As followers of Christ and Ministers of the Gospel, the King's aim to "seek first the Kingdom." They minister together in Knoxville, TN through their ministry, Middle Man Ministries. This blog contains their hopes, dreams, and daily struggles as they strive to encounter the Kingdom of God in ministry & daily life.
In one day, I was bombarded with all of these three tweets by Rick Warren:
There's always a time delay between planting the seed & harvesting the fruit. Don't be discouraged. Memorize Gal 6:9
"Don't be afraid of anything they say or their mean words&scowls.Your job is to speak whether they listen or not" Ez.2:6-7
The most COURAGEOUS SOULS in our culture are "under 30"Christians who stand 4 Truth despite pressure, ridicule & stereotyping
It is so good that we have a God who sends us timely encouragement. I know that if it were not for His messages of hope sent to be on a daily basis, I would not have made it this far. He has given me new firends and mentors, and He has filled my soul with supernatural strength. I am ashamed by how often, I have allowed Satan to enter my mind and fill it with choas, confusion, and anxiety. However, God has never stoppped coming to my rescue, lifting me out of my sadness and confusion, and teaching me to trust in Him and live in His strength.
So, it is my goal to look up to God everyday to recieve the encouragement and peace of mind that I need to stand up and do what He has told me to do, without fear or anxiety.
The more that I think and pray about my calling to ministry, the more I sense God giving me a vision and a passion for something truly unique. He seems to call me to the difficult places, the places that need life and change...and just something different! I have a God-given passion for doing ministry differently, but that passion and vision is not always welcomed in the places where I am led to serve. Therefore, I often find myself cowering in fear of man's disapproval instead of moving forward with the vision and calling that God has placed upon my life.
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.
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?
Today, I feel changed. I feel life breaking out, beauty from ashes! I don't know where my life is going, but for once, I have a peace about it. Tomorrow, things may change, but I have peace for today...and today is all that matters. I am taking it one day at a time.
There is misery in the past and uncertainty in the future, but today, there is life and peace!
I was reminded of last week's post, Blossoming Beautifully, when I saw my dear friend, Mrs. C's blog post today. She shares some pictures of her beautiful lillies, whose blooms have just now opened! Blooming lillies in the last week of July! That is so symbolic to me! You see, I have had a really rough time this year, and all winter long, I was looking forward to spring, especially the springtime of the soul!! Well, spring came and went and I felt as if I was the only one left who had not come back to life again after the long winter. Now, here I am in the middle of the summer...a springtime flower finally blossoming! What a beautiful picture! All things bloom in God's time!
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13 NLT
1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
What great instructions for living life in the peace that God provides! We must rest and trust in His timing for every season. We must choose this rest and choose to feel fabulous despite of the season we are in, because this life is too short to ignore the blessings.
I am not "out of the woods" yet, and I have by no means reached complete healing and perfection. Yet, the Lord has given me peace for the moment and hope for the days ahead, just as this week's Fabulous Friday Happy Song says!
My advice today is for you to hand it over...whatever it is that you are holding onto so tightly. Just let it go and leave it in His hands, for who is like the Lord? Who else can turn ashes into something beautiful and cause a lily to bloom in the middle of summer?!
Isaiah 61:1-3 NLT
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.[a] 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,[b]
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel,[c]
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
Our God cannot be contained. He can't be boxed in to operate in our timing, and he won't give up us when we give up on ourselves.
