Has God ever smacked you on the head and said 'LISTEN TO ME!' I have quiet time with God a lot but I have found myself ignoring something He's been trying to tell me for years. Only because I'm stubborn and continually say 'You're not asking ME to do that. I'm just hearing things.' Well, yesterday in the middle of a meeting at church He said 'LISTEN TO ME!' by sending someone to get in my face with it. Although she really has no idea (yet) that she did.Let me back up for a minute...10 years ago after we moved I started going to church with my mom and my three boys. Mr. Filipino (Ben) was not interested in church at all. Eventually, Mom, the boys and I became VERY involved in church and I had found the void I had been missing for so many years that I tried to find through my 'wild phase' of drugs and alcohol and moving from state to state. I found Jesus. Don't get me wrong... I grew up in church and knew who Jesus was but like a lot of teenagers that hit the point of 18 do, I left everything I had grown to believe to find my own way and do it all myself. Finally settling down, I met the earthly man of my dreams. Ben. That was the first time, although I didn't see it til much later, that God was fed up with letting me do it on my own and started reigning me back in. Anyway, as Mom, the boys and I were getting involved at church Ben wouldn't go to church with us unless the boys had something going on in choir or whatever that I MADE him go watch. And he was VERY resentful that I was involved as much as I was at church. He acted like I was literally having an affair with the church. It was NOT a pleasant time in our marriage needless to say. My church prayed endlessly for him. And for me and the boys. After 4 years of being held up by God and my church, after praying and praying and having people I didn't even KNOW praying for him, Ben FINALLY let Jesus in. He was saved January 20,2004. Wow. It's been 6 years. Now he's in church even when I'm not. We're still learning but we're learning together.
I tell you all this to come to the point of the beginning of this post. I was sitting in a room listening to one of our pastors teach the SHAPE class. S.H.A.P.E. is about realizing the gifts God has given you and helps you pursue God's unique purpose for your life based on the way He has shaped you. ..it stands for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences. A friend of mine was sitting there next to me and after it was over she looked at me and asked 'How did you get Ben to go to church with you?' Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I knew right then that I was NOT suppose to be facilitating a SHAPE class but ministering to women that attend church without their husbands! Duh. I've known this for so long but have ignored it for fear of 'teaching'. Cause I'm soooo not a teacher. I have a HUGE passion for women anyway and am completely involved in our Women's Ministry at our new church of 3 years. Women's Ministry is definitely my laughing place. But teaching? Not so gung ho about that. However, God spoke so I WILL listen and He'll just have to equip me to do the job. Cause He knows I can't do it without Him. My favorite quote and one I live by is 'God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.' Good one huh?
Do you know any good Bible Studies for the 'spiritually single' or 'unequally yoked'?
Here's a good link if you're interested.... Spiritually Unequal Marriage.
I'm off to do some more studying. Hope you're having a blessed day!
Tracie
1 comment:
Interesting..
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