Day 261 of
The Red Shoe Project has me in
RED shoes and praying diligently for friends. Today has been a day jam-packed with ministry, but even still, I'm pondering, in the back of my mind, questions that many of my readers have about being used by God. A thought crossed my mind today...
Partnering with God is usually
unannounced in advance.
It's spontaneous, not planned.
That's why you always have to be ready. Ready to move to the side and let Him take over.
He tends to just pop in,
tap you on the shoulder
or whisper in your ear
and it's a go:
Time for Him to move!
That takes trust! It's no wonder that there's so much emphasis on spending time with God. You can't trust someone you don't know. Right? Trust is developed over time. Every time He uses you, you get a front row seat to observe what He's doing. When you see lives powerfully touched and changed and you know it's not you, but Him -- He's building trust in you.
Sometimes we think that God's going to use us in great measure to win the lost or bring healing and deliverance to the masses. That does happen on occasion and some people are certainly called specifically to that. Billy Graham won millions to Christ. His evangelistic services filled stadiums. But even Billy started out small.
I saw a movie once about Rev. Graham's early years. He'd practice preaching to whoever would listen... including inanimate objects. On more than one occasion he was told he'd never amount to much as a preacher. He just didn't have "
it." LOL. I'm laughing because it's not about having
"it." It's about partnering with
"Him" -- God. Jesus said in
The Gospel of John 6:44,
"No one can come to me,
unless the Father who sent me,
draws Him."
The Father draws the lost to Christ by the power of The Holy Spirit, and he often clothes Himself with people to do that. It? There is no "it" involved. If it's about having anything at all, it's about God having us! Does He have you? Does He have me? Are we there for Him to put on?
God is the Good Shepherd. He uses people like you and me, as well as the Billy Grahams of the world, to go out and get the
"1" that's lost its way. Those opportunities are abundant. You'll find them at work, the gym, the grocery store, family gatherings, school, church, ball games, cookouts and parties. Those opportunities are all over the world, and in your own back yard! They're
EVERYWHERE! The question is:
Are you willing to go out for
"The One?"
Because if you are, He'll use every single one of those opportunities to train and teach you how to work with Him. Before you know it, one time becomes two, two becomes four and so on and so on. Oh yes... there will be countless opportunities!
But if you're NOT willing to go for the one, then why would God set you up for hundreds? He won't. That's because God loves each and every "1." He doesn't want to lose even one soul! His will is that ALL would come to Him. You might think, "Yeah... but isn't it better to bring in a big catch than just one?" I always look at it this way: If that "one" to be encouraged, saved, delivered or healed is your daughter or son, your mom or dad or your best friend, then you understand the value of the one. It may not be your daughter or son, but it's someone's daughter or son, and that's all that matters.
I love the story of Philip, the disciple, found in Acts chapter 8. One minute he is found amongst the crowds, laying hands on people, right and left, delivering them from evil spirits, healing them of crippling diseases, preaching the Good News of Jesus and baptizing converts in water. The next minute, the Spirit leads him to a desert road where he meets an Ethiopian eunuch looking for Truth. Before you know it, the eunuch is born again, baptized and on his way rejoicing in his new found salvation. Meanwhile, the Spirit of God quickly moves Philip to another place where ministry is needed.
Know that...
God has a customized plan for your life!
"Customized" means it's been
put together specifically for YOU.
You are a unique individual, created by God for a specific purpose! Everything in your life -- right down to the smallest detail -- is there for a reason. That includes your Divine Training Plan. You might not understand why life brought you this way or that -- why you've crossed paths with the specific people you have. You may feel like things aren't happening fast enough. It may not make sense why you studied one thing in school and ended up doing something entirely different. It's called customization. It may not make sense now, but one day it will.
"And we know that all things
work together for good
to them that love God,
to them who are called
according to His purpose. "
Romans 8:28 KJV
Remember... God's not just working on Your Plan -- He's working on His Plan as well. Your plan and my plan are integral parts of His BIG Plan to save the World!
"For God so loved the world
that He gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believes in Him
should not perish but have
everlasting life."
John 3:16 NKJV
Remember when God told me to Dare to BELIEVE that His plan was bigger than my plan? That's what I'm talking about! Take a moment and ask Him to give you a glimpse of the bigger picture.
In RED shoes,
Gail
