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Audacity
It occurred to me that all to often in our desire to follow after Christ I have been like Sarah, laughing at God’s plan because it seems so beyond her, and Garnet has been more like Abraham, taking God at his word, just his word, needing nothing more. Being the one to see everything through to the end has been a good trait as the mom in this family. I keep on top of everyones stuff, thus need a detailed plan for my day to day, my week to week and even months ahead. This doesn’t transfer over to a healthy personality trait in the world of faith.
Steven Furtick is a young speaker from the states. I gleamed much from a message he shared on bold faith. Faith is audacious (showing a willingness to take bold risks). It takes audacity to live by faith, because faith abounds when you don’t have all the info. It is risky and appears brash to step out and act on what little leading you usually get, all too often it is not enough info by worldly logic. It involves doing our part, the only part that we limited humans are able to do, and then trusting God for the rest. Our part is faith in Christ’s call. This doesn’t mean figuring it all out, all that you are to do, and then getting to work. It is more correctly, intimately getting to know Jesus more and digging to the depths of who you are in him. Taking steps, with out the whole picture, moves this from daydreaming to a vision.
The before mentioned preacher shared about the story of Elisha telling the people to fill their valley with MANY ditches so they would receive plenty of water. They had to act and dig the ditches with no visual proof that the rain would come. The rain was God’s part. He finishes things… we want to know it all and yet don’t need to for we are not doing it all, he is… and he knows already.
Our Ditch
Garnet and I dug a ditch when we left Waldheim, turned our backs on the chance to have our dream acreage. We felt asked by the Lord to put ourselves in a place of availability, available to be active workers in his kingdom, and that meant moving on from where we where happy and comfortable and then waiting where we where not comfortable.
With each passing year since our choice to dig that ditch we have seen growth and opportunities present themselves. We’ve tried to let the Spirit do his work in us, and sought to seize all opportunities of purpose in Christ’s kingdom. All along we still feel a call; a need to not hold on to what we have and where we are at. In prayer we strive to keep our hearts prepared for change, for more intense kingdom service.
With each year we see glimpses of clarity about this call, but still have little information on what, when or how… we still don’t appear to fit the bill of your typical ministry couple… THUS we have lots of opportunities to grow more in faith…
My Ditch
Garnet has always been very open about sharing this. I have always huddled behind my man wishing for more faith… Today I dug another ditch and shared our call publicly at a study and now on my blog. Now I wait. Garnet and I wait, digging ditches as steps of faith present themselves. It is the least we can do as we hope for opportunity to do more…in his time.
TTFN
