I really need to come clean and be completely honest. When I started feeling lead to write this series, I was not at all excited. I kept arguing with God and kept losing. The arguments consisted of:
Lord, I am not a good enough writer to write this series.
Lord, I do not have the right words.
Lord, I don't know how you could use me to write this series.
Lord, just make my mom do it!
I have learned a lot from my mom. She is the director of Women's Ministries at our church. She has a love and passion for it. I am on the committee but I must once again tell the truth, I like to be part of the planning of fun!
Now in complete seriousness, I felt the Lord tell me that the same struggles I have with writing this series are the first issues I should write about... equipping.
I don't feel equipped to bring such a strong message to an audience of Godly women and a lot of time, women do not feel equipped to bless each other. Here are some of the excuses:
- I am too young. I am too middle-aged. I am too old.
- I just got married. I want time for me and my husband.
- I work.
- I am too busy.
- My kids take all my energy.
- We don't have any money.
- I am grouchy. I can hardly bless my family much less other women.
- I don't feel like it.
I have felt most of those excuses from time to time.
But do you know exactly what they are? They are excuses, lines Satan is feeding you. Satan does not want you to bring faith and love (things of God) to others. He does not want you to uplift each other in the name of God. He despises, even hates, things of God.
So today is the day that we stop feeding ourselves these excuses. Today is the day where we pray that the Lord's will be done. Even if it's hard. We need to pray that God frees up time. We need to pray that He gives us ideas.
Today I am grateful that God has made me look past those excuses and share with you just how we can bless each other.
So what about you? Are you ready to put aside the excuses and let God use you?
I challenge you. I challenge you to pray this week and ask that your heart and mind be opened.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
-Ephesians 4:11-13-
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*This post is linked to GratiTuesday.
6 comments:
Great post!!! There have been times lately where I am struggling but I know when I pray and give it to God, He has it and takes control. How great is He?!?!
Blessings!
wonderful post and I so agree with you often if I would set my will aside and do his all would be so much better
What a great and inspiring post! Many times we bless people and do not even know it. Have a wonderful day!
What a wonderful post, Jodi! I love it! :)
I've fed myself excuses for far too long and realized that sad fact not too long ago...and do you know what happens when you stop making excuses? God uses you. God blesses you. And God uses you to bless other people...it's amazing! I do things that I simply feel like I would enjoy doing to help someone else out. Something small...and then I've found out that time and again that small thing to me has been a HUGE blessing to the other person. It might not take money at all - or a small amount of it - and it might not even take much time, but it always relieves a burden. God is so good!
Yes on both points, especially on how much it matters for women to bless other women. We can feel so isolated and overwhelmed; even the smallest lift can make a real difference.
I love this post, Jodi! I am on the steering committee for the Mothers of Preschoolers group that meets at our church and this post beautifully sums up what we want to do at MOPS! I shared the link with the other committee members. God is using you!!
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