Organizing the Inside 365 Days
Empowering Christian Women To Get Organized and Discover God's Plan for Their LivesArchive for God’s Will
Organzing the Inside – Day 301 Where is Your Faith When the Storm is Raging?
22One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. 23As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. 24The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. 25Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!” Luke 8:22-25 (NLT)
Have you feared the worst when God told you to do something? Although you knew it was the Lord who told you to do this, somehow when the storm came you began to doubt. You looked at the winds, and the waves which represent all the opposition you’ve been experiencing, and have almost given in to the fear. Your mind is telling you to give up. Your head is suggesting that you never heard from God to begin with. You’ve often thought it sure would be easier to just give up and forget about it.
Jesus told His disciples the plan. The scriptures point out that He was specific about what they were to do. He said they were going to the other side of the lake. Jesus was with them the entire time, but the disciples forgot all about what the Lord said in the midst of the storm. In fact, what He said no longer mattered, because they were preoccupied with the storm. In frantic fear about all that was happening around them they spoke in unbelief and cried out, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
Do not doubt if God has told you what He wanted. When God tells you where to go, you should have absolute certainty that you will reach your destination. The Lord’s objectives will be met. He never suggested that the disciples should try to see if perhaps they could get to the other side. Jesus told them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”
7 Things You Need To Know To Get Through The Storm
When God gives you something to do, eventually opposition will come, but you can have total peace.
1. Know where your faith is. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be able to stand firm. 2 Chronicles 20:20c (NLT)
2. The Lord is with you and He will never leave you alone. So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)
3. When the storm is raging and calamity seems inevitable, you will not fail because you have the Word of the Lord. He will uphold you and give you complete victory. Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
4. Even if you stand completely alone you and God together are the majority. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31(NIV)
5. Never cry out in unbelief, but ask for what you need (in faith) according to His will. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 (NLT) The LORD will work out his plans for my life–for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Psalm 138:8 (NLT)
6. You can make your mind obey and submit to what you know is God’s will. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)
7. You have the peace of God. Don’t get distracted by confusion and opposition. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (KJV)
Here’s a different look at this scripture, nice article.
- When the Storms of Life are Raging (dreamprayact.com)
Organizing the Inside – Day 291 Out On A Limb With God
8“Do not forget this! Keep it in mind! Remember this, you guilty ones. 9Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. 10Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. 11I will call a swift bird of prey from the east— a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding. I have said what I would do, and I will do it. 12“Listen to me, you stubborn people who are so far from doing right. 13For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! Isaiah 46:8-13 (NLT)
God wants to correct the matter today. He will however need your full cooperation. He wants to bring about the change that you’ve waited for. He is not preparing you for something that will happen in the distant future. If you truly trust in Him alone, He will prove Himself mighty. Stand and believe His Word. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5 (KJV)
Resist the urge to continue doing what you’ve been doing. Is it not obvious that your way isn’t working? There is a big difference between stubbornness and perseverance. Faith makes the difference clear. Stubbornness is doing things according to your own plans; unwilling to bend and change according to God’s Word. Perseverance is a determination to follow the will of God; an unwillingness to give in to the fear and doubt. Perseverance causes you respond to things according to God’s Word, according to faith. In our stubbornness we sometimes think our ideas and ways are better than what God has for us. At times we reject doing what He wants, because we’d rather try our own way first. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your way, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 (NIV) God wants you to acknowledge and recognize His awesome power. He alone can change your circumstance. Will you go out on a limb and trust Him to do what He said He would do?
Organizing the Inside – Day 258 Are You Part Of God’s Great Army?
1The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
10So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army. Ezekiel 37:1-3, 5, 6, 10 (NLT) (also read Ezekiel 37:1-14)
God wants to raise up an army of strong Christian women.
However, many of His daughters are not living productive lives, but are instead doing their own thing. For whatever reasons, some have moved away and given up on doing what God wants and are living outside of His will. Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represents the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. … ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Ezekiel 37:11, 12 (NLT)
Exile: one living outside of their own country: a citizen of one country who is forced or chooses to live in another. Wikipedia defines exile also as a self-imposed departure from one’s homeland.
Why do Christian women leave the church?
Why do Christian women move away from God’s purpose for their lives and go on to do their own thing instead? I believe there are many answers but probably three main reasons.
1. Fear of facing the truth about who they are, and what they are called to do.
2. A response to what someone did, perhaps resulting in hurt feelings and unforgiveness.
3. Lust of the flesh, you simply want to do your own thing.
Lord, am I in exile?
If you have left your rightful place in the Church, God wants to bring you home and restore you. If you know that there is a call on your life or something particularly special that God wants you to do and you’re not doing it you may be in a type of exile.
Consider these three things:
1. Are you living outside of the will of God? (only you can answer that)
2. Does your life lack productivity? No or low, fruit is produced.
3. Are you experiencing feelings of hopelessness?
Perhaps you are a work in progress.
You look good on the outside, but the life, excitement and passion for the things of God are missing. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Ezekiel 37:8 (NLT) Like the dry bones that received flesh and skin, you now only need to have breath breathed into you so that you can “live” again. Seek God to fill you completely with His power. (read Acts 1:4 and Acts 2) 11“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Luke 11:11-13 (NLT) God wants your life to be productive. He wants you in His army as a strong witness for Him. The Holy Spirit will give you such power. If you lack power and productivity in your life and feel like you merely exist in a valley of dry bones, Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” Hebrews 3:15 (NLT)
Organizing the Inside – Day 228 She Finally Found The Place
But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts 20:24 (NLT)
Lord, are we there yet? Are we there yet?
For so long she searched for the place. She knew in her heart for years she really wasn’t there. She thought surely this can’t be the place, because something just doesn’t seem right. She heard others talk about the beauty of this place, and concluded this place is in a far and distant land. She reasoned that one would first have to die to go there. She thought this place sounded in some ways like you might imagine heaven to be. It was described to her as a place where joy, peace, love and contentment reside.
God gave people ideas, and passion, gifts and talent and dreams too, as a means by which He’d use to guide them there. Only those who embraced serving others in love could go there. Once there you never want to leave. You’d find everything you needed there and so much more. Everyone who lives there is abundantly provided for; yes, there is much overflow.
Upon arrival she simply couldn’t understand why she allowed so many things to detain her. It became clear that people, fear, foolishness, anger, greed and self-centeredness each played a part in delaying her arrival.
She looked up and saw that the windows of heaven were open and all that poured out almost took her breath away. She found the place that she’d searched for all those years. Oh yes, it’s true she found the place where all the pieces seemed to fit together. She better understood the pain of her past, and the future no longer frightened her. She finally found “the place” right there in the center of God’s will; she discovered His purpose and plan for her life.
Have you discovered “the place”? God has a purpose and plan for your life. We’d love to hear a bit of your story.
Organizing the Inside – Day 203 Putting Fear In Its Place
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. Luke 5:5-11 (NLT)
This post is a continuation from yesterday – Day 202. If you missed yesterday’s post, I invite you to go back and read it to get the full concept of what I’ve written.
Taking a stand against fear is the best way to put it in its place.
Decide now that if Daniel can go into the lion’s den, and come out untouched you too have the protection you need to stand for what is right. If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego can come out of the fiery furnace without as much as the scent of smoke on their clothing, then surely you are fully capable of victoriously facing anything that is before you. If you are confident that your dream is from God and it is what He has given you a passion for, then you must go-for-it.
Jesus prayed, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
God’s will is to be done on earth, in our hearts and lives as it is in heaven. The Kingdom of God is set up within every believer who would dare to forsake their own selfish ambitions and follow Christ. The disciples walked away from everything (Luke 5:11). They were focused on one thing, obeying Christ and doing God’s will. When we are committed to following Christ, He tells us that He will give us the desires of our hearts. May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4 (NLT) Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4 (NLT) Why would He do such a thing? When we put God first and follow Him, our desires, dreams and passions are for the things of God, they fit perfectly into His will for our lives. No longer are you concerned with impressing others with your status among men, you are concerned with God’s kingdom coming. In His kingdom there is only true love. There is no room for pride, jealousy, selfishness, or greed in the heart of one who has allowed God’s Kingdom to set up there.
Jesus told us many times in the scriptures not to be afraid.
Fear holds us back. Here is the key, when you allow His kingdom to come and be established in your heart and life you have overcome fear. Why? “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 (NIV) When God’s kingdom comes into your heart, I mean – you have completely yielded and your life is completely about doing His will, something happens on the inside and all fear is gone. I believe this is a supernatural occurrence orchestrated by the Holy Spirit when God has a vessel that is totally yielded to His will. We understand this, God’s kingdom is already established in heaven. In heaven there is no disobedience, fear, or selfishness it just doesn’t exist there. What Jesus was praying for was that while we are here, God’s kingdom would come in our hearts and lives. That means DOING WHAT GOD PUT IN YOUR HEART TO DO. Really it is that simple, obeying God and agreeing with Him. When Simon and the disciples were ready to leave everything to follow Jesus they did so for a reason; they were pursuing their purpose. Jesus immediately told Simon two things:
- “Don’t be afraid.”
- “From now on, you will be fishing for people.”
The key to overcoming your fear is doing God’s will.
Move out of the problem and into the solution. By following your dream, you will find yourself directly in the center of the Will of God. Your brilliant zone is there (in God’s Will) the place where your talents, abilities, gifts and skills work best. Ask God for help today, the answers you’re looking for are not hidden. If you don’t know your purpose, He will show you. If you are not sure about your vision, He will clarify it. God wants His children to be filled with love, Perfect love drives out fear 1 John 4:18 and God is Love 1 John 4:16.
May God’s Kingdom come and may His will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Organizing the Inside 365 Days 