I wanted to share an awesome message with you that was given a couple of Sundays ago. It spoke a lot to me and hopefully you will find your source of encouragement from it as well. It has personal thoughts added so don't go thinking I just copied some points from a pastor! : )
You could title it "Finding the will of God for situations that arise in your life".
1.) God closes doors.
We all know of times in our lives that God has simply closed a door - we may not understand why, but we know we can trust a loving Father who sees the bigger picture. It is in faith that we say "Yes Lord - I may not see, but I trust." We must simply then say "Thank you God!" Thank Him for keeping you in HIS will and not our own.
2.) Just as God closes doors, He also opens them!
If you would have told me sometime back that I would be where I am today, if any of you know me very well at all, I would have said "Yes! with God ALL things are possible! But I don't see myself being there!!" I will tell you that I have literally fretted at times of being unsure if I'm exactly where God wants me in the ministries of life. I'm NOT an over confident person, I don't see myself with alot of skills or talents, I love people - but not a overly aggressive outgoing person - rather quiet at times, we could say, and not a lover of trying new things BY ANY MEANS. But.....putting all that aside......because God is the God He is He picks me up, puts me where He wants me, says "Trust me child" and sends me on HIS way! All of these ministries He has opened up and given me are all HIS doing. . . that and He understands me thankfully and knows how to best use me regardless of my insecurities!
So know and trust that God shall open doors - in His timing. And when He opens them He'll gently lead you through them.
3.) God STILL speaks!
Did you know that God can and does use any measure He chooses to do this?! Whether it be through a Bible Study class, a song heard on the radio, or a song sung at church, through a sermon, a friend, a spouse. . .and most importantly through His word. . .the Bible. There are other ways of course. . .this is just a few examples. Honestly, I haven't liked it so much in the past when people would say "God spoke to me so clearly." and of course me being the analytical person I CAN be would question myself and say "Is God speaking to me too....so clearly??" Believe me, I can nit-pick anything to death as they say! I have prayed to God asking Him to please make His voice CLEAR to me in every sense of the word and not to let me confuse it with my own or some other voice. I believe that God can still have the calm, small reassuring voice in our hearts and minds letting us know He's there, He loves us, and we can trust Him. And I also believe that YES He does bring things back to us to think about and remind us what we needed to hear and in hearing - knowing He is taken care of it.
4.) God confirms and affirms His will through other believers that we let in!
Thank ya Jesus for this one!! I SO needed to hear and receive this point in the message! You see I am one who knows the truth, hears the truth, and receives the truth. . . . BUT I am reassured of those truths in my life through my amazingly-wonderful husband as well as my Mom! These two people in my life are my very own "God sent especially to me" people and I couldn't be more thankful or happier that they are! At times, my sweet David will patiently say (as he did just today) "Are you listening to yourself? or do you just like to make things up and talk?!" He was referring to how SILLY I sounded in receiving all this good news we had today, through our training at the Crisis Pregnancy Center we are training together for, and me needing reassurance that it indeed was the truth in my life and I didn't need to worry. That's a whole other story...sorry if it doesnt make sense. But, my thought here is that YES I know the truth, but I just need my partner there to reaffirm that this is God's truth for ME! Hopefully that makes some kind of sense...if not bear with me.
Our pastor put it this way - there are many times when we as christians believe that we hear and receive the "voice of God" in our lives - BUT - we still need others to agree with us that YES indeed this is God's truth for YOU and not just some wishful thinking you might think God would say to you. In even other words. . .YES God affirms our need and desire for others to help us confirm HIS truth in our life....plain and simple! Paul was used as a great example of a strong man of God, but also needing the affirmation/confirmation of the fellow believers he trusted in as his witness to God's leading in his life. Hey if Paul needed it, whose to say I'm any better than him?!!! Again, thank ya Jesus that it's quite alright to seek reassurance in those we trust!!!
5.) And lastly. . . choosing truth over emotion.
Simply and most completely put. . . .I lay down my will to follow God's.
When our heart is in tune with God's heart - we are living our life for Him - His desires will become our desires. See no worries! God's got it all worked out. His desires become ours and then we follow!
And I pray that each time I sense a yearning to share a Blog with you that it is in fact God using me in such a way that He would want to speak to YOU, my friend.....nothing more......nothing less. To Him be the glory!!
Thanks for letting me share. I don't normally share sermon notes, but I kept sensing that I should share this one. Maybe it was meant just for you. :)
Be blessed and know you're blessed!
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