In Part 1, we talked about how we are all called by God to glorify Him. Often times, He calls the unqualified, so we can rely on Him and His power and strength are shown. God also gives us different gifts, so that we can use our strengths to serve those around us.
In Part 2, we were reminded that following God's calling can be very messy. It can be scary, frustrating, lonely, and even tormenting. Though obedience can be hard, it's also worth it because God gets the glory.
In this last part of our series, we are going to talk about how God will equip us and prove faithful!
God is faithful. Can I get an amen?
So let’s go back to our friend Moses who literally ran a way from the staff. Well, he continued to make excuses and tell God that he really needed to find someone else because he wasn’t good with words. God doesn’t promise it will go perfectly but He says, “I will be with your mouth and teach you what to speak. I will send a helper." Moses doubts, but God reminds Him who He is talking to! God is his Maker-- the One who formed him. He’s the one who called him to glorify Him. God continues pursuing Moses and then provides an actual helper, Aaron, to go with him.
Towards the end of Exodus Ch. 6, Moses stops doubting himself as much and is able to find more freedom and joy in God. I honestly believe this is because he just went and was obedient to God –despite his excuses and insecurities. Sometimes, we can live in a state of analysis paralysis and never take that next step. We don’t know what steps 2,3,and 4 are so we don’t take step 1. But the reality is, God just asked us to take step 1. He will equip us for the next step when we get there. Remember- there may not be any 5 year plans!
Earlier this year, I really felt like I should be starting a blog. I honestly was pretty scared about it because it felt like a big commitment and I had so many doubts about my writing. One day, I wrote a post on Instagram and realized that I was actually really fired up about it. I decided to copy and paste it into my blog and that was my first blog post. It probably wasn’t long enough or eloquent enough, but I did it, and it made it easier to take the next step. I’ve learned- I just need to take the step. It wasn’t perfect, but God didn’t ask for our perfection—He asks for our obedience, and then He will get us through the next step.
Throughout our journey in RAD JOY, I love going back and seeing how God has provided. It actually builds my faith. When we first started, Rick and I hung a Surrender™ Cross up in our garage, and it was amazing to see how quickly God provided. I had people say that I should start an Instagram page, and at that time, I had no idea how to do it. I put it on the cross, and asked God to help me if He wanted me to do it. I literally had a customer show up within days and tell me that she was a marketing director and would help however. At another point, I needed help with photography, and a mom at our school just happened to hear of our story and offered a full free photography session. God has just kept providing tangible needs for us.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” What a beautiful promise we have in our Lord.
Several months ago, I heard this quote from Dr. James Allman and it has stuck with me. “God is too creative to do the same thing the same way twice”. –Dr. James Allman
Sometimes- we talk to others and hear how God is working in their lives or we look back on our own lives and don’t see God working in the same way, and that tricky little devil will make us start comparing and I feel discouraged about what God is not doing. But the truth is- GOD IS PROVIDING- we just need to keep our eyes set on Him, so we can see His faithfulness.
Every day for 40 years, God provided manna for the Israelites. When they entered the Promised Land, the manna ceased. Has your manna ever ceased? Your finances run out? Your body stops working like it used to? God has the Promised Land awaiting for us.
He will fill in the gaps, especially when the manna runs out- this is when He does his best work.
I want to end with this charge. As you press forward and move into your next assignment, remember God’s faithfulness as you persevere.
Psalm 78:4, NLT says, “We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about His power and His mighty wonders.” His faithfulness and the stories of His faithfulness will charge us forward when we keep our eyes on Him.
In our house, we have a Faithfulness Jar. As prayers are answered on our cross, we take the little sheets of paper off, and have a praise party. This helps us remember all that God has done!
When we started RAD JOY- we only had 1 idea. People told us that we couldn’t have a business with 1 product. Through the years as we’ve struggled, God has provided our next best steps and has given us the ideas for more products. Our mission is to create purpose-filled products that help you deepen your relationship with Christ.
With one of our newest products, Daily Joy, we start the prayer guide with praise. This helps us take the focus off ourselves and put it on the One who deserves the glory.
This is our journey, and how we were called. He has used our strengths and our weaknesses, and our prayer is that He has been glorified. It’s been messy, but God has proved faithful! Your assignments will probably look different than ours. It may be cleaner, and it may be messier, but what I know is that your path is laid out for You, and God cannot wait to walk it with you. He’s got this.
Dear Father, I I thank You for each person that reads this. Lord, may they know that you are personally pursuing each one of them. Please draw us close to You and please protect us from the flares of the enemy who is trying to distract us and make us doubt. Let us hear Your soft and quiet voice and may we be filled with Your hope and Your joy! May we obediently follow You wherever you ask us to go. Amen.
