At His Feet

June 28, 2017: Faith Tabernacle.

Small Straws in a Soft Wind By Marsha Burns:

June 28, 2017: Allow Me to reveal the things that hold you back and keep you from having spiritual vitality. There is still plenty of internal work that needs to be done before you can be completely whole. Let go of the darkness of the past and prepare your heart to transition from the last chapter of your life into a new, as yet unwritten chapter. I am with you to guide you to be the best version of yourself you can be, says the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Girls Life Application Bible puts it like this.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 

" May the Lord lead your heart into a full expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ."

My friend Millie sends me these scriptures every day and it amazes me how much they speak to me about my own life. I'm hoping other people can relate to this and that I don't say something that contradicts God's words. 

Father God, 

Please help me to understand these words and to not twist them in any shape, way or form. Give me the common sense and wisdom to understand what it means and please open the eyes of whoever reads this. Bless them in all areas of their lives and feed them the spiritual milk they need to grow or the spiritual bread they need to eat to grow stronger. God, I worry about if this could help anyone and if this posting will get to my mind. I know how I am but I also know that You are faithful and that You will correct me if my heart strays. God, please bless this devotion book and use it for your glory. Open all our hearts and minds and souls and spirits in the glorious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Often times I walk around thinking to myself "How could I change anyone's life with what I have when what I have isn't much?" I can't sing or dance or give wise sounding advice (to me) I don't play instruments and I'm not too sure I even have visions....I seem so small with what I have and also...the gifts I do have I used it in such a bad way in my past, it scares me from using them now...

I wonder if anyone ever feels like that as well? Like all they had they once used it for bad, for sin, that it's hard to see how to use it for good or like they will fall back into old patterns if they use it again? It sounds silly but it's a fear that constantly there in the back of my mind...and it stops me from using what God gave me. It stops me because I allow it to stop me. 

This is what God is saying in the words my Marsha Burns: My fear is one of the things holding me back from having spiritual vitality and my past is what is holding me back from entering the new chapter I'm supposed to soar into. I have a lot of growing, technically I'm still a baby in the faith and it seems like I'm never going to grow up and become a strong soldier but that isn't true. God said He will be my guide into this transition and so I need to believe and not Doubt Him. 

I need to allow God to soak into me His love and patient because I lack those two things as well and really badly I might add. Sometimes I just do not care about anything or anyone and my patience is really low. When I allow God to shower me in His love and patience in me through the bible, His words washes over me and lets me know where I am wrong and how to grow and make things right or He just holds me and lets me cry out my anger and sadness...His patience dealing with my craziness is amazing and His love, I can't understand fully but I do know He loves me so much, He gave His Precious Son Jesus Christ to die for my sake. 

That is what I need for other people...I need to be patient with people and love them even though I hate the things they do. I need to not be afraid of messing up or using the gifts God given me because God said He will guide me to be the best version of myself I can be and God never lies. I He's patient and loving enough to help me and pick me up when I fall, then shouldn't I take that chance to give Him the glory in whatever I have? 

It kind of reminds me of Moses: Moses was afraid to go back to Egypt because he was a wanted man. His past was clouded in murder and Moses didn't want to go back because of it but God told him to go back. Moses tried to get out of it, saying he was inadequate: he couldn't talk right and no one would listen or even believe him...This can be found in Exodus Chapter 3 to chapter 4.

Chapter 4, verse 1
But Moses protested again, "What if they won't believe me or listen to me? What if they say 'The Lord never appeared to you?'"

  Moses still doubted and was afraid. I could picture Moses thinking to himself 'I'm a nobody. I can't do something good; I made a huge mess in my past. They are better people than me, strong people who are spiritually more mature than me. I'm just a simple person...who everyone back in Egypt hates.'

 Patiently God dealt with Moses: Exodus 4:2-4
The the Lord asked him (Moses), "What is in your hand?"
"A shepherd's staff," Moses replied.
"Throw it on the ground," the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.
Then the Lord told him, "Reach out and grab its tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd's staff in his hand."

My pastor once explained that this is what God asks us: What is in your hand? Moses had something so small and made for shepherding sheep: it couldn't be use as a weapon, could it? It was simple: it wasn't grand or a ninja stick to use for martial arts...if anything, that stick could reach tall places to get things...like clothes on a wire yet God turned it into something extraordinary. Something that became known to everyone because when we hear of Moses, we hear about the staff and the spitting sea. Another thing I noticed in this story is that Moses started getting stronger as the story progresses. In Chapter 4, Moses complains about his speech and so God sends Moses's brother Aron to go with him and talk for Moses but later down the story, we see Moses talking on his own. It shows that that insecurity is gone now, that fear and timidity, all of it, vanishes.

So putting it like that: I will start out like this: scared and wondering how these gifts could ever be used, afraid of using them, but I will not stay here. God is going to take me places and grow me to the point that I'm going to look back at this moment and wonder "Why was I ever so afraid?" He's going to direct me in love and patience and mold me...I can't wait.

Father God,

I confess my fears and doubts. I acknowledge Your words as well as the darkness of my past. I made bad decisions in my life, some I still cringe at to this day and wish that I could wipe it all away. Forgive me for my thoughtlessness. You washed me of those sins and forgiven me of the bad choices I made in my life and the sin I will commit in the future. God, please work on me and help me to enter the chapter of my life that you are writing, I do not want to be stuck in this chapter of the past. God, please direct me in your love and patience and thank You for always being there for me and for the people reading this as well. I pray that it helped someone, even just one, or in the very least, got someone thinking. God, please bless them throughout their lives and keep them strong. Give them wisdom and understanding and fill our hearts with love so that we may shower love on others. In Jesus Christ Holiest and Awesome name: Amen.

-Candy.