Right Where You Are

I have to start this by saying how THANKFUL I am for God's presence and the abundant guidance of the Holy Spirit [The Helper, the Spirit of Truth (John 16:7,13) ] in my life lately. I know that He is always working FOR me, I can see how He has been working IN me, and now, I want to talk about how God is working THROUGH me.

"You should ask her if you can pray for her father."
"You should leave her a little note to say that she is appreciated."
"You should let him know that you're proud of who he is becoming."
"You should go out of your way to make them feel welcome."
"You should tell her about the peace you've found through me."

These are just some of the little whispers of the Spirit that have been guiding me lately.

For the longest time, I prayed and begged God to "use me." At the same time, I subtly gave God a very extensive list of the circumstances I thought were necessary in my life before I could actually serve Him. I always cried out, "God, use me! Give me purpose! I want to live for you!" while also saying, "One day..." and "When my life looks like THIS, I'll be able to serve God." 

In my small mind, I convinced myself that I could only really be living for God IF I was a wife to a Holy man, a published author, a traveling speaker, a full time missionary, a radio/Television ministry spokesperson, etc, etc. I wanted God to use me, but I also had all of these ideas of HOW I wanted Him to use me. I was meshing my own personal desires, goals, dreams, and ambitions into my willingness to serve Christ. If I'm to be honest, I'm not sure the motives of my heart were entirely pure. Did I love God? YES! Did I live wholeheartedly surrendered to the will of God? NO.

I THANK GOD that He is changing my heart, changing my desires, and showing me what it truly means to live for Him. 
​

To serve God is to serve others. To serve others, you look for the needs that are all around you, and do what you can to meet those needs.
​
Mark 12:30-31 "And you should love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these."
​

To love God and to love others with all that you are is to KNOW the goodness of His love & to be vehement with desire to share that love with others.

I am so grateful that God has been teaching me how to serve Him RIGHT HERE- in this city and in this season. I am thankful that He is showing me how to make a difference in the lives of those who are ALREADY in my life, as well as in reaching out to those neighbors all around me of whom I don't yet know their names.

I have to tell you, brothers and sisters, don't wait for that perfect "someday" to come before you let God use you. He is a God who says that if we are faithful in the little, we will be entrusted with much (Luke 16:10). Sometimes, we get caught up in thinking that serving God has to be some grand endeavor... but I'm telling you, you are serving God in what may seem like the smallest of deeds, because we serve a God who looks at the intentions of the heart (Proverbs 16:12).

Pray that God will begin to reveal to you the needs that are already around you. Believe me, THERE ARE NEEDS AROUND YOU. And the beauty of our place in God's Kingdom is that He has already equipped each and every one of us to meet those needs, because that is exactly what you were created for. Pray that He reveals to you exactly how you can meet them (Matthew 7:8). 

God has positioned you EXACTLY where He wants you, and He has prepared you so that you may accomplish everything that He has already planned for you in His good will for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). And it starts RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.