How do you measure up?

This past week I had the privilege to sit under the teaching of Trillia Newbell.  It was such a blessing to listen to all the Lord had taught her and I loved how much she challenged me.  The focus of that evening was fear when it comes to "measuring up".  How often as women do we let fear in our relationships, our children, our marriage, our jobs, or our lives in general.  When we are not making the Lord our measure we will always leave ourselves open to feeling inadequate, needing to keep up with others and lacking in areas where we struggle.  Many of us have heard of the Proverbs 31 woman and if you have read about her, you too may have felt inadequate.  I always thought this until Trillia pointed out verse 30.

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,

but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

When our focus and our measure in on the Lord it is easier to not fall into the pit of inadequacy.  We are all fearfully and wonderfully made.  We are all on this earth for a purpose and the Lord does not make mistakes.  When we as women can embrace this, then we reach a point in our lives of letting go of fear and embracing empowerment.

It is really easy to get caught up in all the trappings of this world and let the world tell us how to measure each other and ourselves.  However, this is a broken system because this is a broken world.  Instead we need to focus on our Sovereign Lord  who is above all things and created all things.  In this we can find grace, love, acceptance, joy, beauty and the vibrancy the Lord wants each of us to have.  I struggle with fear all the time but Trillia reminded me that when my fears begin to build I need to remind myself that my only measure is the Lord and through the love and grace of Jesus I will always be accepted.  If that is not amazing then I don't know what it.  May we all this next week remind ourselves of how the love and grace of Jesus frees us from the expectations of the world and sets our eyes on the only one who really matters.

Check our Trillia's wonderful new book on fear and faith.

 

Am I doing it wrong??

Have you ever worked hard at something and then pause to ask yourself, "Am I doing it wrong?"  I know I have many times and many times it was in a state of great frustration.  If you have been following my blog you know that my heart right now is really focused on the book of Acts as our Pastor continues to preach through that book.  I was so excited for this series but never expected to be pushed and challenged like I am.  This last Sunday I had to ask myself...am I doing it wrong...is the Lord not blessing and giving me the boldness of the Apostles because I am doing it wrong?

Recently I talked about Ananias and Sapphira and how they were trying to do on the outside what they did not have on the inside.  They were severely punished for their hypocrisy and their punishment was death.  I am so thankful that in my moments of hypocrisy the Lord has chosen to give me grace instead of striking me dead.  You see if all our religion is on the outside and we are not truly changed through Jesus, then we will eventually die in our sin just like Ananias and Sapphira did.

Below is the passage where this story is told in Acts 5:1-16

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

12 At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico.13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

There are two things in this passage my Pastor pointed out that I have missed the many times I have read and listened to this story.  The first is in verse 11, we see here that after both Ananias and Sapphira died a great fear came over the whole church.  Well, of course it did you know everyone was fearful that if they made a wrong step that the Lord was going to strike them dead.  I will admit it would totally freak me out.  But that is not what caught me or my Pastor.  Look at verse 13-14, in this section we see that the non Christians are refusing to join the church in the portico but they did respect them.  Then immediately after that we see that the church continued to grow exponentially. Wait, if the church was growing and non Christians were not coming to join then how were they hearing?  

This to me is where I had to ask myself if I was doing it wrong.  You see I strive to always seek opportunities to invite people to church and our church activities, however, I am not as bold or willing to seek to share Jesus outside the church.  I am crazy bold with people I know and very outspoken but when you get me around people I don't know, then I loose my boldness and become very self conscious.  I realized in this service that as I have been seeking the Lord for boldness it was to find opportunities to invite people to church...inside our building...where it is safe and easy to be bold.  I was not truly asking for boldness outside that building and those activities.  I was not seeking the Lord to give me bravery to speak to those I don't know who are hurting as they cross my path.  

Yes , I realized that I may be doing it wrong and that is why I have not really felt the boldness of the Spirit.  The church is not a building or activities run by "Pastors/Ministers", the church is the body of believers.  Jesus called us to go and make disciples, he did not call us to bring them to church.  Now, I am still a believer in inviting to church because we need fellowship and discipleship but I think many of us expect the church to do the work and all we have to do is get them in the building.  Our world is broken and dying, people are hurt and angry, there are days I feel we have passed up the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah when it comes to worldly morality.  Yet, in the midst of all this yuck are little pieces of salt and light...us!  We are called to go to them in their broken, dirty, hurting and imperfect state and share the love of grace of Jesus.  We are called to share out lives with them, the good, the bad and the ugly.  They need to know that Christians are not perfect, are not trying to be perfect because we have the beauty of grace.

So my question to you is this...are you doing it wrong?  I know I am and I can truly say my prayer has changed.  Oh, how I want boldness.  Oh, how this world needs us to have the boldness of the Spirit because it is broken and dying.  

 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, 

but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, 

but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Choosing to not be a chicken

I don't know about you but when it comes to personal Bible study, I tend to like something structured where I have tools to guide me.  However, over the past few years I have really begun to desire the ability to just open up the Bible and study a book.  No study guide asking me questions, telling me where to focus and giving me direction.  So last week I stumbled across one an online ladies study group that I have participated in and enjoyed.  However, they have changed their structure in the past year and I did not realize it.  I really like Good Morning Girls because it comes out of a ministry called Women Living Well, and it's goal is to help equip, encourage and empower women to really grow in our walk with the Lord.  So I decided to jump in on their new study.  I had no idea what God had in store.

In this study we are currently working our way through Leviticus.  Yes you read that right Leviticus!  Out of all the books of the Bible I would choose as a go to for study this is not one of them, but when I considered not doing it I could hear God saying in my head...what is wrong, are you chicken?  I know the Lord has been calling me to dive into a study of just scripture but Leviticus was not what I thought would be my initial choice.

So here I am in week 2!  Last week I was getting my feet and this morning I love how as I went through the passage the Lord really began to speak to my heart and I knew exactly where He wanted me to focus.  "And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out...A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out."  Leviticus 6:12a and 13.  As I read this passage I could see my walk with the Lord as the fire.  As a Christian I need to work to feed and care for the spiritual fire in my life.  This will allow sin that is in my life to be identified and consumed through the Lord's forgiveness.  It also is the light that shines out of my life reflecting Jesus to those in my life, whether it is my girls, friends or people I meet at the store.

Just like the Israelites had to make regular sacrifices to the Lord , I realized I want my study time to be a time where I allow the Lord to challenge, grow, encourage and cleanse me.  I want my passion and fire for Jesus to grow to a point where people can't walk away without seeing Jesus in what I say and do.  I want to be at a point where I am not letting other people show me where to study but I am allowing the Lord to speak and guide my study time.  I am a believer in both but I realize that I have become too dependent on one and need to allow the Lord to stretch and push me.

Are you asking the Lord to stretch and push you?  Are you willing to step out of what you are comfortable with in your Bible study time and willing to try something new.  I am discovering it is an exciting way to discover new areas of your life the Lord wants to grow and develop.  Don't be a chicken, but instead trust the Spirit to do His work because the Lord is just waiting for us to not only ask but step out in faith trusting that He WILL respond when we do.