 One time I heard someone say they were trying to open a bag of Twinkies or something and couldn’t get the bag open so they took that as a sign God didn’t want them to eat the Twinkies. That’s kind of a silly example but do you ever think like that? When something doesn’t work out the way you expected do you think it must not have been God’s will? When you try at something and fail, do you assume it must not have been God that was leading you in the first place? We took the kids to the Kennedy space center and the Lord used it powerfully in my life. They show videos of all the launches that failed. Again and again the rockets exploded. Tons of money, time and valuable resources seemed to be wasted by rockets exploding on platforms or falling apart in the air. How easy it would be to give up. How easy it would be to give up thinking it must not be God if He allowed such failure. How in the world did the lie, “If it’s easy, it’s God” sneak into our culture? Was it not God’s will that Jesus endure awful on the cross because it was hard and He had to persevere? Was it not God’s will that the Israelites be led out of captivity when they came up against the resistance of the Red Sea? Our little beautiful bride of Christ culture needs to grow some perseverance. God will allow resistance, He will allow failure and that very much could be His plan for the purpose of driving us to get wisdom, to learn. Failure is a gift. It can drive us to get wisdom and learn how to do things better. And really Christians need to be leading the charge in the ability to persevere in the things we create, build, do etc. for the Lord. Because really we have the Holy Spirit inside of us who enables us to persevere in doing great things for the Lord, a gift the world doesn’t have. Oh let us be persevering people who get wisdom and invest what we have well. This was part two in a series. Read part one here. Featured posts will resume next week so be sure to have the button or link on your post or side bar Austin and I have been out of town speaking at a missions conference so I was not able to do featured posts this week. Sorry, but look forward to them next week.  Faith Filled Friday Blog Link Up We exist to glorify God, to display His heart and character. And I just love how we are all uniquely built to do that. So every Friday I want to give you, uniquely designed by God, an opportunity to link up your thoughts on God, art, baking, photography, parenting, marriage, homeschooling, writing or blogging and more if they tie into or display the the Lord somehow. So go ahead and link up below by clicking the link below and following the prompts. Please just let your readers know by including a link at the bottom of your post (or somewhere on your side bar) or put my button code (found below and on the side bar) so they can find these other great people glorifying God and we can continue to grow as a community.Thanks! And in effort to encourage others in their writing by faith, please take a minute to comment on another sweet lady's post.   About Laura Laura, the creator and host of Missional Women is married and has four kids, two of whom are adopted. Laura and her husband have been missionaries to college students for 11 years serving with Master Plan Ministries. Laura is the Women's Development Coordinator and has discipled over 150 girls, led over 30 Bible studies and speaks to college and women's groups. Laura has authored 5 books, including an award winning 12 week Bible Study on First Samuel, Beholding Him, Becoming Missional, Reach; How to Use Your Social Media Influence for the Glory of God, and A Devotional Journey through Judges, a devotional to accompany the free online Bible study at TheBookofJudges.com. You can find her on facebook,twitter, pinterest, youtube, instagram and her author site.
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27 Comments
Laura
3/26/2014 10:41:46 am
Thanks so much for your encouragement Sharon. I just love your heart for the Lord and desire to be part of His mission!! You're an inspiration. :) Wow Laura, what an amazing, amazing article!! This really spoke to me, because while I don't really believe this per se - I sometimes find myself thinking thoughts like that...but the Bible tells us that those who persevere to the end will be saved...and Hebrews gives us a long list of those who suffered and endured. Thank you for reminding me to stick it out in the hard times and to listen more closely to really know what God's will truly is. 3/20/2014 08:45:30 pm
That was a wonderful post. Thanks so much for sharing it and also for the linkup party.
Laura
3/26/2014 10:46:09 am
Thank you Rosilind! And I totally understand... I am so quick to want to give up sometimes. ugh. I've been reading through Proverbs and everyday the Lord is causing something to stick out that is totally related to persevering and getting wisdom. Oh I desperately want to not be so quick to want to give up but see it as an opportunity to see where I need to get more wisdom. So... hopeful to see growth.
Debbie @ http://kidsbibledebjackson.blogspot.com/
3/20/2014 08:49:19 pm
Thanks so much for hosting!
Laura
3/26/2014 10:55:45 am
Thanks Abby. Grateful for you!!!
My husband and I have been learning this truth since June of '09. We were let go from a church where my husband was leading a very successful children's ministry. Kids were learning true worship, loving their 'neighbor,' and a heart for giving to honor God and support orphans in Africa and not buy things for themselves. This is big stuff for kids. And the ministry was thriving and growing. And God had just given vision for the next few years and everyone was excited. Except some 'powers that be' in the church. And one day...out of the blue...we were terminated. They wanted to tell the church another story...that we had decided it was time to leave. But, that was a lie...so we said no to that.
Laura
3/26/2014 11:05:54 am
Oh Diane that must have been so tough. And not only tough, but painful. I'm sorry! And I am grateful you shared and grateful you are persevering! Praying for you friend! 3/20/2014 09:01:37 pm
You are quite right here, we need to remind ourselves that often we need to make an effort in the things we do instead of expecting to slide right through. Imagine all the times we could miss out on God's blessings if we didn't do things He calls us to because of that misconception.
Laura
3/26/2014 11:18:36 am
yes!
Laura
3/26/2014 11:25:52 am
I'm with you... in need of more perseverance too. And I need to fail to remind me how much more I need to learn. ugh. Wish that just weren't the case though, sure doesn't feel good.
Laura
3/26/2014 11:27:03 am
I'm so glad this encouraged you Debbie, I'm right there with you. :)
Laura
3/26/2014 11:36:19 am
No kidding! :) It's so hard to things rightly when it's painful. "How in the world did the lie, “If it’s easy, it’s God” sneak into our culture? " About the same time the "name it and claim it" and other prosperity gospels did, I think. Great post, Laura - now more than ever it's important for us to know the Word to guard against the lies of this world. Have a blessed week!
Laura
3/26/2014 11:52:58 am
Oh yes, so true. As we cling to the Lord and His Word, He'll expose crazy things we so easily believe. What hope. 3/21/2014 01:10:19 am
Blessings, Laura - great metaphor message from the space museum! I have been learning to just let it go - my second attempts, and third, and fourth, etc - will always produce better fruit for they are tempered. I find this with my writing all the time. In my art. Failure in attempt one teaches me success procedures in any following attempts. Good deal, that!
Laura
3/26/2014 11:54:13 am
Oh what a great example! Writing. I didn't even think about that! But not much is really good on a first draft. Thanks for sharing. 3/21/2014 02:49:54 am
Love what you shared, Laura. We've face a lot of opposition lately, and I tell my husband that means we are doing something right. :)
Laura
3/26/2014 12:07:34 pm
You've been doing great persevering and trusting the Lord through it all. You're a great example Lyli. 3/21/2014 05:06:01 am
Sometimes I wonder if in the feminization of our culture, de-masculizing men - that we have ignored the battle stories of the bible. At times, I feel like there is a couch-potatoe mentality about salvation - salvation is a conventant with requirements between two people - and it requires action, but so many people think all they have to do is give their life to God - just give it and then just sit and wait.Jesus was a mover and shaker - as was David and Abraham. God called many men to battle - inwardly and outwardly. It is a balance, though - and we need both!
Laura
3/26/2014 12:09:21 pm
"We need both" oh so true. Who was it that said, "Act as though it were all up to you but trust knowing it's all up to God"? I can't remember who said that. But it's so fitting. 3/24/2014 03:11:48 am
I will preserver! Thank you for the encouragement and for hosting. Leave a Reply. |
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