I was up way too late again last night, & knew that without some supernatural help I would likely oversleep & miss Church this morning...those of you who know me well know that I am a deep sleeper...and God help me if I havent been getting my rest, because not only will I not hear the Alarm, but Im likely to sleep 10-12 hours! I know, I know, terrible! Youd think I was an old lady or something ( cmon guys, Im not THAT old yet! lol) So, knowing this, I asked The Lord, If you really want me to be there tomorrow, please wake me before my Alarm goes off, & please dont let me feel so tired that I struggle to get up. Well, He answered my prayer (as He did last week), and made sure I was awake before the Alarm went off ... Seriously, If you knew me, you would know that I NEVER wake before the Alarm, and 99.9% of the time I dont even wake when it does go off. Its so bad that my husband once bought me an alarm that has an attachment that vibrates under the mattress...that didnt work either, lol. Ok, so The Lord made sure I was awake, and awake enough to get out of bed...I wasnt even groggy! So I KNEW He wanted me at church this morning. Determined to be obedient, but still not that happy about it, I asked The Lord WHY. Why do I have to get up every Sunday morning, just to go to a building & hear a Sermon? I have Your Words, I read my Bible, Its not like Im going to learn anything....Why Lord? Well, this morning, about 20 minutes or so after I asked Him this, I sat in the Church and heard Him respond through this mornings message. I was pleasantly surprised, even though I had asked, and therefore should be expecting Him to answer. And not only did He answer my question...this mornings question, but He also made me realize that though He can speak to me in a variety of ways, it helps to be around His people. Its something I knew deep inside, but something I needed reminding of. You see, when you are not around Gods people, you (I) limit the ways we can hear from Him. If I am not reading my Bible regularly, we limit Him even more. Its not that He cant speak to us, but we are often so distracted by other things that WE cant hear Him. I may not be praying enough, but even when I am, I am limiting the ways in which He can speak to me. Yes, God can still speak in our spirit, in that still, small voice. Yes, He can speak to us through circumstances ( though admittedly it often takes us longer to understand what He is saying). But He has given us brothers & sisters...a family united in Spirit with Him, in whom HE resides...and He works through His family to minister to them; that often includes speaking to us through them as well. I can go literally for months without hearing God speak, and in those times the enemy of our souls tries to tell me that God has left me, given up on me...that Ive screwed up one too many times. And though I know its a lie, it can be very difficult to stand on Gods word & to push away the feelings of despair, the FEELING that God doesnt want me anymore, or will never speak to me again. The devil is relentless in his attempts to keep us under his thumb...emotionally, mentally...in whatever way he can. He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. If he cant get you to lose your faith, if he cant get you to give into temptations, he will find whatever way he can to stop you from being a light to others, from being used by God to minister to others, whether those in the Family of God, or those The Lord is drawing & wanting to bring into the family. And the tactics of the enemy work much more easily if he can get us isolated from our brothers & sisters in Christ. This morning, The Lord spoke to me two things... First, its not about me. I may not feel a need to listen to a sermon every Sunday morning... After all, I have known The Lord for almost 30 years... I know His Word, and most often the sermon will be on something I have heard before. So why do I need to be there? Because The Lord is IN me, and HE has a job for me to do; or rather, a job HE wants to do through me. I may not know what it is, but HE does, and HE knows when, where & how He wants to work, as well as through whom. I may not be the vessel He uses this week, or tomorrow, but the important thing is that I make myself available. SOMEONE needs to hear from The Lord, SOMEONE needs encouragement, or healing, or groceries...or.... The thing is, God works through each of His children in different ways, manifesting the benefits as He sees fit....our job is to be available, to be there for one another, to Love one another, to encourage one another to good works, to continuing in the Faith etc., to give to those in need, and to allow The Lord to work in & through us by His Spirit...to be available for whatever He wants to do, when He wants to do it. So its not about me, its about serving in whatever capacity He wants me to so that He can work through me ( or you) to accomplish His will in ministering to the needs of His people, and to those He is bringing into His Kingdom. I have seen God work in amazing & miraculous ways since that evening almost 30 years ago when I was washed clean & brought into His Family. Sadly, I have also had long stretches of time when I was not meeting with other Christians on a regular basis. Admittedly it has been hard to find a church out here where I felt comfortable enough with the leadership to become a part of the fellowship. I kept asking The Lord to direct me to a Church...but I had long stretches of time where I really wasnt being proactive in looking for one. Sadly, in that kind of isolation from my brothers & sisters, I also had to struggle with feelings that The Lord would not speak with me anymore, that He was upset with me etc. The Lord finally got me to the point where I wanted fellowship badly enough that I forced myself to get up off my rear and go to church. I was pretty sure I knew this time where He wanted me to go, but I had procrastinated. Finally I made the determination that I was going and actually did it. And I am SO glad I did... I have gone to church 3 weeks in a row now, asking The Lord to confirm this was where He wanted me, then asking about a concern with a doctrine, and then asking Him this week WHY I had to go. He answered ALL 3 times, and now I understand not only that He wants me there, but why. So to make an longer story short, I am not there for me, and yet I am. I am there to help care for my brothers & sisters as The Lord leads...to be used by Him for His purposes in His time...by His direction. If I love Him, I will love my brothers & sisters enough to be available should The Lord desire to use me in ministering to them. And I am there because sometimes, when I need ministering to, The Lord will use my brothers & sisters to minister to me. We are there to Love, Honor & Worship our Lord & Saviour, and to Love one another as He has loved us. Its not about us... And yet it is. Thank You Lord for opening my eyes, for teaching me, for helping me to understand, and for showing me that I still have a purpose. And Thanks again, Lord for answering g my prayers...You never cease to Amaze me with Your Love, Mercy & Faithfulness. .................. ~*~...................
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:13:41 +0000
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