Day 29 In Him we find...

I think everyone at some point in their  lives have wondered what is their purpose here on Earth. We may have wondered things like..."Is my purpose to be a doctor or a teacher or a mother?" Whether you know what your purpose is or not, God has a bigger purpose for you than you know. 

We may think we figured out our own purpose, but really God is the one that has a purpose for us. He is the reason you are alive today, reading my blog. We don't find purpose in a career, but we find purpose in God. He is the creator of the universe, the creator of us, and the creator of our purpose.

If you are wondering today what your purpose is, let me help you out, your purpose is to show God's love to others. It's that simple. All the other details, God has figured out. I know I always quote Jeremiah 29:11, but I'm going to quote it again...."'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." He has wonderful plans for everyone, but there is one common purpose for everyone...to be witnesses of His love. Matthew 5:16 says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

All throughout the Bible we see different stories of how God has a purpose for His people. There was a purpose for Adam, Eve, Noah, David, Pharaoh, Mary, John the Baptist, and of course Jesus (and many, many others). Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent me" in John 6:38. Never doubt that God has a purpose for you, because He does. Romans 8:28 says, "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." We may think that we know what our purpose is in life, but we need to trust that God has an even better purpose. Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." 

First and foremost, we are called to show God's love to others and leave the rest up to Him. 

Trust in His purpose for your life.

In Him we find purpose.

If you are joining me in the year long Bible reading plan, today's scripture is Acts 24-26.

Have a BIG decision to make?

We all make decisions. We make decisions constantly. You made the decision to read this blog entry. We make little decisions, big decisions, irrelevant decisions, and important decisions. We are decision makers 24/7.

 We must be pros at decision making, but are we?

I don't know about you, but I've definitely had problems in the decision making department. If you are close to me, you know this to be true and you're probably say something to the effect of, "boy ain't that the truth!" I'm sorry guys, that it takes me 30 minutes to make a decision, but in every relationship there is a "decision maker" and a "decision maker-follower"...I'm the latter, so know this, I would be lost without you!

You're probably thinking, "Chelsea, you are 22 year old, college graduate. You should be able to make your own decisions." I know. I'm an adult now. I must make my own decisions. So lately, I've been working on the decision making. Not the small, irrelevant decisions like McDonald's or Burger King (I skipped those...because I'm brave like that... haha) but the BIG, important decision making. Decisions that can affect our walk with God. Well, do you want to hear my secret?

A lot of times we make earthly decisions for heavenly matters. Let that sink in.

 

What's wrong with that statement? Earthly and heavenly don't match up. We can't make stupid, impulsive decisions and expect for our walk with God to be strengthened. Of course, God can bring good out of the bad, but we can't go making unwise decisions and be waiting on a great outcome. For example:

• A woman can't marry a guy just because he is good looking and assume it will be a blessed marriage. This is a heavenly matter, because God calls the husband to be a spiritual leader to his wife. Just because he's cute, doesn't mean he is going to be a spiritual leader for his wife. And vice versa. A wife is called to encourage and serve her husband.
• A man can't accept a job, just because it will satisfy his hunger and love for money and expect that he will be blessed. This is a heavenly matter, because we should work  according to God's call despite how much money we make.

 

Here are my secrets to good decision making skills:

1. Pray/Read Bible - pray for discernment, open mind, & obedience in God's will.

2. Seek counsel - Find someone who has your best interest in mind, knows you well & preferbly, a Godly mentor.

3. Pray again. Never hurts to pray. Pray for open doors & closed doors.

4. Wait. Don't expect an answer right away. Decide when you feel at peace with a decision. If you are still worried/anxious when you make the decision, you might want to do some more praying.

5. Pray for discernment of time/how and courage to make decision.

6. Make decision!

 

Psalm 119:115 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Proverbs 15:22 - Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding.Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.

 

So what's your big decision to make? 

I pray that you make a heavenly one!

 

Don't forget your 30 minute fast of your possession! Let me know how it goes! I fasted from mine and got this blog out of it! Funny how God works ;)

 





 

 





A Work in Progress...A New Creation

From my faithful readers from the beginning, you might can tell that this does not look like my "While on the Deck" blog. Well,if you don't know, I like change so I decided to redesign my blog. I even decided to change my blog's name! I chose "From Chrysalis to Butterfly" to symbolize my life, especially my recent journey with Lyme Disease treatment. In the beginning, I was down in the dumps. Depressed. I went from to denial to anger...why me, God?! After I got over that roadblock, I gave it to God and said, "Your will be done....I trust you...no matter what I go through, You are good and always will be....despite the pain I feel, I still love you." Trust me, that was not an easy thing to say. It took months to get to that point, but wow, when I reached that point my perspective changed. The pessimistic film over my eyes began to fade away and the optimistic flim took its place. I begin to see how God has used my disease to make me a better person in His eyes. He intricately planned out every detail. Through each situation I've faced and each person I've met, I have learned something new about myself or about God and His promises. All of this has led me to change my blog (plus, it has forced me to stay in bed and rest, so that's good ;) name to "From Chrysalis to Butterfly". In the beginning, I was wrapped up in myself and pessimis and through the journey I've changed and grown. Now, I'm definitely not a butterfly just yet My wings still need to grow I've still got a lot of work to do, but it is so encouraging to see how God has turned bad into good, by growing me into who He has called me to be. So my subtitle for my blog is "Transformation through Healing- trials, epiphanies & faith". Lately, I feel like I have "transformed" because I have started trying new things, like sewing, embrodiery, painting, DIY projects, reading new books, and more. Plus, my faith has grown! If I would'nt have gotten diagnosed and started treatment, I might never have tried these things and grown in my faith. The best part of this is that through this time of growth, God is healing me. He is healing me in so many ways, physically, mentally, spiritually, and I know that He is preparing me for things to come. When I was redesigning my blog, I was trying to think of a verse that I could use to go with my theme and the verse that poppped into my mind was 2 Corinthians 5:17. I loveee this verse! In fact, when I was a small group leader I made the girls memorize this verse (girls, if you are reading, you better remember the verse!). So I decided to put the verse on my background as a reminder to all of you (and me). A reminder that God can make you new. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" He makes us new when we put our faith and trust in Him. If you're facing a trial, trust in Him and let him transform you into a new creation. If you're not facing trial, remember that you are a new creation. Your mistakes, regrets, doubts are wiped away when you put your faith in Him. He makes you new. What an awesome truth! On top of that, Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." "In all things", God will work for the good no matter what. The good in my Lyme Disease journey is that He has opened my eyes to new things, taught (still teaching) me patience and trust, led me to wonderful people, and I probably could keep listing. God is transforming and healing me through this journey. Anyway, the main idea of this post is to remind you that you are a new creation or you can be! It may sound like a "New Year Resolution" type of entry, but the great news is that we don't need a new year to change our ways. We can be a new creation now! God can make us new, anytime, any place, as long as we put our trust in Him and believe the promises He has given us. So here is my question for you...are you a new creation? Can you feel God transforming you? If not, you can. Just let Him know that you trust in Him and want to give your life as an offering. Trust me, no matter what situation you are in, God can make it better!