Once more, Father, we accomplished quite a bit today despite the heat. We both appreciate the strength and stamina to get through it. We pray for Your sustaining grace.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (<<click here to read the passage)
Lord, as you speak to me through this passage, help me to be attentive to Your voice. The phrase that sticks out is “…the courage to declare [Your] Good News…boldly…” Put me behind a pulpit, and I am good to go. In years past, I, on occasion, have spoken to several hundred, and in my current responsibilities, I speak before a much smaller but no less enthusiastic crowd. In that setting, I am comfortable, for I have the confidence to declare what You have placed on my heart. But put me in a non-church setting, say on the job, and I am less exuberant. I am more hesitant. I know You continue to work with me on this, and I readily acknowledge that I most certainly am not where You need me to be
What it boils down to is that I need to stop second-guessing myself and trust You and Your direction when saying something comes to mind. Of course, I have the terrible habit of overanalyzing things – what if I offend them? Will they still like me? And on and on it goes.
I am so glad You pulled everything together to enable me to start this blog. (It’s hard to believe it’s only been almost nine years now!) It has changed me, drawing me closer to You. It has kept You at the forefront of my mind because I truly want to be authentic. I don’t want to come across as one way in private, and another fleshed out when interacting with friends and loved ones. It continues to open many doors of opportunity in my relationships with others.
So, bringing it back around, why am I sometimes hesitant about speaking of my blog with others? I am proud of it, but I don’t want to come across as self-promoting – Lord, I need Your help. The blog is a wonderful stepping stone for touching people for You. It firmly establishes the fact that I am Your child. It shows that I genuinely care about my friends and family when I share it. Once people read it, I pray that my sharing who I am on a very personal level will open more doors of communication about You!
Help me to live and speak in such a way that I would have “the courage to declare [Your] Good News…boldly.” People need You! I need You! We need to get to know You because only in that relationship will we ever find the answers to who we are and why we are here. Thank You, Jesus, for being the Answer!
(July 9th, 2015, Wed, 6:51 am)
June 20th, 2024, Tue, 8:44 pm
