I figure out how to respond to the situation. Usually what ends up happening is that I get to be willing to yield with regard to my speech and just shut my mouth.

I think in our culture the desire to always be the person who is 'right' can also make us the person that is self-righteous. When we are constantly in that state of trying to make everyone understand that what we think is better, we are erring on the side of prideful and arrogant, two things that Jesus was not in His character. We always need to remember to stop, pray, think, listen and respond in a godly manner; otherwise we may be right with a dulled light for Jesus.

Let's make an effort to put on those attributes that make us kindly affectionate to one another, gracious and loving, so that as we communicate our words and actions will always bring glory to God.

How do you respond to be people when they don't understand you? Are you an argumentative person that always wants to be right? What character traits of Jesus are you showing in these moments?

Proverbs 3:1 NKJV

...do not forget my law,

But let your heart keep my commands;

Teaching, encouraging, exhorting and counseling all seem to be part of the day to day life of a woman called to serve in full-time ministry. There are those days that are absolutely amazing, as God reveals a new truth to someone and they get to walk in the fullness of their relationship with the Lord. Other times, there are moments when intercession needs to increase for that one that just can't seem to stay consistent in their walk. Sometimes those cases feel discouraging and possibly draining, but the truth that we can give to help those ladies along is to remember what they already know.

This seems pretty obvious and a little elementary, but we learn by repetition. Through that repetition, an attitude of humility and a heart that starts to soften then become teachable, God allows what things we know to be true to get us slowly back to the place where we belong.

Proverbs 7:2-3 NKJV

Keep my commands and live...

Bind them on your fingers;

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Those words from the one who so loved remind us that God always has our best interests in mind. Of course the best plan for us is to keep His commands and hold them close to us because that is how we truly live. The moments of weakness that come in the many lives we minister to will need to cling to scriptures that remind her of how God has the best idea for her life. I know we may sound like a broken record, or feel like we may be tuned out, but we also know that God's word will not return void.

Be steadfast in the calling that God has given you as He places women in your life to encourage, love on and gently redirect to His loving arms. Help them to be reminded of what they know when the enemy tells them they have fallen too far, or slipped out of the hands of God. Pray with them and pray scripture over them so they can be reminded of His promises and commands that help them to live. Exhort them to hold fast to those things which they know to be true and remind them that the same God that died on the cross for those sins they are struggling with right now is ready to help them get back on track.

Psalms 86:5 NKJV

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Are you currently counseling someone struggling with habitual sin? What commands of God can you gently remind them of? What promises can you also place with those commands? How can you lovingly help them as they are struggling? Ask the Lord to show you what scriptures you can commit to memory with them in this process.

Matthew 5:37 But let your “Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’…

The life of a woman that loves to serve the Lord is filled with wonderful opportunities to be a blessing to people in the body of Christ. Whether you are a listening ear, a memory verse teacher at VBS or a prayer warrior interceding for those in need, you get to be a vessel where God’s love shines through on an often basis. We all know that women in general sometimes have a hard time declining requests to be a help to the people we call friends, neighbors and church family; nevertheless, God made the word ‘no’ for a reason and sometimes we just have to put it to use!

Since we as women are helpers naturally, it is in our make-up to just want to step in and assist with things as the need arises. “Can you lead this Bible study group?” “Are you able to serve in Children’s Ministry this week?” “Will you be singing in the Christmas Choir?” “Can you provide a benevolence meal for a family please?” The list of opportunities to serve goes on and on. For some reason, we think we are supposed to say yes to every single request that comes our way. Sometimes we don’t even pray about it or we feel God prick us in the heart specifically to pass this chance up and we agree to do the task anyway. Now, while we may be doing great things that are godly, when the Lord specifically tells us ‘not this time’ and we say yes anyway, we are being disobedient. That was not our spot to fill; we are potentially stealing someone else’s blessing and simultaneously giving the opportunity for pride to rise up as we feel that “everyone just needs us!”

Galatians 1:10 (ESV) asks the question that we should inquire of ourselves in those moments of not allowing our no to have a chance to be a no.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

We really need to check our hearts and make the decision to be pleasers of God when we are saying yes to too many things and allowing our task lists to pile up. Not only do we lose our focus and the point of serving, but we then give the enemy the chance to sneak in during our potential pride, potential weariness during burnout or potential bitterness towards those who may not be doing as much (according to our standards). Please remember when you serve the Lord to do it with gladness, to do it with a prayerful heart and do it with a heart to serve God and say ‘no’ as He leads. When we do this, we will do all the things we are truly called to do with our whole hearts and we will be so much more useful for His kingdom!

Colossians 3:23 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward…

Philippians 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Life in full-time ministry is full of amazingly unique experiences and opportunities to help and serve others. Once we get the call, we get to be used for a specific purpose that God has made just for our fearfully and wonderfully made selves. As we do the work of the ministry and get to hear praise reports about great things God did that we have the privilege to be part of, we do need to stand guard to make sure our heart to serve doesn't change from one that wants to humbly walk in this calling to one that just wants to be part of the 'elite inner circle' of being in ministry.

Obviously, we all know that there is no such thing as this elite inner circle, but as time continues and the ministries we lead begin to bear fruit, we can start to become puffed up in our excitement in all that God is doing in the area where we serve. We then think that we have gotten to a certain place where we just need to be seen at outreaches and seen around the 'right people' so we can continue to have the appearance of those same humble servants we were once upon a time.

As we continue on this path, our hearts start to want to be served as leaders rather than humbly serve and be an example of a godly leader. We have to be so discerning and make sure to always do a heart check, because once we get to this place, we may get stuck there and not be effective in a way that is pleasing to God. In these times, God can still be gracious and allow our ministries to do well, which can then allow our pride to deceive us into thinking we are okay right where we are; however, we need to get back to that place of love, where we esteem others higher than ourselves and come to serve with a sincere heart.

We need to have God search and examine our hearts often in full-time ministry because the last place we want to be is seen as a "serve-me leader" rather than a servant leader. Let's always have that humble, loving heart that wants to serve God in a way that truly honors Him, brings Him glory and gives Him the praise when He is gracious enough to allow the things we do to bear fruit. We have the perfect example of the servant leader to follow, so let's be obedient as He directs us in our calling.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart...

And see if there is any wicked way in me...

Do you truly have a heart to serve or do you just want to be in charge of things? What example are you giving to the people that serve under you and to the people you disciple? Would you want to serve alongside yourself if you were a volunteer? Ask God to search your heart to see what your true motives are in ministry....