Day 18
Welcome to the final week of prayer and fasting, friends. Can you feel it? The final push of the last days, that extra distraction the enemy wants to throw at you? Press on!
I was talking with a friend about a particularly challenging couple of days last week. I shared that while it was heavy, I truthfully had peace in it because anything I’m holding is the Lord’s anyway. Then I continued, shining light on my own insecurities with every word... “Do you think that sounds irresponsible? Does it sound like I’m not taking things seriously or like I’m naive to the weight of heavy issues? Do I seem dismissive? When I say it out loud it just sounds like I’m cheating at life or something.”
“You’re not cheating,” they said. “You have the spiritual gift of faith, and it’s for you and the church. It’s a great thing!”
Of course it is - like my own personal life hack; a gift, freely given to me, from a Father who loves, to help equip me to live out His purpose - in my life and in His church. Deep down I knew that - scripture teaches us so, but the enemy had me so busy overthinking the appearance of God’s good gift, that I wasn’t fully recognizing it. I was very nearly ashamed of it. A clever tactic of the enemy to distract and disarm.
How many times do we squander away our Father’s good gifts because it might be misunderstood by the world? How many times do we beg God for his hand, and then hide the very light He’s given us? How many times have we compared our own gifts to others and decided that ours isn’t special enough to share? In these final days, I challenge us to go before our Father with open hearts and open hands, willing and able to receive with our hearts, minds and spirits whatever He has for us. Our churches, families and communities are counting on it. His gifts for you aren’t JUST for you - they’re for the good of His church, but He’s counting on us to use them.
1 Corinthians 12
Becca Poe
I was talking with a friend about a particularly challenging couple of days last week. I shared that while it was heavy, I truthfully had peace in it because anything I’m holding is the Lord’s anyway. Then I continued, shining light on my own insecurities with every word... “Do you think that sounds irresponsible? Does it sound like I’m not taking things seriously or like I’m naive to the weight of heavy issues? Do I seem dismissive? When I say it out loud it just sounds like I’m cheating at life or something.”
“You’re not cheating,” they said. “You have the spiritual gift of faith, and it’s for you and the church. It’s a great thing!”
Of course it is - like my own personal life hack; a gift, freely given to me, from a Father who loves, to help equip me to live out His purpose - in my life and in His church. Deep down I knew that - scripture teaches us so, but the enemy had me so busy overthinking the appearance of God’s good gift, that I wasn’t fully recognizing it. I was very nearly ashamed of it. A clever tactic of the enemy to distract and disarm.
How many times do we squander away our Father’s good gifts because it might be misunderstood by the world? How many times do we beg God for his hand, and then hide the very light He’s given us? How many times have we compared our own gifts to others and decided that ours isn’t special enough to share? In these final days, I challenge us to go before our Father with open hearts and open hands, willing and able to receive with our hearts, minds and spirits whatever He has for us. Our churches, families and communities are counting on it. His gifts for you aren’t JUST for you - they’re for the good of His church, but He’s counting on us to use them.
1 Corinthians 12
Becca Poe
Worship Moment
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