Tag: #encouragement

bad driving.

Published on by elizabethgwinLeave a comment

Bad drivers. We all have seen them, honked at them, and yelled things at them that we are ashamed to repeat outside of our cars! Even worse, some of us have been those bad drivers. Oh no!

I attended an event the other day located deep inside a large neighborhood, more like a maze. When I went to leave, I could not find the exit and realized that I must have missed my turn. You see, I had not paid good attention to all the turns when I followed my friend through the maze to the event.

Now, I found myself on a street that dead-ended in a cul-de-sac of houses. No sight of the neighborhood exit, and I was frustrated!  I made a three-point turn, retraced my path, and said some unsightly words! I was so busy being annoyed from driving in circles that I failed to look both ways before crossing the street.

I ALMOST had a wreck because I was being a bad driver!

At the disturbing sound of many long honks, I hit my brakes and looked up just in time to see a very nasty glare that lasted far longer than necessary.

I sat at that stop sign and thought about how close I was to not only being in an accident, but almost being the cause of one. As I surveyed my surroundings, I realized that I had turned prematurely. I had been on the right street in the beginning but had taken a wrong turn BEFORE I could SEE the exit gate.

So similar to our Christian walks…

We often are on the right path with God, and although we are walking with Him, we still want to turn off the path BEFORE we arrive at the gate. We lose patience with the journey and think that we have missed our turn. On the contrary, most times we have not even arrived to the place where God wants us to turn. We feel lost and frustrated and worry that God has either led us astray or misled us, or (my favorite), that we have gone too far and completely missed our turn altogether. LIES!

Now, the glares and the honks hurt my feelings, but I was grateful for their warning that kept us both out of danger.

Have you ever had warning signs that made you realize that you had veered off the road? What about in your spiritual life, in your journey with God? Have you ever felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit that caused you to stop and turn around? Or perhaps that undeniable gut feeling, or conviction, that lets you know that you need to turn around to avoid danger?

GOD KNOWS that we are human. He designed us “in His image” and empowered us with the ability to make our own decisions (Genesis 1:27). However, this free will can lead us astray when we are not paying attention to our surroundings or decide that our paths are better than the ones God chose for us.

We are not the only “bad drivers” throughout history. King David certainly did not have a perfect driving record! He made many mistakes in life, yet God never gave up on him. In the following passage, he advises his son to OBEY GOD and to STAY ON COURSE!

Hear these words of wisdom from King David of Isreal:

“When David’s time to die approached, he charged his son Solomon, saying, “I’m about to go the way of all the earth, but you—be strong; show what you’re made of! Do what God tells you. Walk in the paths he shows you: Follow the life-map absolutely, keep an eye out for the signposts, his course for life set out in the revelation to Moses; then you’ll get on well in whatever you do and wherever you go. Then God will confirm what he promised me when he said, ‘If your sons watch their step, staying true to me heart and soul, you’ll always have a successor on Israel’s throne.” – I Kings 2:1-4, The Message

We must note that David did not detour enough times to “mess up” or “miss out on” God’s plan for his future. The world may tell us that we have gone too far off course for God to save us, but that is simply not true! We are NEVER TOO FAR GONE for God to save us! God re-routed David [every time!] until arriving at his final destination of establishing the lineage for the kingdom of God through his dynasty!

Twenty-eight generations later, Jesus Christ is born from the house of David:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” -Luke 2:12, ESV

This Messiah, this Savior, was Jesus Christ, the eternal successor of Isreal’s throne.

Remember, God will guide us, but we have to pay attention to look and listen for our directions. It is so easy to miss our turn when we are not paying attention. Turn off the distractions, and focus solely on God’s navigational directions!

ESV = English Standard Version

 

propel women.

Published on by elizabethgwin1 Comment

Several years ago, I had the privilege to attend a Women of Faith event in Houston, Texas. I was inspired and encouraged by all the speakers I heard throughout the weekend: Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Lisa Harper, Sheila Walsh and Christine Caine.

I began following each of the ladies’ ministry journeys and learning and growing from the materials they were producing. When Christine Caine created Propel Women, I immediately was drawn to her prophetic vision that had developed into a deep and genuine passion to encourage, empower and equip women to do the Lord’s work in everyday life. Yes! I could not wait to learn more!

Next thing I knew, I was co-leading a Propel Women Chapter at my local church and gathering a group for the conference that would be held in the fall of 2016 right here in Mississippi. [Y’all, NO ONE holds their events in Mississippi! This was HUGE!]

At the conference, I was afforded the opportunity to meet other chapter leaders from the region as well as meet the ladies of Propel Women! A few months later, Propel Women invited me to write an article about my amazing experience at their event.

It is my great privilege to present my first published article: My Story at Propel Women.

I hope you find encouragement in my story and can see that God indeed hears us and has a purpose for our lives. Opportunities exist around us daily to see His hand and to hear His call; our eyes and ears must be open to Him, and we must also be attentive and willing to respond in obedience.

This passage spoke to me often during the time period that I reference in the article. These words sustained me during a seemingly silent and lost time, a season of searching and waiting. In retrospect, I can see that God not only met me right where I was, in the middle of the thick, but He also guided me out to a better place and is still leading me today.

“.. Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all… Always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good… He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:14b-21,24, ESV

ESV = English Standard Version

facebook friend.

Published on by elizabethgwin1 Comment

The other morning I was sitting outside, drinking coffee and enjoying the beautiful weather. I had my Bible open and was reading the day’s lesson in my study group’s current series, A Woman Who Doesn’t Quit: 5 Habits From the Book of Ruth by Nicki Koziarz.

Someone walking by stopped and looked from my books to me and said, “Oh. You are doing your spiritual part of your life.” After I replied, “Yes, I’m doing my Bible study lesson,” and he walked on, I kept thinking about his words.. doing .. your .. part of your life..

This person has known me for many years and has been a regular church attendee for as long as I have known him. His comment was not one that I would expect from a fellow Christian. Something just did not feel right about his awkward words and behavior.

Two questions kept running through my mind:

(1) Does my faith in God encompass my entire life and being or just “a part” of it?

As Christians, we are commanded to live out each day in a Christ-like manner, displaying the love of God in every facet of our lives. As I strive to meet this commandment, am I exuding the love of God in all my daily activities? Do I walk each day on the path God has laid for me?

(2) How can I encourage fellow Christians to seek a [more active] relationship with God?

Going to church does not equal having a relationship with God. I have many Facebook friends; however, I do not have a personal relationship with each person, only the ones that I engage with in community and fellowship. God desires more than Facebook friend status; He desires for us to be actively engaged in a personal relationship with Him. Yes, He wants a personal relationship with you, with me.. not just a select few of us, but everyone!

The following passage is from the letter written to the church at Phillipi. In it, the apostle Paul reminds the community of new believers that the goal they are striving towards is Jesus Christ, trusting Him and knowing Him in a personal relationship. Faith is strengthened within a community of believers working towards a common goal and encouraging each other along the way. Paul suggests that practice makes perfect, as he urges the church to imitate him in his walk of humble dependence on Christ.

“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.” -Philippians 3:12-21, HCSB

Let your faith infiltrate every part of your life. Let the perfect love of Christ absorb into every fiber of your being. Allow God to work through you and display His majesty in all that you do. Encourage one another to walk in faith at all times and to seek the leading of God. Set good examples for fellow Christians to follow, and mimic the Christ-like behaviors you see others displaying. We become what we practice.

HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible