This has been a tough week for me. Heaviness hit like a tone of bricks again on Monday & then freaked out after going shopping. It took me all week fighting off this spirit. Did this one digitally & coloured the text during my creative connect group on Friday evening.
To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord , that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3 NKJV
Week 2's discussion was around purpose. Whenever I think of purpose this Scripture comes to mind. As a follower of Christ, we are to be transformed into His image. Jesus came to do the will of the Father. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. Romans 8:11 If this was His purpose, it's safe to say that the same anointing is also on us.
The Bible is very clear about our worth & purpose. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 AMP For decades I've felt called to take His healing to the nations but always felt so ill-equipped. Of course my disobedience due to fear added extra guilt & shame to add to what I was already feeling. Delayed obedience is also disobedience.
Sadly we often reject God's Truth and accept the lies, sometimes with dire consequences landing us in the pit of addictions, depression & suicidal thoughts. I too have spent most of my life in this pit due to childhood emotional neglect, teen molestation, 4 miscarriages & various other traumatic events during the course of my life. However the Lord redeemed my life from the pit. He crowned me [lavishly] with loving kindness and tender mercy and will do the same for anyone that's willing to call on Him. Psalms 103:4 AMP What I love most about God is that He doesn't expect us to change before being accepted but He loves us in spite of our weaknesses & when we are weak His strength is revealed through us. We can come to Him just as we are, with all our broken pieces & turmoil. His grace covers it all. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV
Although, like Paul's thorn in the flesh, society's overwhelming pressure remains & the enemy's attacks keep bombarding me with negative thoughts trying to drive be back into the pit, God gives us strength to be transformed by the renewing our minds. Every day we get to choose to listen to His voice & ignore all the others.
We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb & the word of our testimony. Revelation 12:11.
God will use everything we've been through for good & our ministry lies in those areas where I have been so brutally broken & restored.
Stepping out of the boat is a little nerve-wrecking but we've got this, or rather God's got us.
We need to ask God what's in our hands today & how can we use it to build His Kingdom.
After all He has already given us everything we need for life & Godliness & He will put His words in my mouth. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us to lead us & guide us in everything He has sent us to do.
As Pastor Mike Todd from Transformation church always says: All I have is all I need. It's not by power or might, but by My Spirit, says the Lord (Zachariah 4:6)
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