" From Challenge to Change to Courage...
God's Master Plan" for your life!
Lesson 10
by Sharon Leaf
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| My Paris holiday with my Robinski 2014 |
Today's women are facing many Challenges.
Challenges that call for Change.
Speaking from experience, I can tell you that Change can be scary, but ...
... as we trust in the Lord we realize that God allows Change for our benefit.
However, when we're going through these Challenges and Changes we sometimes
cannot see the forest for the trees.
But when we allow God to direct our path,
Courage comes on the scene ...
then anything can happen!
Part 1 ~ Recognizing His Voice
We can learn to recognize God's voice. He desires to be heard and He will reveal Himself in different situations and through different acts. He uses people, both non-believers and believers, to get our attention. He's waiting for you to accept the challenge so He can show you what He can do.
God communicates through physical, mental and spiritual acts. Throughout our lives we can see God's work take place through acts involving coincidences that are too perfectly timed that we must attribute them to some higher power. These can be words from people, specific deeds, or even lyrics, poems or scriptures that carry a message that resolves what is going on in your life. We say, 'God opened the door' or an 'opportunity' crossed our path.
When was the last time God opened a door for you? My latest open door came a few weeks ago when I stopped by a new store in town, Biblestore Outlet. After chatting with the manager, I received an email, inviting me to have a book signing the first week in December! Now, still in the midst of the Covid from China, I call that a miracle!
When did a song, a poem, or a specific situation give you the answer you were looking for? The Bible is alive with meaning when we are looking for a specific answer. The scriptures carry God's voice to us, to inspire us, to guide us, and to reveal His recommendations for life's situations. Have you ever said, I need a verse to give me direction, and then opened your Bible to a scripture that jumped out at you? I experienced this when after several years of writing Lady and the Sea, a feeling of discouragement came over me. I asked the Lord, "Did you really ask me to write this book, or was it just my imagination?" A few moments later I opened my Bible to Psalm 26:7 and read, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of thy wondrous works." My answer was loud and clear! Yes, God challenged me to write, so I changed my attitude, and Lady and the Sea was soon published. That was the answer I needed for that moment.
How do you know if an act is really from God or just a coincidence? Physical acts that relate specifically to the matter-at-hand will bring God's voice to you. Does the coincidence meet a need, bring a feeling of peace, lift our hearts, and keep us on the path that God is directing? My friend Debbie experienced this a few years ago after I had moved to South Carolina. She called to tell me that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. For a moment, I stopped breathing. How could this be happening to my true friend? After the ringing subsided in my ears, I heard her say, "I'm so glad we planned our GRITS Getaway to visit you ... it's just what I need, to be surrounded by friends." As we talked we realized that it was no coincidence ... God had orchestrated the GRITS Getaway just for Debbie. She flew from California with my daughter Jacquie and two other friends to spend a few days of laughter, relaxation, great food (Bernadette is a wonderful chef!) and lots of fellowship (with little sleep I might add). This increased my knowledge even more that God directs our paths for our future. Think about it. Meditate on this: if God watches over those cute little birdies that fly around in the sky, how much more He watches over His cute little women fluttering around down here on mother earth.
Part 2 ~ God can and still does speak to us through ...
... dreams, visions, thoughts, an audible voice, angels, and the gift of tongues. One example was when Rob and I were in downtown Moscow in the winter of 1991 just before Communism fell. We gave Vladimir the cab driver the address to our destination, he shook his head then after driving for several miles through the city, the cabbie shook his head again as if to say that he had no idea where he was taking us. Our group's interpreter was in the other taxi and they had left us in their dust, so there we were, two Americans with no way to communicate to our lost Russian cabbie!
Vladimir finally stopped and asked another taxi driver for help, but they both shook their heads. At that moment I knew they were in the wrong profession. What could we do? We looked at each other and started praying in tongues (I'm sure Vlad thought we were trying to speak Russian).
After driving around the busy streets for another hour, Vlad pulled over to a curbside where a tall man in a black coat was waving at us. Vlad gave the man the piece of paper with the address. The stranger smiled at us, then spoke to Vladimir as he pointed west. So off we sped into the night until we finally reached our destination on the outskirts of the city.
Rob and I arrived at our destination late, but safe! Now, who do you think that tall man was who just happened to be standing on that specific corner at that time of night? That, my friends, was an angel unaware that the Bible speaks about (Hebrews 13:2). They seem to appear at just the right moment in time. Have you ever encountered an angel along your journey to your destiny?
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| Fun at Chip and Joanne's Magnolia in Waco, Texas 2018 |
Part 3 ~ We are all unique
We are all unique so Jesus will reveal Himself to you in special ways when He asks you to accept His challenges. As the Holy Spirit guides you to all truth, according to the Bible you will feel even more changes take place in your life. All you must do is ask, believe, and then let God do the rest. He wants our walk with Him to be easy; we're the ones who make it difficult ... trying to figure out every little aspect of our life ... it's actually more exciting when we take a deep breath, stand back, and allow God to direct our path. That's when courage rises up in us!
So let's try allowing God to direct our path this week! In this crazy, mixed-up world, we need to try this every single day of our lives!
P.S: I had a wonderfully fun and successful 'social distancing' book signing for Lady and the Sea and Lady on the Run at the Biblestore Outlet! I sold all my books. Now I must go online to order more!
And remember,
whether near or far,
remember to keep reading and
keep that body movin'!
