iShineInMinistry

Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)

...His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning.

Let's take the month of May and dedicate it to steadfast prayer...here is one to start us off!!

Lord Jesus, There are so many things to ️praise and thank You for and that in itself is a blessing that overflows. I know sometimes the circumstances in life feel overwhelming and I get my eyes off of You and what truly matters. Please remind me to have a heart of thanksgiving, love, grace and mercy. I pray for a heart of joy, a heart that is grateful and a heart that trusts in her Savior at all times. Thank You for the many new thoughts, ideas and plans You have placed on my heart and in my mind. I pray that I will wait upon You and Your perfect timing as You direct my plans and promise to give me a future filled with hope.

Let my heart not be troubled and let me remain focused on the blessed assurance that I am Yours and You are mine. Go before me and help me be fearless as I pursue You and Your plan for my life. I love You, trust You, thank You and ️praise You Lord.

Be with me always and let me abide in You all my days. I pray these things in Jesus' name, thank You Lord, amen!

James 1:5 (HSCB)

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

It is happening again. That one part of your life that feels like a thorn in your flesh is rising up, causing havoc and making sin abound in your life. You panic at this thought, mostly because a woman in ministry, a leader, a woman that fears, loves and trusts the Lord should not have these kinds of issues. What will people say if they find out, what would they do if they saw…you?

We all have some issue or problem that proves to be a bigger struggle than other areas. I once heard a pastor’s wife admit during a teaching that she tells little lies/exaggerations literally all the time and asked for prayer because she let one out within two minutes of telling us this issue. We need to be transparent and truthful with ourselves about our issues. Harboring them alone only gives the enemy the opportunity to use that isolation to turn a struggle into a life-dominating sin.

Are you holding a temptation or struggle in right now, keeping it to yourself so that people see you in a certain light? If so, please note two very important things. First, the sin of pride is allowing you to avoid getting victory in this area. Second, you are playing the part of a hypocrite. You are acting one way in front of people; meanwhile, there is a spiritual battle taking place in your own mind and body. Do not allow a tailspin of despair, more sin and ruining of you from the inside out to take place.

I encourage all of us ladies to find our “person”. This is that lady who you know you can trust and know will commit you to prayer and looking to Jesus as you overcome. We are not meant to do these things alone, especially when we are ministry leaders! So, humble yourself and let the Lord do that healing work in that area…and we all know what area it is for us!

James 4:10 (NKJV)

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will life you up.

Psalm 98:1

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

For He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

We love those wonderful ministry traditions that we get to enjoy year after year and watch the Lord move and change hearts. We may go on a mission trip, attend an outreach, or go to a women's event and marvel at the amazing things God puts in motion because He is just so faithful. With all the amazing things that can take place, we may 'nicely ignore' when God is telling us that it is time to do a new thing. We are so happy with how He is currently working and see no reason to move things around!

Have you ever heard the that the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Maybe you are hoping for some new breakthrough or a revival in the ministry you oversee, yet the same good things are happening...but you know they may not be the God things that you are praying for.

Please take the time to allow God to show you how to transition to the new thing that He wants you to do. There may be some ground work and kinks to work out, but of course His will is going to be done and this is ultimately what we want as we serve Him faithfully. Be blessed and listen to God's promptings - it may be time for a new thing!

Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

Behold, I will do a new thing;

now it shall spring forth;

shall ye not know it?

I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.

Pray about what new thing the Lord may be showing you in ministry!!

1 Peter 1:2 (NKJV)

…in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Just because we serve in full-time ministry, it seems as though people think we do not have sin issues that we struggle with in our daily lives. Whether our issue is fear, a false sense of control, pride or a tongue that refuses to be tamed, we can sometimes find ourselves trying to ‘fake it until we make it’. Although we teach grace and the work that the Lord does in the hearts of others in our Bible Studies, retreats, conferences and small groups, we sometimes forget that those same messages and bits of wisdom that we impart are also for our walks with the Lord. Here are some things we need to guard against as we serve in leadership so that God can also do a work in those areas of our lives where we struggle.

We need to make sure that we do not try little shortcuts as the Lord deals with those areas in our lives. Many of us try the route of avoidance with the problem we have and having someone hold us accountable. We simply brush off our bad attitude, hostility, and prideful thoughts and excuse them as something else that sounds less sinful. Or, we may even admit we have a problem, but then skirt the issue of having a sister in the Lord help to hold us accountable. Another thing we may do is focus in more on the things we do better in our walks and hope that it balances out that ‘bad thing’ we struggle with. Each of these options are quick fixes that do not allow us to truly deal with what our problem is…sin!

Let us be transparent with ourselves, with the Lord (He already knows anyway, we might as well admit it) and someone that is strong in the Lord that can help us to overcome those areas where we need a little extra assistance in becoming more than conquerors. The end outcome may take longer than we would like to admit, but the blessing of drawing nearer to God as He prunes those dead aspects of our lives away is well worth it in the end!

Will you do the following things this week?

Pray about that “thing(s)” that is an area of struggle

Pray about who the Lord will bring to help hold you accountable (we need to be discerning about who we share things with)

Pray that you will let the Lord deal completely with the issue, even if it takes years!

John 17:17 (NKJV)

Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth.

Romans 12:19 (NKJV)

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Imagine if you would that someone that you volunteer with is speaking ill things about your character and you as a person overall. They are passive-aggressively commenting or downright telling people things about you when you are not around... You may not even have to imagine this. We have all been on the receiving end of gossip, slander or someone recounting a truth about us that we may not want others to know about. These are very uncomfortable times in ministry, yet we must remember two very important things when this happens.

The Lord is your defense! Do not launch a PR campaign in an effort to tell everyone and anyone you come into contact with about what is going on and how you are innocent. You are not an elementary child on the playground trying to get friends to be on "your side". You are a woman of God and your character should speak for itself.

We should live in such a way that no one would even dare believe we are capable of what people may accuse us of. However, if what they are saying does hold some truth and we are trying to keep us appearances...the problem may actually be us! Although they are in the wrong, do not go to that place with them. Ask God to search your heart and take that trait out so that no one would able to talk badly about our character.

Secondly, if you are the object of slander, gossip or some other random drama, do not play the victim! You are a big girl that trusts the Lord in every circumstance, not a manipulator that needs people to sympathize with your situation. Bad things happen to people all the time...even you. Our eyes should be on the Lord, not the potential adoring fans that we can gain from being pitied. In addition, your character actually is questionable if you go the route of playing the victim.

Ultimately, the truth usually comes out somehow. However, if it does not, the Lord knows the truth and He is the only one that really matters anyway. Serve diligently and trust Him even as these trying relational storms occur. He will make us women after His own heart that fully and completely show His love, grace and mercy in all areas of life (not just the easy ones)!

Psalm 7:10 (NKJV)

My defense is of God,


Who saves the upright in heart.