Tag Archive | purpose

Philippians 2:1-2

Jun7

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being (that you be) of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Philippians 2:1‭-‬2 NASB

Because of Your sacrifice on the cross, Christ Jesus, I crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. I find comfort in Your love for me and through fellowship with the Spirit desire to live with and also walk by the Spirit. Make my heart tender and compassionate toward Your church, Your people. I pray we can be a people of the same mind, loving one another as You have commanded us to do, and work together with one mind and purpose for the church, kingdom and Your glory, Lord God. Amen
Philippians 2:1-2/Galatians 5:24‭-‬25 NASB

🌹The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
2 Corinthians 13:14 NASB

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Surrendered?

Dec6

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
1 Peter 4:1‭-‬2 NASB

Jesus suffered in the flesh for our sake. He showed us our purpose — to cease from the ways of the world. He is the way.
Have you ever really weighed the weight of your sin? Thought about how damaging sin is to your life? Have you surrendered your life, your flesh to God? Are you seeking God’s will in all you say and do? Or are you still living in and for your flesh – “me”?

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  .  . Matthew 6:33

🌹 Have you surrendered your will, your way, your purpose, your life to God?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

One Purpose, One Voice

Mar8

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that with one purpose and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5‭-‬6

🌹God of encouragement and perseverance,  grant Your church the mind of Christ that we would glorify You unified in purpose. May our voices rise together to glorify You Father through Your Son, our righteousness.  Amen

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Gladness and Peace

Feb1

“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted (defeat, obstruct, prevent).
Job 42:2 NASB

So why do we worry? Why do we try to obstruct or prevent the way of the Lord, His plan? Is He not in control? Is not His plan the best way for us?

Do we not trust in Almighty God? Or is it that we want it our way instead of His way?

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”
Job 42:5‭-‬6 NASB

It’s time to repent and seek God’s will and way.

Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.
Psalms 105:3‭-‬4 NASB

🌹 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

The LORD Spoke

Jul28

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
2 Chronicles 33:10 NASB

These are some of the saddest words. “The Lord spoke but no one paid attention”.

THE LORD SPOKE BUT NO ONE PAID ATTENTION!

Do you hear the Lord speaking today? Your Creator speaks. He speaks by means of His Holy Spirit through the word (Bible), prayer (conversation with the Lord) and events happening around. Look around you. What do you see? Has God’s church, His people, turned their backs to Him? Sought their own way?

“Have you not done this to yourself By your forsaking the Lord your God When He led you in the way? Jeremiah 2:17 NASB

God’s church needs to return to Him. His way. His will be done. Bow down before our God in repentance and seek Him. God demands our full allegiance. He desires our complete surrender to His will, purpose and way. He desires to bless His people.

When he (Manasseh) prayed to Him (God), He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
2 Chronicles 33:13 NASB

🌹Do you truly know the Lord God? If not, today is the day of surrender to Him.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Good

Feb19

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. — Romans 8:28

God has a purpose. All have been called to fulfill that purpose. Not all want to take part in the fulfillment of His purpose. But to those who love God and desire to fulfill His purpose will see God at work causing all things to work together for good.

My question. Does that mean good by my definition or perspective of good or God’s perspective of what is good for His purpose and what is best for me?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

It’s Really Jesus Doing The Work

Oct2

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. — 1 Corinthians 3:7-8

How humbling and revealing these verses are. It is a wonderful thing to lead someone to the Lord — exhilarating, exciting, pleasing and a bit of pride can slip in thinking that “we” led someone to the Lord. Truth is revealed here. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit and in obedience to Christ we share the gospel. The Lord is the one who changes the heart of the person to whom we are speaking. So the only part we play is surrender and willingness to be used for God’s purpose and glory.

As some of you may remember I spent two years with my Mom and Dad caring for their needs in another state, away from my family. While I was there the Lord taught me the reality of these verses. I often thought about my family and how I was not there to speak of Jesus and be an influence on them. How in the world are they going to continue to follow and grow in their relationship without me there to remind them and be an example?!!!

I tell you that my family grew in ways that blew my mind in those two years and the only real influence I had was my time of prayer for them each day. I had to rely on the Lord to change their lives and be the reminder that He is alive, loves and is with them always.

Jesus can do more and be more of an influence on your family than you can. Our focus needs to be on our relationship with Jesus. The closer our walk with Him the more influential we are to others “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) Are you willing to surrender to the will of God and let Him use you to lead others to Jesus? He is waiting to transform you into a witness of His glory.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

When God Moves

Aug24

Have you been there? When you know something is coming but you’re not quite sure yet what it is? When you are on the brink of something great that God has been preparing you for? When the floodgates of opportunity open up for you? When you’ve been walking in the desert waiting, knowing that at any moment you are about to step into the promised land?

Well, I’ll have to tell you that my life has been a whirlwind of God’s movement since Thursday.

If you recall my devotional on Friday, August 22, you will know that God blessed my obedience with six beautiful ladies coming to my house and enjoying a time of fellowship and introduction to my best friend, Jesus Christ.

Nothing, I mean nothing happens by accident. In God’s perfect plan, He knows all that is going on. Another blessing from my wonderful Father came my way when a free admission ticket dropped into my lap for Women of Faith. I was looking forward to going on Saturday.

God also knew that I would be offered a chance to go to the Friday night program. This of course wasn’t offered to me until 45 minutes before I was to be picked up. Since this was Friday and I had worked all week to make my house presentable for Thursday night fellowship I had decided to take Friday as a “lazy “day. I did laundry, which means all my clothes were dirty, so I lounged around in my PJs all day. When I received the phone call I had not seen soap, water, shampoo or a hairbrush all day. Exactly — 45 minutes to get ready, and do I even have any clean and dry clothes to wear?

I debated whether I really wanted to go. I went ahead and started getting ready, asking God whether I should go or not. I was like the verse in James that says, “like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind”. When I was ready I still have not made a decision until I read a verse from my phone. “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord God is holy”. (Psalm 99:9) I had my answer and off I went for a wonderful evening of worship.

Then comes Saturday. The conference was entitled “From Survival to Revival”. Let me begin by saying that two sessions were entitled Renew and Restore, which are two of the keywords in my mission statement. I am currently doing a Bible study and one week was on recharging, another topic of one of the sessions.  And then there was the final session on Revive. I believe I was there to be revived by God so I could be ready for the mission He is about to unfold through me.

Christine Caine, one of the speakers, spoke out of Joshua chapter 1 where God told Joshua to cross over into the promised land. The promise. Loud and clear I heard, through Christine, that God has prepared me and am I ready to cross over to what He has promised.

God gave to me a promised vision many years ago but He has been at work in me preparing me to cross over to that promise. Am I ready? Yes, although I am afraid, not of where or what God will do through me, but of my failure to lean on, trust in, surrender all to Him. I will move forward with my Lord because I know He loves me and He has promised to be with me always. So my weekend has been a whirlwind that has blessed, challenged and humbled this servant of the Most High God.

Was all this just coincidence? I don’t think so. I hope this testimony encourages you to be ready to be used by God. Sit at the Saviors feet and learn. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Trust him with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. God has great plans for you and it is an exciting journey.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Anticipation

Aug22

Have you experienced being called by God to do something and you are so excited and are confident that things are moving forward toward that goal God has placed on your heart? Well about a month ago God rekindled in my heart a vision I had about 3 years ago. I have prayed, planned and waited on God’s go ahead. When God is ready to use you it is so exciting, scary, exhilarating, challenging all at once. But God doesn’t just drop a plan in your lap and expect you to fulfill His plan alone. No, He continues to walk with you revealing His plan as you trust in Him.

Last night I had some young women over to my house to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Now this plan had been moving forward for a month now and I kept praying that God would use me for His glory and that I was not going to expect anything but would anticipate that God would do something this night. As of Wednesday I had confirmed that 3 women would be coming. I continued to trust the Lord that even if it was just those 3 that God had a plan for them.

Wednesday morning He sent me this scripture passage via a text that is sent to me each morning:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” — Luke 4:18-19

What affirmation that Jesus is with me and still fulfilling His purpose through me. Jesus came to preach the gospel, release the captives, free the oppressed and He is still doing it through His followers. Seeing and reading this passage encouraged me so much. I heard God telling me that Jesus would be with me and through me He would continue what He started many, many years ago.

Then yesterday’s scripture was:

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. — John 15:16

I took full advantage of this verse believing that God has chosen me to share the gospel with these young ladies and I was bound and determined not to let my Lord down. I would bear fruit, fruit that would remain. I prayed some more for these ladies and the night. God leads through scripture. God encourages through scripture. And through prayer He used me last night to His glory. He blessed me with a very receptive group of women. That group totaled 7 of us. Is my God not amazing?

Seven women. Anticipating His greatness and work He blessed me. Of those 6 beautiful women, all participated in the activities and listened intently to what I shared. Best of all . . . they all want to come back next month. I am overjoyed at the work of the Lord through this imperfect person He calls His child.

I can’t wait until next month to see what He has planned. I will wait in anticipation of His work. No expectations, just anticipation. God is awesome and I am blessed. Thank you Lord for using me.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ambassador for Christ

Aug14

God is love. — 1 John 4:8
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. — John 3:16
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; — 2 Corinthians 5:20a
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.– 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus loves us despite the fact that we are sinners and even though we don’t deserve it, He fulfilled God’s purpose. Jesus demonstrated His love for us, put into action that love, when He died on the cross paying the debt for our sin. Jesus fulfilled God’s purpose of redemption for all of mankind. Jesus out of love for the Father obediently saved mankind from the sin of death and gave us eternal life.

So what is our purpose? To be ambassadors for Christ, the righteousness of God in Him. Just as Jesus, our example, we are to love others even though they are sinners and demonstrate God’s love to others even if we think they don’t deserve it. We are to live for Jesus, drawing so close to Him that we become like Him. And like Him we love, demonstrate love, and let Jesus use us to draw others to Him so that He may transform them into the righteousness of God, ambassadors for Christ!

God wants to use you for great things. Are you ready to be an Ambassador for Christ? Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Then you are ready to be an ambassador. Continue to seek Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon