Gifted2Go Living From A Garden!

Isaiah 58:11 "And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a well-watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not." (AMP)

I love how God leads us and speaks to us as His witnesses and disciples.  He can even speak to us through a garden!  There are some specific steps you take to grow a garden, just like there are some specific steps you take as His witness.  Let's compare 5 steps of the two:

Step One:  Choose a location to plant.  Just like you choose a strategic place to grow a garden, it is also strategic when you choose specific people to share Jesus with!  The main point of this step is to take the first step, perhaps out of your comfort zone, and talk to people.  I pray that Mark 13:11 will give you courage to speak to others that you may or may not know that need Jesus, Mark 13:11 says, "...don't worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit."

Step Two:  Prepare the soil.  Just like the hard work it takes to plow the soil to grow a garden, it can also be hard work to prepare to plant seeds of the Gospel as you prepare your own heart and life to be His witness.  As His witness, it takes daily preparation in prayer, Bible study, training, growing as His witness to be prepare to share Jesus with others.  Just like a garden will not grow on its own without good soil, as His witness you will not grow on your own without good soil in your heart, you must depend on God and the specific steps it takes to be His witness as you prepare to share Jesus with others, but the rewards are His Harvest of Hearts, just like the rewards of a garden are His Harvest of Vegetables.  Think about your heart as His soil, what condition is your heart in?  God's Word helps us understand and prepare the soil of our hearts, Mark 4:1-9 "Again He began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.  And He was teaching them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them:  “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty fold and sixty fold and a hundredfold.”  And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”


Step Three:  Plant and water the seeds.  Just like planting and watering seeds in a garden produces vegetables, planting and watering seeds of faith in the lives of people that need the Lord is important for them to grow towards a believer.  And guess what, God causes seeds of faith that we all plant and/or water to grow in the heart of those that need Jesus, it's all about Him and that takes the pressure and pride off of you and I!!  I love how God's Word says it best in 1 Corithians 3:6-9 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field..." (NASB) 

Step Four:  Pull the weeds.  Just like weeds in a garden will choke out the life of the plants that you are trying to grow, weeds of sin in the life of you as a witness will choke out the desire to share Jesus!  Daily pulling any weeds of sin out of our lives as His witness is vital and important!  Throw off any sin that easily entangles you and keep sharing Jesus.  Confession is good for the heart of His witness just like weed pulling is good for the growth of a garden!  Hebrews 12:1-3 says it best; "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Step Five:  God blesses His Harvest.  Just like a healthy garden produces a harvest of vegetables, a healthy growing witness will be blessed by God for sharing Jesus with others!  Oh, it may not be material blessings and it WILL NOT be easy, but the rewards from God through the sense of joy God gives to His witnesses for saying YES to His Gifted2Go calling is one of the greatest blessings you will ever experience!!  Psalm 126:5-6 says it best "Those who cry as they plant crops will sing at harvest time.  Those who cry as they carry out the seeds will return singing and carrying bundles of grain."

Please always know that we are praying for you as you keep stepping out of your comfort zone, preparing, planting, watering, pulling weeds of sin out, and get ready to be blessed....as GOD will make all evangelistic seeds grow!!  You are Gifted2Go Grow & Share Jesus!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bg2cJ5bw2k  "Press On"  Selah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN9SpcWLbLs  "I Bless Your Name"  Selah

Conversations that Count: Confession

"The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.'

"Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am He'" (John 4:25-26, NASB).

I would have loved to see the look on this woman's face when Jesus told her that He is the Messiah. Do you remember the first time you realized and received Christ as the Messiah, the Lord who came to earth to save the world?

Jesus made a confession of His identity. Where are our roots, and where do we get our water?

Our confession as believers was made to Christ to receive forgiveness, that we are sinners in need of God. We can make this same confession to others, that God has since forgiven us from our sins and our debts were paid on the cross for those sins. Now, we aren't perfect - we are still human. As believers, God is still working in us. Yet, God has given us this forgiven, new life with Him as a part of His family. He walks with us, guides us and helps re-align us as we continue our relationship with Him.

This Easter season, you may get the chance to invite someone to church. It may help you start a conversation on where your hope is from. We can live with hope and peace because we know and believe that Christ loved us, died for us and forgave us. His forgiveness has covered us, and that is what makes the cross so wonderful. A cross is a symbol of death and condemnation, but Christ turned it into something beautiful as He paid the price for our sins and suffered on one.

No matter where we are at the moment, as believers, we know that having this mended relationship with God is the best thing we have going for us. We have a God who is always there for us, who loves us unconditionally and who suffered in our place, taking victory over sin's hold. Our strength and peace comes from Him, even in challenging or tough situations.

Let us share our faith in Him, His love for the world and how He came to save it. Our confession has helped us, and it could help someone else as well.

Study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

In the Light

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us form all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, New American Standard Bible).

If you rub your hands on a newspaper, then what happens? Usually, it makes my hands smeared with black ink. When we sin, our hearts are marked up by it. We are further from God because of it, because He is holy. 

In this verse and the verses surrounding it (1 John 1:5-10), we learn that God is light. As believers who have turned from sin and seek to live life with the holy God, we also seek to walk in the light. Sin separates us from God, yet He still desires for us to come closer. Remember how He loved us while we were still trapped in sin (Romans 5:8)? Jesus was sent to die for our sins so that God's wrath on the sin would be paid.

Therefore, as believers, we are forgiven and are under grace (Romans 6:14). Yet, in our relationship with God, we must still confess the sin that He sees and turn from it, so this relationship will strengthen (Romans 6:15). God is faithful to forgive us from those sins.

So, God not only walks in the light, but also desires for us to walk in it as well.  When we turn to God, turn away from sin that threatens to damage us, and ask for forgiveness, it is like He washes hands that have been covered in newspaper ink. We are made new, as white as freshly fallen snow. Jesus came into the world, after all, to save us from lives marred from sin, so we would have the chance to be in a mended relationship with God (Titus 2:11-14).

Lord, thank You for sending Your Son to the world, and thank You for Your forgiveness. Give us hearts that ache to be made right with You and follow You, so that Your Spirit can continue its work through us. Help us to share the power of Your forgiveness with someone else this week. Amen.

"Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7, NASB).

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo from interactive.wxxi.org.

CALL on Him!

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray..." Luke 11:1

In "HeartCall: A New Heart" (http://www.namb.net/heartcall/), which is a free downloadable simple discipleship guide, session seven teaches about Prayer! I would like to share with you the simple Pattern for Prayer - A CALL to Prayer that is written in "A New Heart". Please feel free to download "A New Heart" and share it with others!!

"This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:9-13

In these verses (Matt. 6:9-13), we see some specific steps to take as we pray. Jesus is calling us to have a lifestyle of prayer as we share heart to heart with Him. Every believer is called to prayer. God is always there, always listening, and always has an answer to our prayers based on His Perfect Will! Don't you love to talk with someone that loves you and always has your best interest in mind? God is the one that loves you more than anyone else and He has a special plan for your life! (Jer.29:11-13) Let's look and learn a simple pattern for prayer using the acrostic CALL:

Confess your sins so God will hear your Prayer! "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matt. 6:12

Confessing your sins is simply admitting to God the things that you have done that are not pleasing to Him. Psalm 32:5 teaches confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Take some time to write Psalm 32:5 in your own words. Read Psalm 103:3, & 8-12. According to these verses, what does God do with your sin when you confess it to Him and turn away from it? Confession is a Key to our Prayers being heard by God!

Adore God for who He is as we praise Him! "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Matthew 6:9

To "adore" is to praise, respect, love, cherish, honor, esteem highly, worship, idolize, and much more. God is the ONLY ONE that is worthy of our total adoration! He Is Holy!! Read Psalm 63. Fill in the blanks of Psalm 63:3-4 "Because your __________is better than _________, my _________will __________ you. I will __________ you as long as I __________, and in __________ __________ I will lift up my hands." Psalm 63:3-4. Let's pause right now and pray a prayer of adoration and praise to God as we admire Him for Who He Is! Write down some of the words of adoration and praise that you just shared with God in prayer.

Let go and trust God to provide for your daily needs! "Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11

God knows what you need and He wants you to turn to Him for everything! Are you totally depending on God? He is your daily provider in every area of your life. When you pray and ask Him to provide for your "daily bread", you are acknowledging that God is in control of your life. As you pray and communicate to God that you trust Him, you are letting go and letting God have control of your life!! You can TRUST God!!! He will never leave you, forsake you, or let you down...fall into His arms, let go, and let God have control of everything in your life! Make a list of all the burdens, cares, or concerns that are in your life today. Write down a commitment to God, sharing with Him the 100% trust you have placed in Him. If there is a struggle with trusting God, pray and ask Him to help you and teach you how to trust Him, He will answer your prayer!!

Lift up your requests to God, thanking Him for every answer to prayer! "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...And lead us not into temptation, deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6:10, 13

As you pray, God wants you to lift up your specific needs, one by one, as you ask Him for His Will to be done. God has a special purpose for each one of His children! Ask God to show you His special purpose for your life. He will! It is important to also ask God for help to live for Him daily as you stay away from evil. When (not if) you are tempted by the enemy, God will provide the protection and deliverance you need to have Victory over temptation. You can live a victorious life in Christ that is dedicated to God daily through prayer!! Read Psalm 141:1-2 and make a list of the prayer requests that you have. According to these verses, how should you begin your day? Set a specific time and place that you go to God in prayer daily. Keep a record, a prayer journal, of your prayer time with God. You may want to us a spiral notebook, tablet of paper, prayer folder on your computer, or journal to keep a HIStory of prayer requests and answers to prayer!

When we lift up everything to God through prayer, we will have the peace of God ruling in our lives! Prayer protects our heart and mind because we are using prayer as a guard in Jesus Name!! Let's ask God to turn our worries into prayers. The more we pray, that less we will experience anxiety (Phil. 4:6-7). This sounds like a Prescription for Peace = Confess, Adore, Let-go, and Lift-up...CALL on GOD today!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmiebkAEzfc (When I Call on Jesus! by Nicole Mullen)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCtnCoYYWhU (Let Us Pray! by Steven Curtis Chapman)

Spring Cleaning

"But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things that hurt others, and using evil words when you talk. Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live a new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One that made you." Colossians 3: 8-10a

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Spring is in the air; tulips and dogwood trees are beginning to bloom, birds are chirping and busy making their nests to lay their eggs, days are getting longer, and it is time for the Big Spring Clean in many areas of our lives! One area of our lives that would benefit a good Spring Cleaning is in the area of Technology. Technology is such a huge part of our lives in 2011. Let's look at every Technological gadget in our lives and make sure that we are regularly "throwing off everything that may hinder or easily entangle" our lives in Christ!

I personally enjoy new technology tools that are available in our lives today. Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, E-mail, and Texting have become the new "Front Porch" in today's society. Years ago women use to gather on the front porch and visit with their "front porch friends" and now they tend to gather via technology and visit with their "face book friends".

Technology can be used for good or bad and it is important to regularly evaluate how these tools are impacting our lives and the lives that our life impacts. If we are not careful, the enemy will try and creep in and entangle Christians through technology, let's be wise and regularly evaluate our life as we throw off anything that could easily entangle or hinder our walk with the Lord and/or our witness with those that need us to share the Lord with them.

1 Timothy 5:13 warns against being "...idle, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say..."
As our spiritual lives experience a healthy Spring Cleaning, lets be honest with God as He desires to clean out every area of our life as this could be a strategic time to evaluate our technology life in Christ. Here are a few thoughts/words of wisdom to think about as we evaluate our technology life and encourage one another:

• Am I Using Facebook or Technology to complain or discourage in any way
• Am I Spending too much time on Facebook or Technology
• Am I A Positive Influence or Negative Influence through Technology
• Am I Comparing myself with others through Technology
• Am I Using information that I gather through Technology to gossip or gather gossip about others? Do we excluding others or pick and choose who to respond to which leads to unhealthy clicks or closed circles that could discourage instead of encourage
• Am I Ignoring my husband or children or daily responsibilities to "hang out on today's front porch"
• Am I Allowing the enemy to cause any negative feelings of defeat through Technology
• Am I Posting inappropriate pictures or comments
• Am I Addicted to any tool of Technology? Do I constantly check technology tools many times a day?
• Am I Measuring self-worth based on what others say or how many friends or followers there are

I have listed what could be called "Ten Ways that Technology Could Trip Up a Follower of Christ" as the trends are showing that these tools may be adding to the sadness and/or lonely feelings of people. There is also a trend of relationship troubles due to Tech Stress that is a new area that needs to be communicated in the lives of today's Christian Women! Be Wise in Technology!
So let's all just have a good dose of healthy Spring Cleaning through and through in our lives! Just think about how you feel when all the closets of our lives are uncluttered and clean and ready to share the cleaner of our lives, JESUS, with others!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come"! 2 Corinthians 5:17

from a need to a change

"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us"  (1 John 1:5-10, ESV).

Lately, I have seen how I am not as strong as I would like to be - mentally, physically, and spiritually.  I can have trouble focusing, and the last mile that I try to add every two weeks to my runs, to train for a half-marathon, is my toughest.  Spiritually, my friends have been teaching me more about confession.  The thing is, is that I think confession really opens us up for growth in our relationship with God and with everyone you meet.  I think it helps to at least share how we have this deep need for a relationship with God.

It is a process, I think, to mature in our faith.  When we speak with others, we can know that we are neither perfect nor worthy to be in God's family, but that we are able to be a part of it because of Jesus' sacrifice for us.  We are weak by ourselves, but we are strong with God.  The Holy Spirit sanctifies us. 

My challenge for myself, and to any others, is to take time to remember how much we need God in our lives.  If we explain this need to others, then we could help each other grow closer to Him.  It is an everyday need that we all have, and we can praise God that He is strong enough for anything.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). 

An old music video about change - "May Your Power Rest on Me"