Believe and Execute

Before you were born, God equipped you with everything you would need to excel in His predestined plan for your life. Not only did God equip you with everything you would need to excel, He knew every thought you would think, every word you would speak. He knew every time you would skin your knee, fall in love, be hurt by love. He knew when you would be angry, sad and happy. He knew all about you. He cared and still cares about everything that touches your life. Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah was ordained a prophet unto the nations, but what has God ordained for your life? Jeremiah 29:1 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Whatever God has ordained He has an expected end, a predestined plan, a plan filled with peace and good, not of evil. Let’s talk about believing and executing. Believing is having confidence in the truth, and we know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. In essence, we are saying we have confidence in Christ, or in Gods ability to carry out His plans for us through us. The word execute can be defined as to carry out, or accomplish. To perform or do, to produce in accordance with a plan or design. When we follow or execute Gods plan for our life, we are in fact producing, bringing forth, or giving birth to the plan or design that was created specifically for us.

Who Are You?

How many times have you asked yourself that question? Who am I? Why am I here? I know I have a purpose, but what is it?

Oftentimes people struggle with knowing who they are. They want to know their purpose. People want to know why they were put on this earth and what God has chosen for them to do. For each of us it’s a personal struggle or journey. Sure, people can throw ideas at you based on their observations, but who are you, really? That’s the question.

Do you know who you are? Do you know what God has purposed for your life? I think sometimes our struggle to find out who we are takes us down various paths. Those paths may include different jobs or relationships. Sometimes there may be a struggle on a job, or a particular relationship. Sometimes we may think we have missed God, especially when we are going through difficult times, but I believe every experience whether good, bad, or indifferent is part of our journey. It’s what makes us who we are. Nothing just happens.

I will tell you this, everyone is here for a reason, and there are no mistakes or accidental births. Birth in itself is a miracle. Several years ago during prayer God spoke to me in an audible voice “The miracle of Birth” I didn’t know then and still don’t know now why He spoke those words to me, but I am sharing them with you today because maybe His intent was for you to hear them.  So I say to you this day birth in itself is a miracle.  Each one of us is a miracle of God.

But who are you? You already know you are a miracle, but what else? You are a spirit that resides in a body and you have a soul. Your soul or heart encompasses your mind and emotions.

One thing that you must know is that before you were born, your destiny was already planned.

Jeremiah 1:5 before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Whether you were ordained as a prophet like Jeremiah or God has another plan for your life, He does indeed have a plan for you. His plans or His thoughts for you are great. Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

God is telling us to call upon Him, to pray unto Him. And when we do this, He tells us He will hearken, He will give heed or attention to what we are saying, He will listen to us. And, if we seek Him with all our heart, now remember this is being done within our soul, then we will find him, and when we find Him, we will find ourselves.

I often think of our purpose or God’s plan for our life as that thing that won’t go away. Sometimes it may lie dormant especially if the enemy is attacking and trying to pull you away from God’s purpose for your life, but rest assured, try as he may. Not even the devil himself nor his henchmen can stop God’s plans for you. He has anointed, appointed and equipped you to do everything that He has predestined for you to do.

Who are you? You are a child of the Most High God with a predestined plan to succeed in God’s will for your life.

Sisters Steadfast in Faith invite you to join us every Thursday at 9 pm EST for E2E, Empowered to Excel. During our weekly call we will share words of encouragement from the word of God which are meant to inspire and encourage you to be steadfast in faith while empowering you to excel. 

Dial in Number 641-715-3610 access code 215480; playback number 641-715-3609 access code 215480

·         Please dial in between 8:55-9:00 EST. The call will begin promptly at 9:00P.M.

·         Phone lines will be muted

·         In the best interest of the group questions and prayer requests will be responded to after the call. They can be posted on the SSiF, Sisters Steadfast in Faith Facebook page or sent to sisterssteadfastinfaith@gmail.com

Are You Following God’s Plan or Your Plan?

We read in Genesis chapter 12 the account of God providing Abram with the following instructions:

1.    Get thee out of thy country

2.    And from thy kindred

3.    And from thy fathers house

4.    Go unto a land that I will shew thee

Abram was instructed to follow Gods plan for his life to reap the benefits He desired for him. Abram would be made a great nation, God would bless him, make his name great; and enable him to be a blessing. He would bless those that blessed Abram and cursed those that cursed him and through Abram would all the families of the earth be blessed.

Why did God give Abram specific instructions? Why was it important for Abram to leave his place of residence, leave all of his family, leave his father’s house and go to a place he’d never been before?

Sometimes in order for God to bless us with the magnitude of the things he has in store for us He has to take us away from everything we know and everyone that knows us. When we are in a familiar setting, have all the resources we need why do we need faith? We may believe we can achieve our desires because we ‘know what we are doing’. How often have you said you can do something with your eyes closed because you have done it so many times?

What happens when suddenly you are moved from your comfort zone or are required to do something you have never done before? You are no longer able to depend on your own abilities. You have to seek assistance. God wants to be the assistance that you seek.

Abrams father worshiped idols. Maybe you hail from a Christian family and maybe you do not. Either way just as with Abram, God wants you to look to Him for guidance. He didn’t want Abram following in the path of his father. Have you ever had family members try to convince you to do something their way, or the way it’s always been done? God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He wants you to do things His way.

Who have you taken with you that you should have left behind? Abram was told to leave his kindred yet he took Lot with him on his journey. As we read further into the book of Genesis we read of strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and Lot’s cattle which caused Abram and Lot to separate. We also read of Lot and his family being taken captive and Abram rescuing them.

Many times we want company on our journey. We are afraid of being by ourselves, we think we are unqualified to do what God has called us to do so we hang on to someone from out past, a security blanket, or we may take someone with us because we are trying to help them out. God is blessing us so we want them to be a part of the blessing.

First, let me say whatever God has called you do He has also equipped you to do and anything you cannot do He will bring people into your life to assist you.

Secondly, if God sends you out and tells you to leave others behind there is a reason. He knows our future just as He knows the future of all those around us. A friend of mine was told of a new job by a friend of his. My friend being the go getter that he is applied for the job, did what was required and was hired by the company. His friend however did not do what was required. My friend constantly pushed his friend, even providing him with money for a class which was needed for employment.

Finally my friend realized as much as he wanted his friend to be hired by this company it was his friend’s decision to do what was required of him. He also realized his association with his friend was impeding his success on the job.

God has blessed each of us with gifts and He will use His gifts as He sees fit. It’s important for us to remember just as God has gifted us He has gifted others. Our gifts differ just as the use of our gifts differ. You and someone close to you may both be gifted musicians. Your gift may be to travel the world and your friend’s gift may be to teach music in a small town. Both gifts are from God and one is not any greater than the other, nor will the reward for one be any greater than the other.

Follow Gods plan for your life. You cannot be someone else and someone else cannot be you. Leave your comfort zone. Become comfortable with the uncomfortable. Allow God to take you to that land that He will show you, where He will bless you, your name will be great, and you will be a blessing.