Recently, I have felt a tug on my heart for people living in poverty around the world. I knew that tug was from the Lord, for it wouldn't leave me, and He kept putting people with similar feelings in my life and placing books about the topic right in front of me. As I prayed for focus, God did just that. He led me to Compassion International, a ministry that focuses on individual children living in poverty and their development. The more I learned, the more I needed to be a part of what was happening in this incredible organization. Finally one day, I watched this video, and at that point, I knew. I just KNEW. I watched this little girl, Halena, from Indonesia burst into tears of joy when she found out that someone across the world chose to sponsor her and give her the greatest gift - hope. Through my own tears, I could hear God saying, "THIS. This is where I need you." I thought of the disciples in Matthew 4 from our devotional this week. Jesus called them to follow him, and they got up immediately and did just that. So many times in life, I have spent too much time questioning God when I felt His call. I wasted time digging in my heels and thinking that I couldn't do what He called me to do. I wasted time feeling: * not good enough * not put together enough * not experienced enough * not holy enough Then I began to think about the people God called to ministry in the Bible: * David was just a boy * Moses was a murderer with a speech impediment * The disciples were fishermen * Mary was just a teen None of them had the qualifications we would look for in someone to serve. But they all had one thing in common. They stepped out in faith and served Him with their lives, no matter the cost. They heard the call and said YES. I feel like I don't have near the qualifications to be an advocate for children in poverty, but right now, my calling is clear. I can waste time questioning God and doubting my ability to do what He is calling me to do. I can stop asking, "What about this? What about that?" Instead, I can trust that God's Word is true when it says: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10 Did you get that? He has PREPARED US IN ADVANCE! When He calls you, be ready! He will call you when HE knows you are prepared. Have trust and confidence in that. If you believe that, it will be so much easier to say YES despite your misgivings, doubts, and worries. Keeping all that in mind, I decided it was time to say YES. I signed up to be an advocate and blogger for Compassion. As soon as I hit the submit button on my application, I felt peace and a weight lifted from me, for I knew right now, this is where God wants me. I am now working with an organization that doesn't just provide people with the incredible chance to give a child hope through sponsorship, but also provides so many other opportunities to give through their programs like Water of Life, Child Survival, Bite Back, and so much more. Were you moved by Halena's story and would like to learn more about sponsoring a child(ren) of your own? Follow this link, and you can learn about the beautiful children who have been waiting for a sponsor of their own, some for over a year! Is God calling you to help their wait end? I chose to say YES. I have no idea of what is in store for me with this calling, but I am willing to allow God to take the reigns and lead me to where He wants me to go. What is He calling you to do? Do you feel Him tugging at your heart today? I pray you will have the courage to be like the disciples: Luke 5:11 "And when they had brought their boats to land, they LEFT EVERYTHING and followed him." Leave your doubts, your worries, your questions and follow Him. Joyfully, Ginny "Friday, Friday, writing this blog on Friday... Everybody's looking forward to the weekend!" I apologize if you know the song I am referring to and if that gets stuck in your head now. But, take heart, I have a remedy....Here is is......BEHOLD THE GLORY OF GOD! “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 I (Mia) shared a devotional with you on Monday on this text and if you remember all I asked in that devotional was that you would read, underline, and mark up the text. And that's what I did too. I read this passage every day and the crazy (not so crazy) thing is, God has something new to say to me each day...even today. So I feel scattered on what to share with you except this..and it has been tested and proved....God's Word is alive, It speaks, It is applicable to life and EVERY situation. Just a basic summary of my week with this passage: MONDAY- Chill, be still and behold the Glory of who I AM. TUESDAY- You are a new creation WEDNESDAY - You are created to be BOLD, so Speak. THURSDAY - My Spirit is alive in you LISTEN FRIDAY - You are in the world not of it. So much of the world is living under the veil, BE LIGHT I could go into great detail of what God broke in me each day, but we would be here a little bit longer than you may desire. So basically I want to leave you with this. I am a deliberate women. I am BOLD to say it (probably because I wasn't always). God's Word is LIFE and without it, I can not be deliberate about anything of worth. I was created to behold the glory of something, I was created to worship something. Because I know Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I thank the Father for removing the veil, for turning me to Him SO THAT I could BEHOLD the glory of God. His spirit lives in me. I LOVE HIS WORD. I read it everyday. And here's the kicker....I read it everyday and still I struggle, still I sin, still I snap at my husband (ok seriously, I was PMS-ing the other day-lame excuse I know) still I make excuses for my sin, still I am flawed. BUT still I am loved and built up in Christ, renewed and redeemed. I have the mind of Christ, able to take every thought captive and put it under submission to Him. You see, I know I fail all the time, which is why I can NOT imagine my life if I wasn't in the Word. The Word of God in me turns my heart quicker to the answer, slower to anger, it fills my heart with love for people that I would rather not love by DAILY reminding me of the sacrifice God made for me by sending Jesus Christ to be the propitiation (a perfect sacrifice) for my sins and not just me, for the world. What is the point of what I am writing to day? I'm not sure! But as I turn to the Lord with an unveiled face and behold the glory of God, the glory which is, as I heard it the other day, sort of like this... "The glory of God is the manifest beauty of His holiness. It's the going public of His holiness. It's the way He puts His holiness on display for people to apprehend. The heavens are telling the glory of God. What does that mean? It means He's SHOUTING at us. He SHOUTS with clouds. He SHOUTS with blue expanse. He SHOUTS with gold on the horizons. He SHOUTS with galaxies and stars. He's SHOUTING "I AM GLORIOUS!" OPEN YOUR EYES...... Do you see it, Do you Love it. You were made for this." John Piper So, do you see it, do you love it? Today is a challenge to be deliberate about the Word of God, Loving it, Loving Him, loving others. Ladies, we need the full armor of God because the battle is real and what we are up against is real. Satan prowls, he is patient, clever and cunning. He wants to divide us and conquer us. He wants to destroy our families. BUT GOD, has given us the tools to do battle. So lets stare into His face, behold His power and glory and remember that WE as believers are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. Hey! That makes us pretty amazing!! So if daily filling yourself with His Word is where you are already, Praise God, press on, press in. If you have fallen out of the habit, God is the God who always makes us new, start fresh today. If you have no clue where to start, if you open the book and it just looks like a bunch of words and numbers, that's ok. But can I challenge even you, to dare to start. And what better place to start than John 3:16. You can look it up online and if you don't have a Bible drop a line and we will find one for you. I am speaking for all of us here at DW, we love you, we pray for you. Join us in being Deliberate. His Word and His presence in your life will change, transform and make you new. Blessings! FYI-Turn up the volume and worship!!! It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas!!! So why wouldn't we give something away?!?!
This week we will be sharing the Christmas CD "Behold Your King!" by our very own Mia Koehne. She will send out to TWO randomly chosen winners 2 CD's each....one to keep and one for each winner to giveaway. The CD's, which have 6 Christmas songs on them, are beautifully designed as a Christmas greeting card and comes with an envelope so you can easily mail it off to your family and friends. Want a preview of one of the songs? Check it out HERE. NOW, how do you win? Easy!! Follow the submission form and share with us the answer to this question. CONTEST QUESTION: What is one of your favorite Christmas Songs? Can't wait for the CD? Well you can purchase one (or a bundle) at Mia's online Music Store and they will be shipped off right away! Happy Advent as you prepare Him room. Behold Your King! From the ladies at Deliberate Women |
This space is reserved for Founder Mandy's perspectives and viewpoints of Scripture. Man is fallible, but God is not. It's strongly encouraged that you study the Scripture for yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in your understanding.
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November 2023
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