Ministry Is Not What I Thought

min·is·try  (mn-str)

n. pl. min·is·tries

a. The act of serving; ministration.

b. One that serves as a means; an instrumentality.

 

  When I think of Ministry I think of going to Seminary for 4 years, I think of out of my league, I think it's nice to serve on a team where someone else tells me what to do.  What I don't think is, is that I personally have my own Ministries. That God would ever use me so significantly because I would probably mess it up. After all I have no training, no formal education on how to be a Minister- Ministry leader.  So when a very kind women {Robin} told me that my two most important Ministries are my Husband #1 and my Daughter #2, you could of pushed me over with a feather. For lack of better words I was dumbfounded!  I have never heard this or even considered the fact that I minister to them.  I don't know why, I just never have.

  My husband is not saved.  Which proves very difficult when trying to raise a child with Christ-like teachings.  There is a reason the bible says "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV.

                                                                                                                                                                              

Picture from/christianity201.wordpress.com/

Real quick side note, what do you think of when you hear yoked, I always thought of EGGS and I never could quite understand what an EGG had to do with Christianity.

<---- But this is a yoke                                          

Do you see how the two ox are held together, that is a yoke.

When you are "yoked together" with someone who doesn't believe as you and you are trying to go in separate directions in life, it doesn't lighten the load, it makes it load quite harder to pull. 

 

 

 

 Robin shared with me this passage of  scripture "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. " 1Peter 3:1-2 NASB.  And that is my deepest desire, That my husband decides to Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! 

  So... Here's the tough part, I have to make a bunch of changes in who I am and how I behave in order to fulfill this role just in regards to my husband. But I am up for the pruning!

 

Dear God, Please take away all of the parts of me that keep me from being who you made me to be. Please God give me the Wisdom and Strength it is going to take to become the Wife Ernie Needs and DESERVES. God Please bless this Ministry you have placed in my life. I pray that I do not fail You or Ernie. Please Guide my actions and attitudes.  Thank You for the opportunity to work in your Kingdom.

In Jesus Name I Pray,

AMEN

 

 

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 KJV

 

Missing Something

My Pastor has been preaching a series called Missing Something. It has been a series that really makes you reflect. I stopped today to remember who I was before I surrendered to Christ. I wasn't a good person, I lied, stole, and cheated my way though life.  I had been neglected and abused in some way my whole life.  After I learned who I was in Christ I started demanding better for myself, I prayed for God to deliver me from the hands of the people who were, at the age of 24, still abusing me. I am not the same abused and broken girl I once was then, but I still have deep wounds that only time and God can heal.
  Pastor Ralph's teachings have been about having The Joy of the Lord, Being Humble, Having Confidence, and Perseverance and Focus.
     The Joy of The Lord; When you think about JOY, you think overwhelming happiness. But the Joy that you have, learn to have, when you are a Child of God, is more of a confidence. It's KNOWING who God is and KNOWING that he uses everything in your life for GOOD.
       Being Humble; A humble person is someone who is grateful and doesn't think too highly of themselves, but for me I believe it is more than that. Being Humble is more for me about Mercy and Grace and well as Gratitude and Honor.
        Confidence isn't about a good self-esteem and who You are ALONE, but about Knowing Who God says you are and Knowing who He is and KNOWING He always does what He says.
         Perseverance and Focus; Well I think this is the simplest of concepts but the hardest in application, well at first and sometimes in the middle and at the end as well.  Keeping your Focus on God when your "world" is crumbling around you. But that's the thing, your world isn't crumbling!  The Enemy whispers those lies trying to get you to take your eyes off of Jesus, forgetting the very important fact that God works EVERYTHING in your life for GOOD. Staying to Fight each Battle to be able to WIN the WAR!!
   When the scars start to open, I need to stay focused on the One Who Saved ME!! The One who cut the chains that bound me to a life of abuse. My Daddy is God and my Big Brother is the Big Bad Jesus him self, and with them being for me, Who can successfully stand against me!

Thank You Pastor Ralph Morris for being obedient to God!

Trust

I trust God to take care of me. I trust that God has everything all worked out. Today though, I just want to know what to do. Do I leave my home because my husband told me to, or do I stay?  I want to be able to met him for dinner and ask him what does he want me to do and get an audible answer.  I don't want a feeling, a song, a sermon, I want him to tell me what to do, him self face to face.The more I think about this the more emotional I get.  I don't want to leave, I want my husband, But he has been telling me to leave for months now, and just now do I realize that he is serious.  Oh Lord, what am I to do?  God knows the questions that are in my head, God knows my worries. I trust God, but I do not trust my own decisions.  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8 nasb So do I stay and fight, do I leave and honor his wishes, or do I crawl in a hole and cry? I chose the last, its the easiest. Yes this post is a downer, I promise sad posts will be very few. Thanks for reading!  God Bless!

Lazy Train

  As I look around my small 2 bedroom mobile home trailer, I realize that I have been stuck on a Lazy Train lately.  I do not believe there is a flat surface that doesn’t have something on it. My kitchen is so incredibly cluttered! I don’t know how to fix it with no real storage space. The main culprit is my depression. I think I have been depressed since I was very little, like elementary school days. I finally started taking some meds for it the end of last year. The past 2 months though I haven’t taken them very regular at all, which is why I believe I am stuck on this “Lazy Train”.  It is so easy to get overwhelmed when you are depressed, the simplest of tasks are completely daunting.  A couple loads of dishes to wash can “look” like and seem like every dish in the house is dirty; so I put it off and by the time I finally get enough gumption to it, every dish in the house is dirty. It is so funny, I can clean someone else’s house with no problem for the most part, but to clean my own…

  We all have sin that we struggle with , and mine is Laziness.  I have struggled with laziness my whole life.  It wasn’t until recently that I realized that it was a sin.  Laziness is ruining every aspect of my life.  I know that it is laziness that is the reason my Scentsy Business hasn’t really taken off the ground yet!  Laziness is the reason my daughter has behavior issues. Laziness is the reason My Husband is unhappy in our marriage.  Laziness is the reason we don’t yet own a house.  Laziness is the reason I am over 100 lbs over weight.  Laziness is the reason my home is SOO incredibly cluttered.  Laziness is the reason!  

    The bible is very clear on this matter  Proverbs 13:4 (AMP)  The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied.   And for those of us who do crave, but still can not get off the couch,  Proverbs 6:6 (AMP)  Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!--  Ants work very hard, and they work together in community! So lets imagine being an Ant, running around gathering food and making tunnels and whatever else it is that ant’s do, they are constantly working. We Do NEED to be more like the ant!

  As I am asking For God's help with this I will let you know my progress! I really want to overcome this sin and I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)  I know that I am nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ.

  Father God, Please help my friends and I overcome our sin. We do not like falling short of your glory. God please give us strength and wisdom as well as a kick in the tail when needed.  In Jesus Name, Amen