God is Calling on Your Life, by Michele Laccabue

Wouldn’t it be nice if God “called” us up on the phone and gave clear audio instructions?  One place He offers lots of insight is in the Bible.  Some of His callings are intended for all of us.  For example, Romans 1:6 states, “You are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” and Hebrews 3:1, “we share in the heavenly calling to fix our thoughts on Jesus”. 

First and foremost, God calls us to choose a personal walk with Him. When we do, He then shares with us personal, unique callings for our lives.  From the depths of our souls, we will know if He is directing us to move.  Typically, He likes to put our God-given abilities to good use or activate our hearts to love.  It’s probably something that your old self would never consider and you fear you cannot do it on your own (guess what? you’re right).  The prompting is unmistakable.  Act on it.  He wants you to grow…to try something new…to see His power in action.  Each step in following His calling (for you), brings you closer to Him, enlarges your faith, and your life story develops another chapter.

Over the years, God has called me to various challenges.  One time in particular, I remember saying, “No, that’s not for me.” He was persistent though.  He proceeded to lay out a path of people and circumstances that made it very clear that He was calling me to take this step of faith.   I surrendered and began homeschooling my sons six years ago.  Talk about going against culture and feeling “different” (not my first choice).  I won’t lie, there were rough days with bouts of questioning, but He has been faithful.  He hasn’t let me down.  He has shown me in numerous ways, WHY He called me on this path and I am very thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it”.  

Rest in that my friends.  He is faithful.  Trust.  He WILL do it IF He called you to the task. He will not leave you hanging.  He will empower you.  Keep in mind, callings are personal (my calling may not be yours), some callings may change over time, or He may add another layer when you are ready.  Keep an eye on His plan by staying connected in your relationship with Him.

What has God called you to do recently?

“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” Ephesians 4:1

Your sister in Christ,

Michele

mlaccabue@tampabay.rr.com

Bold as Lions, by Alexis Albright

 Something I've struggled with for many years is fear.  It will come out of nowhere and then my brain will run wild with details…it's insane!

A few weeks ago, I was winding down for the evening with a heavy heart.  I got into bed and looked at my husband, Blaine, and began to tell him about some of the fear I had been struggling with.  At one point, I began to cry.  Blaine sat there and listened, and we had some good discussion.  But my fears would not be “discussed” away, and my husband knew that.  He committed to pray for me and my fear, and I was also going to pray.  I would pray for peace from the Holy Spirit if my fears were unfounded and I would pray for wisdom if He was trying to get my attention.  I realize that fear is something I've allowed to have a place in my life, and this could be ALL from Satan.  But I wanted clarity from the Lord.

The next morning, I decided I would study Scripture on courage.  I needed to read on how to live courageously and NOT fearfully.

Here are some of the verses that have given me strength to embrace the truth that fear is not from God- that we can live with boldness and confidence that He is God and He is in control:

Joshua 1:9 “This is my command – be strong and courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.”

1 Chronicles 28:20 “…Be strong and courageous, and do the work.  Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.  He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.”**  

**David was giving instructions and plans to Solomon on the construction of the Temple.  It was the Lord’s plan for Solomon to carry out this work, but even in doing good, fear and discouragement were a battle.  David gave Solomon a charge full of encouragement that entailed worshiping and serving the Lord with his whole heart.  I love that!

When fear begins to rear her head, I quickly jump to these verses I have bookmarked.  I say these out loud- I proclaim the Word of God- and I am filled with holy COURAGE!

What is it that keeps you from being all that God wants you to be?  Take the time to find some Scriptures in your Bible's concordance or look passages up online that will equip you with the Truth of the One who made you in His image.  And then hide them in your heart!

The Healing Continues, by Connie Smith

All of us are sinners. “No Perfect People Allowed” as our CATB motto goes.  We all have things in our past that we want to forget but they seem to reappear when we least expect it.

This happened to me a week ago.  It was when April spoke at the Sunday service about how events in her past had affected her and how she was working through them to find healing.  It felt like someone was pressing on my chest making it hard to breathe.  A couple of days later…it happened again.  Like someone or something inside of me was pressing to get out.  Finally, I stopped long enough and sat down trying to identify what would be causing this…urgency…this need to confront some long ago fears and pain.  I thought of events in my past that I had buried so deep I thought they may not really be my life, but someone else’s.  It was as if God knew that now is a time for me to face some of the things of my past and feel His healing touch on me. 

I went to one of my favorite books of the Bible, Phillippians.  Chapter 4 seems to say it all for me:

Phil 4: 6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Phil. 4: 13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

I did, and am, praying for the strength of God and His grace to get me through this. I don’t know why these memories are coming back to me, or why now? I believe that God must think I am ready to open my heart and begin the healing process.  I have to say that I am scared and uncertain about going deep into my heart.  But I also feel the forgiving and healing power of God in my life.  I am reading the book of John and see how great our God is that He can bring a dead man back to life and forgive a woman caught in adultery.  Knowing that Jesus died for my sins is my refuge.  I hope that in knowing Him and feeling His grace and mercy that it will help me to heal and to forgive myself.

Lord, I ask you to watch over anyone who is reading this and hope they can find strength in knowing that you are a God who loves us, even with our imperfections.  Give us all the power of your grace and mercy, in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Why go there? by April McCullohs

Last Sunday, I shared my story of healing from abuse. If you missed it, you can watch it here. 

The biggest obstacle to my healing was actually getting started. Healing is hard work. It's disruptive to the normal routines of life and it usually means suspending your normal-happy-and-coping-self for a period to really examine what's going on in your soul. Embarking on a healing journey probably means sharing some of it with your spouse, if you're married, and asking him to extend some extra grace as you deal with what comes up. It probably means professional counseling at some point, it definitely means more reflection and quiet time with God, and it most likely means investing time and money in resources.

Healing is hard work. 

So, why even go there? 

Most of us would claim to have good lives, great families and friends, and many more blessings than millions of hurting women "out there." Shouldn't we just be grateful for what we have, for where we are in life, and move on with it? 

Here's my challenge: We cannot live the life God designed for us without healing-- from what others have done to us, and from what we've done to others and to God.

When abuse (sexual, physical, verbal or visual--don't be quick to dismiss your story as "not counting") or tragedy occurs, our souls are damaged. Our natural, in the flesh, response is to harden our hearts and to rely on self-protection. The problem with a hardened heart is that it cannot give love and receive love the way God intended. In fact, those with backgrounds of abuse cannot fully obey God until we bring our brokenness directly to Him. 

Remember this? When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, he skipped over the behavioral stuff in the Ten Commandments and got to the heart of the matter:

"Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^" Matthew 22:37-39 (emphasis mine)

Until we accept Jesus' invitation to heal, we will not be able to love with all of our ourselves, which is the "first and greatest commandment." We definitely won't be able to fulfill the second, equally important, commandment of loving our neighbors if we choose to remain in our state of contented brokenness. While this talk of commandments may sound so very religious, the point is that God wants our entire beings--to be known by Him in intimate relationship and to be offered to others by Him in sacrificial Jesus-type love.

In The Wounded Heart, Dan Allender shares a story about his friend (we'll call him "Tom" to avoid confusion) whose wrist broke as a child. Due to the neglect of his parents, Tom's bones were never set correctly and never healed properly. As an adult, Tom's wrist no longer hurts and he can use it to some degree but he will never be able to play racquetball, tennis or other sports. For Tom's wrist to be completely healed, a doctor would have to re-break the wrist, set it properly and Tom would have to endure physical therapy (expensive and time-consuming!) for a while before resuming its use. 

 

And so it is with us. 

For us to heal completely from abuse, we have to allow the Great Physician to examine our wounds, even if it results in more intense pain for a period. This takes a lot of courage, I know. But this Physician we're talking about is like no person we've ever known. He is humble and kind, gentle and worthy of our trust. A friend and I commented this week that he is a gentleman, the very finest.

If you felt a tugging this week, if emotions and memories were stirred, I plead with you to follow Jesus down this road. It may look shadowy and dark and you may be filled with dread and feel the rising tide of shame, but it's here, in these dark places, that he makes himself known, that he displays his redemptive power. 

I'm praying for you, sister. 

Feel free to email me at amccullohs [at] gmail [dot] com