Unneeded and Unwanted - Encouragement Café - Mar. 18, 2014
Unneeded and Unwanted
Café Menu for Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Today’s Special is: He Completes Me …
Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Stephanie Davis
Main Ingredient:
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
– John 15:13 NASB
Entrée:
Over the past year God has been leading me down a path of selflessness. It began with God asking me to yield my will over to His and offer myself fully into this ministry. Since saying yes to Him, He has continuously asked me little by little to die to myself in order to allow Him to fill in the gaps.
Until recently, saying yes has been easy and the work load light. However, a few weeks ago the Lord struck a nerve within my soul, when He revealed this verse to me:
"The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." Exodus 14:14
I’ve seen this verse in the bible and other devotions several times before, but never has the Lord so persistently impressed it upon my heart. It might as well have been audible.
“My child, I’ve been preparing you for this for a while now. You are ready to take this next step in pursuing My plan, but in order for you to continue you must ... remain silent. I know this is going to be challenging for you, but if you will submit to Me and submit to this next step, together we will overcome it. I’ve promised you that in My word. Recall John 16:33!
Will you … remain silent … while I teach you that I am more than capable of handling any and all battles that come your way? Will you trust My voice and My promise to take care of you better than you can possibly care for yourself? Will you take My hand and this next step to follow me?”
I sat stunned and furious, and in every way possible, I’ve resisted His calling!
Over the next few weeks, the battle between my flesh and His Spirit has raged – my flesh fighting to be heard and His Spirit fighting to restrain!
Take Out:
Why can’t I submit to this?
Whether it was pride, fear or something else, every time I resisted I allowed Satan another opportunity to pull me further and further away from the One who loved me more than life itself; the One who pursued me past the ends of the earth and permanently rescued me from the chains of sin. With each decision to open my mouth, I put on those heavy, unneeded and unwanted shackles that continue to hold me prisoner to my old way of life.
Jesus’ love for the Father, along with His desire to bring glory and honor to the Father’s name is what motivated Him to live a life that pleased the Father. Regardless of what it cost Him, Jesus continued to obediently follow the Lord and He demonstrated His unending, unconditional and ever present love where ever He went.
As His children we are called to do the same. The only way to do this is to allow our mind to be transformed and renewed through His precious and holy Word.
· Please read Romans 12
· Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into a new way of life. Allow Him the freedom to transform you into all that God made you to become!
· Pray for me as I pray for you – that we may become the body of Christ obediently moving as He leads.
Dessert:
Heavenly Father, today I praise You for who You are – Life, Light, Liberty and Love! Thank You for each and every person who chose to obediently follow You that Your words, Your truths and Your message may now rest in my hands.
Father, as I live, may I always treasure Your message as so many of the saints that have gone on before me. May I follow in their footsteps … choosing to let love motivate me, choosing to obediently follow You, choosing to focus on the bigger picture rather than focusing on personal gain, choosing to continue operating as a willing vessel sent here to spread Your love. For it’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen!
© 2013 by Stephanie Davis. All rights reserved.
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