This week, I started a new Bible study with Proverbs 31 on a
book called “What Happens When Women Say Yes to God” by Lysa TerKeurst….and I’m
excited for this study. Really Excited!!
I haven’t always said
Yes to God…in fact I have ignored Him and said no to Him a lot in my life. Makes me sad to think of how many times I
have been blind to all He has for me or to all the times He has tried to lead
me in a different direction. Fear and
lack of confidence have always held me back from saying YES to Him. Sometimes I think that I know which path is
better for me to take and sometimes I feel like I could do it better. Ouch!
Or sometimes I just feel like its too scary and I don’t like change too
much. Lysa TerKeurst talks in her book, “What
Happens When Women Say Yes to God” about “Surprise Parties” and how it must
break God’s heart when He has planned something for us and we are too tired to
notice, too blind to see or we just don’t even care. How many parties have I missed because of
fear?
My Pastor said this weekend, “Don’t limit God by your small
thinking.” WOW…I do that.
One of my favorite songs right now is Oceans by Hillsong
United. The lyrics are amazing to me. See below just a little snippet:
“You call
me out upon the waters
The great
unknown, where feet may fail
And there
I find You in the mystery
In oceans
deep, my faith will stand”
“Spirit
lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me
walk upon the waters
Wherever
You would call me
Take me
deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my
faith will be made stronger
In the
presence of my Savior”
In Matthew 14: 29---
Jesus tells Peter to come. He’s telling
Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water.
Peter steps out and begins to walk on water. The winds pick up, the waves get stronger…he
looks down and takes his eyes off of Jesus.
He starts to sink and cries out to Jesus to save him. Jesus reaches out and catches him and says, “You
of little faith, why did you doubt?”
You Michelle…you of little
faith. Why did you doubt me? Why did you
doubt that My way wasn’t THE way?
“If you try to stand and face the wave, it
will smash you to bits, but if you trust the water and let it carry you, there’s
nothing sweeter.” ~Shauna Niequist
Have you been in an ocean
before? Have you fought against the
waves and been pushed around? I
have. I don’t like to be IN the
ocean. I like to sit on the beach and
look at the ocean. But, I get in the
ocean because I have a daughter that LOVES the ocean. Once I relax and trust the water, the waves
carry me. I believe it is the same with
Jesus. Trust in Jesus…and He will carry
you. Fight against what He asks of you…and
life gets hard. Things don’t work out…you
feel lost and discouraged. Remember He
lets you decide what to do…I just feel like when I go against Him…this life
gets hard. But try saying, “Ok God…today, I say Yes to all that you have in
store for me. Whatever it is...I say Yes to YOU.”
Is it easy? No. Will
your life all of a sudden become sweeter?
Probably not. Because there will
be some growth and growing can be painful.
But, by not doubting in Jesus and instead trusting in Him… you can step
out in to oceans deep and your faith begins to grow.
“When life is sweet, say
thank you and celebrate. And when life
is bitter, say thank you and grow.”
~Shauna Niequist
My palms are up and
ready to receive all that He has in store for me! What about you?
The God of the Universe
wants to use me and you! That’s kinda
scary. Do it afraid! Do it with God-Confidence.
There are six words that
sum up the Old and New Testaments…all the pages and verses in the Bible,
according to Lysa TerKeurst in Chapter 1.
“Whatever God says do, do it!”
Last thing for today…A
quote from Lysa TerKeurst: “The resolve of the human spirit is truly an amazing
thing. We will fight to the death for
something we want to protect, truly believe in, or desire. So why would we be lackadaisical about the
most eternally significant relationship there is?” Something to really think about!
This post was really encouraging! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete:) Thank you Sarah...so glad it was encouraging to you. :)
DeleteI love that yours was the first button I clicked on! I too am a photographer. I love the post! Thank you for sharing! I have said No to Him more times than I care to count in the past. But, today I am saying Yes!
ReplyDeleteI love that connection!! :) Me too on the No thing! Daily Obedience right? Saying yes right along with you and doing it afraid! :)
DeleteLove the post! First, your photographs are beautiful!! Second, the comments you made from the book are the things that really struck me--especially the party where the guest of honor isn't interested. It was a different perspective on following God that I hadn't thought of before. And with your pastor's comments--don't you love when all of it comes together like that!?
ReplyDeleteKris Danko (OBS Small Group Leader)
Aww...thank you Kris! Yes...I so love when it all comes together. When He speaks and I actually listen and take notice! Thank you for your kind words!!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I loved this! Thank you. I grew up next to the ocean, but am far from it now. The water has always been a comfort to me, and your connections to it today really gave me comfort!
ReplyDeleteI too have been pulled out, and fought the waves that did so, but I soon learned to stop fighting and work with them. Amazing how much easier it was, when I worked with them. Though, I'm more like your daughter, I love to be in the water as well as watching! ;)
Thanks for sharing.
Peggy...I'm so grateful that this post gave you comfort. Posting these kinds of posts are new to me and way out of my comfort zone. Thankful to Him for pushing me on!! I always have to remind myself to let go and just let the waves carry me. Eyes on Jesus! :) Happy Thursday!
DeleteI love/hate when He pushes me outside of that good ol' comfort zone! Have a happy Thursday yourself. :D
DeleteLove your post & blog! So encouraging!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. :)
DeleteMichelle - this was beautiful. I love the depiction of walking against the waves in the ocean and when you just let the waves take you, life is so much easier. Thanks for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteAww...Thank you Anne!! =)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this post and I LOVE this site. I look forward to reading/seeing more of your posts.
ReplyDeleteBless you.
Love
Nicki
PS. I followed you from the P31OBS blog hop and I'd love you to check out my blog here:
http://nickiedwards.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/she-said-yes/
Thank you Nicki =) And thank you for sharing your blog. Heading over there now!! =)
DeleteI love your analogy with the waves. I grew up just a few blocks from the beach. Can't tell you how many times we'd be playing in the waves, letting the water carry us along. Next thing we knew, we had been carried way down the beach from where we started. I think it can be like that with God... if we'd just quit arguing & trust Him, we'll be amazed at just how far we can go, where we end up & what we can accomplish through Him. Thanks for posting!! :-)
ReplyDeleteYES! So true...how far we can go if we trust in Him. =)
Delete