Writing this blog has been an honor to me. I feel a sense of gratitude that God has chose me to share what He speaks to me. I am by no means a theologian or do I know more than most or even several, but yet God has allowed me this privilege.
I say all that to apologize and repent. There have been many times that I haven't been obedient. There have been many times that I hear a message from God that I know that I need to share, but I find myself setting that message aside thinking that I'll get to it later. Often I'll make a note of that message, but then when I sit to write on the topic ,I find that the sentiment or passion behind the message is no longer there.
I've thus been tossing God's word to the way side. I don't think it's necessarily intentional, but I still feel that it's a dishonor to God and the fact that He had shared that word with me to begin with.
In a blog a while back I talked about the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), the first issue mentioned is the seeds that are ate up by the birds. When God throws a seed to us and we don't water that seed or get it firmly planted, it runs the risk of being ate up by the birds. Unfortunately that's been something that I've battled in the 2 years I've been writing. Not all the time obviously or I wouldn't have any material to post for you, but definitely often enough to feel the need to repent.
In fact, here's a confession this post was one of those messages. It was a note I made in September. I hope that it's still relevant to some of you and that you feel like it's still a now word, but I know now that I need to be better at using what I'm given when it's given.
I realized this because I spent some time finishing a Bible reading plan at the end of 2020 reading through the entire Bible. While I was reading through the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), I felt like God was just downloading information to me about todays times. Warnings and things that we need to repent of; some powerful messages to say the least. But what happened? I was so determined to keep going, to get through my reading, that I missed the mark (btw the meaning of the word sin).
I thought that I would remember all those amazing messages and come back to them. I didn't and don't. Those messages were meant to be sat on the shelf to come back to, but for the life of me I can't remember them. Luckily God's gracious and I believe that as I reread those Books of the Bible that the rhema word that had jumped off the page will do so again, but in that I learned a valuable lesson.
I must learn to be a reliable messenger with His word
I can't rely on my memory or my own strengths to get me by when it comes to writing this blog.
Proverbs 13:17 says
An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble,
but a reliable messenger brings healing.
When we're obedient with God' message we don't know what power can come through that.
I watched/listened to a sermon a while back by Steven Furtick called wasted rain. It really convicted me. I'm going to paraphrase it and will put the link below in case you are interested in watching it. Basically he found a study that said in California they had a ton of rain over the last few years which was ironic given the number of wild fires. But the issue was that they couldn't get the rain to the place of the fires so the rain was basically emptying into the ocean and going to waste. Thus the wasted rain title. He went on to say that many of us complain that we don't hear from God which is ridiculous considering the access to media on the internet or the books or blogs available. But what really got me, is that he said many of us take weekly notes at church and then store those notebooks away and never look at them again...
Guilty!!!
Maybe this isn't for you? Maybe you hear from God all the time and are never subjected to what feels like a drought to me. Maybe you're diligent about telling people about each message that inspires you from God.
I wish I were you if that's the case. But sadly I'm not. I'm Gwen, I'm flawed, I can be lazy, and inconsistent. I hear a word and can be timid and not share it with the person sitting in front of me on a daily basis.
But I also know there are many of you who are wondering why God hasn't given you a ministry of your own, or who are feeling like God isn't or doesn't speak to you (or through you). For you (and me) maybe, just maybe we aren't trust worthy. Maybe we haven't proven ourselves reliable with what He's given us thus far. Maybe we've shelved so many messages that He's just waiting to see what you do with what you've already been given.
If you're in a rut, I would challenge you to go back and revisit your past sermon notes. I would challenge you to take whatever word you read in there that stands out and share it. Put it on your social media or tell someone about it. Take it off that shelf and use it.
One of my personal words for the year is Discipline. I think this probably falls into that category. I know that it will take discipline to put that word to paper (digital in this case) more immediately.
J. Wilbur Chapman said this regarding the word of God
"Study it through! Never begin a day without mastering a verse from its' pages. Pray it in! Never lay aside your Bible till the verse or passage you have studied has become a part of your being. Put it down! The thought that God gives you, put it down in the margin of your Bible or notebook. Work it out! let the truth that you get in the morning, get your through each hour of your day."
I would add this... Share it!
I hope that this sheds a light on an area that you may have been struggling with. It was a conviction of mine that I felt that I needed to share. I often find my favorite sermons or messages to be the ones that were the most convicting. The ones that stir a desire to change and to draw closer to the Lord in some way. When God highlighted this issue, I knew that even if you don't have a platform yet, you probably have a loved one who needs to know what you know, or how great would it be if you made a little highlight post of what you heard at church or in that devotional or wherever you heard the word of God. You never know who's waiting to hear what you have stored up.
