The junction between being sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others and staying true to the vision and calling that God has given is so hard to find, and I struggle to know the whens, wheres, and hows of my ministry everyday. However, I was reminded yesterday morning of the most important thing...to trust in the Lord, for is on my side! Proverbs 29:25 says:
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
The Good News Translation puts it this way:
It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you,
but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.
That verse just happened to be the verse of the day on Sunday, and it was exactly what I needed to hear. Many times as a minister and disciple of Christ, I let fear of what others might think control my life. However, as this verse says, if we fear man, we fall into a trap. We are bound and restricted in our ability to grow spiritually and to minister effectively, when we act according to our fear of man, but when we act out of our trust in the Lord and obedience to His calling, we find freedom and safety!
I know that God has called me to a unique ministry. He has given me skills in music, writing, and teaching. He has given me a desire to see dying churches brought to life again, and he has given me a creativity that allows me to think outside the box. Now, He is working in my life to develop a boldness to step out and a strength speak up regarding the vision He has given me. He wants me to be true to who He has made me to be and to fulfill the vision that He has given to me. I desire to honor Him and walk in His will, so I pray that I will remember to trust in His strength and let it dispell the fear and doubt in my life. I pray that I will remember Romans 8:15:
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
Michael Gungor of the band, Gungor, says this about their ministry in the video below:
"We just decided to be honest, and to be ourselves, and not try to fit into a mold."
I really admire their unique ministry, and I pray that God would give me the strength to break the mold and step out into the unique ministry that He has called me to...with no fear of man and no fear of the future!
As I try to follow His voice each step of the way, I will remember more encouraging words from Romans 8:
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
"We just decided to be honest, and to be ourselves, and not try to fit into a mold."
ReplyDeletethis is so important isn't it! we can't all be the same and then expect to be diverse enough to reach the world... lets be who we are designed to be :) x
Yes, it is SO important! God wants to do a new thing through us, but many times we are too worried about not fitting in or being ridiculed and misunderstood. However, we have to remember that Jesus was ridiculed, misunderstood and persecuted...and we are called to be like Him!! It is no easy thing, but we must stand in our unique calling relying on God's strength to keep us!
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