iShineInMinistry

1 Corinthians 7:20

Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.

Do you ever just have one of those days (or weeks, or even months) when you feel completely and utterly done with the calling God has given you for ministry? Do you feel tired, weary, drained or discouraged and think it must be time to retire, move into a season of rest or just be so still that you become a “sideline Christian”? You get one too many phones calls from the person struggling with the same sin and think, “I clearly am not doing this right” or you forget to pay the rental fee for an outreach and your supplies never show up or you get to the point where you do not even want to get out of bed in the morning. The thought of becoming “Sleeping Beauty” seems more and more appealing, except, you do not want Prince Charming to wake you up any time soon!

I know that I am feeling like this is the season I am in right now…it’s pretty draining (or that could be the lack of sleep having its effects). However, I also know that God is still here even when I do not see the exponential progress happening in record timing. I know that God is here while I am still waiting for an answer or for the next great thing to happen. He even was kind enough to remind me as I did my evening devotions last night.

When we have those “Eeyore moments” in ministry, we have to remember that time spent in the valley helps us to realize when we are changing to the mountains. The valleys have lots of growth, water to feed our souls and opportunities to see how much faith we really do have in the Lord when things are not so sunny and bright.

The calling that we have did not come with the promise of rainbows and glitter all the days of our ministry lives…we will have wonderful moments of joy in the Lord and we will have moments that deplete us so much that all we can do is cry out for God to be our refuge and strength, to sustain us and help our unbelief. When those times arise, we simply cannot despair and think that we are doing it all wrong. If we were perfect at this all the time, why would we even need a Savior? And we all know that we DEFINITELY NEED A SAVIOR!

So when the hard days, the tragic days, the tiring days and the seemingly hopeless days come, please remember that God called you for all of this ministry, good times and bad…and walk worthy of the calling in which you were called!

Ephesians 4:1

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

Are you feeling discouraged and ready to call it quits in ministry.  Please do not give up – Remember to cling to Jesus and let Him use you no matter what the outcome. This is the calling He has given you and as Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

If you are anything like me, you are hoping to get your second wind after serving through the season of Thanksgiving. You are gearing up for all of the blessings and activities that go with Christmas. Outreaches and outings, plays and parties…not to mention your own Christmas shopping and family preparation. This is the final leg of the race of serving for the year of 2014 and we want to make sure that we do not end in the flesh. So, let us remember these three things as we enter into this last month of the year:

1) This is the season of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior- Please do not forget the reason for the season as you serve and run around. If you keep this truth at the forefront of your mind as you go through each detail and to-do list, you are bound to be more joyful as you work in His strength and not your own.

2) This is a labor of love- How many people may be able to see the truth of Jesus and receive salvation as you diligently obey the Lord and do what He has called you to at this very moment, in this very month of the year? Who knows what the Lord plans to use to draw someone to Himself as these final weeks of the year, filled with special worship services and other events goes on. Please remember that God uses all things for good, so look for those special opportunities to shine for Him everywhere you go (including the mall parking lot).

3) This is a season of Joy- How can you not be filled with excitement and a child-like enthusiasm with all of the lights, Christmas songs and beauty of this time of year?

Remember all of the wonderful things that only take place during this time of year and choose to look at the loveliness of this season…it will make all of the difference! Remember, 2014 is almost done, so we want to finish strong with this last part of ministry for the year. Be blessed and be a blessing during this time and then remember that at the end of it all you can plan a sleep-in day!

During this time as it gets quite busy and active, may I please remind all of us ladies to be extra careful not to forego our devotional times and quiet times with the Lord? This is when we will need it most!

Philippians 2:14

Do all things without complaining…

Sometimes it is just one of those days. We start off the day without a good night’s sleep, then begin running late for work, burn our tongue on our coffee, get a speeding ticket and the day just seems to get worse by the minute. Then we watch the news and see all the horrible things going on and the unkind actions, crimes and terrible decisions that people make. We see so much bad going on all around us and it makes us want to mope or grumble about all that is wrong with the world. We have issues at work that we want to “vent” about. We talk to friends about all the terrible happenings we see and talk about how we would not do those things if we were in control or that we cannot believe that there are so many people that commit awful acts. We get to a place of pure frustration and then our hearts and minds can continue in a negative state.

What if in those times when we see those things that make us want to criticize and murmur we instead stop and pray about each of those horrible situations? What if we prayed for salvation for the criminals we see on the news or intercede for the people in government when they make bad decisions? What if we took the time and made our words count when we see all of the bad in the world? What if we chose to cry out to the Lord and ask for His grace and mercy to reign in those situations? What if every single Christian did this every time we saw something that made us want to scream or complain? I wonder how different the world would look. We all know that prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have from the Lord and yet we use our mouths for negative when we could be praying for the many things we see that make us despair.

James 3:5

Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

I would like to challenge all of us this week, since it is Thanksgiving, to stop ourselves every time we want to complain and choose to pray instead. See how much more you pray in this week and then take an assessment of how much you really pray in comparison to how much you complain. I pray this little “faith challenge” encourages us all to have mouths that praise, pray and thank the Lord at all times!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalm 146:1-6

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

While I live I will praise the Lord;


I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Day in and day out life can become hectic and frustrating, as we get overly busy with tasks, duties and ministry. Before we know it, we become completely drained and are no longer happy about the amazing things that could be taking place right in front of us. There could be a great message where many get saved and we are in our office working on notes for our own upcoming teaching. There can be a lady that wants to share a praise report with us and we get a little less than patient as her story continues and we think about all of the items on our to-do list that are not being completed because we are listening to her story. So many joys can become overlooked and then we start to complain during our prayer times to Jesus rather than thank Him for all of the amazing things happening as we serve Him.

Might I suggest that when we become stressed and a little less than joyful to stop and praise? We need to recall the perfect plans that God has for us, the beautiful calling He has placed on our lives, the wonderful opportunities we see that others may not get to have in their line of work and thank Him for His faithfulness. We need to thank Him and know that He is the God that sees us, even when we are tired. He will give us rest and He will fuel us in those moments when we begin to feel wiped out. He will meet us where we are and help us to be reminded of His perfect faithfulness. He will help our hearts stay on track and not get apathetic or just plain tired. He will show us all of the many reasons to praise His name. Then we can get our hearts back on track as we do the work of the ministry and walk in His perfect will.

What will you do next time you want to pout or complain when you are too busy? Will you praise the Lord? I hope so!

Psalm 147:1

Praise the Lord!


For it is good to sing praises to our God;


For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

Are your prayers sounding more like rants and whining because you are too drained, tired or frustrated? Praise God and ask Him to renew your mind as you walk through this busy season.

Philippians 4:8 (KJV)

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

This scripture has been my life verse since I was 17 years old and I know that it always seems to bring me back to perspective when life feels as if it’s in disarray. The words have reminded me to keep my eyes, heart and mind where they need to be and to always look to the Lord and godly things when I feel at a loss. I know that when we serve in ministry we can feel at a loss when someone hurts us, says something untrue about us or decides that they do not agree with us and create drama or division as a result. These times are difficult to deal with in ministry; however, we need to recall the truth that the Lord is our defense in those moments and we do not have to delve into the drama and feed the unnecessary situation.

What is true? What is honest? What is just? Do you need to remind yourself about the truth when you are in the middle of a situation? Do you need to recall that even though people are not always just in the way they deal with conflict God is? Do you have to make sure you are being completely honest in this situation? Is your heart pure as you try to get through the issue? Are you thinking of the lovely way that God will even use this for good as He promises in Romans 8:28 because you are the called? Do you remember that you have a good report? Otherwise God would not have called you into full-time ministry to serve these ladies!

Recall this scripture and let God handle these hard moments. Please do not try to fight your own battles if God is clearly using this to allow you to trust Him to be your defense. Let Him do the moving on your behalf and let yourself recall this scripture and write it on the tablet of your heart, even when the things that are happening may be hurtful. God is the God who sees and He is going to be with you in the hard moments when ministry feels more like middle school drama than the body of Christ.

Psalm 59:9 (NKJV)

I will wait for You, O You his Strength;

For God is my defense.

We all know that people are not perfect; otherwise there would be no need for a Savior! Remember this as you walk through a difficult time in inter-personal relationships, remember God’s truths and let Him be your defense.