More than anything I want girls and women to discover who they are in Christ. I want them to chase dreams that seem so out of reach. I also want that for myself. When you set out to find yourself you will always come up short because you compare, try and fix and step in the danger of envy and jealousy. I heard a beautiful truth this weekend from Lisa Allen at the True Beauties revival. She said “comparison gives the other permission to determine your worth”. What an incredibly true statement. As women we often recognize all that we don’t have and all that others do and we begin chasing those things in full pursuit of becoming who they are. God not only hand crafted you in the image of Him and called you His masterpiece, He also designed you with a specific purpose. I can’t walk in the fullness of singing I sound like a dying chicken but I can encourage, motivate and lead people. A few weeks ago my family along with some friends made a trip to the beach. A friend of mine was fishing at night and when he caught a fish he brought it over for all of us to see. It was gasping for air, jerking back and forth so hard that he dropped it and after floundering about in the sand he grabbed it took it back and through it in the ocean. I suddenly realized that is me trying to live my life my way. That is me falling into food addiction. That is me falling into the comparison trap. That is me trying to find purpose. That is me chasing dreams alone. But just as Paul threw that fish back into the ocean to live again, to heal from the wound of that hook God cast us into a massive sea of grace that covers, restores and heals us as we see our need for Him. What a beautiful picture of redemption. John chapter 4 is the passage about the women at the well. It is about an encounter that forever changed this woman’s life. The word moment means: a: a minute portion; b: a comparatively brief period of time and the word encounter means: to engage in conflict with; to come upon face-to-face to; come upon or experience especially unexpectedly. After reading both definitions I realize that I no longer want just a moment with God I want to encounter Him so much that it shakes me up and moves me out to run and tell others about His goodness and power. This women didn’t just have a brief moment with him she encountered Him and because of that a conflict surfaced (her past/present) and she experienced Jesus face to face and He unexpectedly but completely changed the course of her day and most importantly her life. WOW! We get so afraid to be ourselves in the presence of God because change hurts, healing often stings and because we strive to have it together we would rather just come into God’s presence on our own terms. Ladies that’s just a moment! When you stand before God just as you are that moves the hand of God to transform your thoughts, unlock truth and ignites dreams within you. Just like that Samaritan woman you no longer see your past you just see God and you want everyone around you to know it and to taste the hope you have been given. I love verse 22-24 in the message version of John 4;
23-24 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply andhonestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
Are you living moment by moment in desperation of mountain top experiences with the Creator? You will never be satisfied. Encounters bring about change, conflict often surfaces but victory always will follow because you are no longer focused on reaching the mountain tops are getting out of the valley it’s a relentless pursuit of just being you in the presence of a Holy God and leaving the results, dreams, healing and redemption to Him. Get lost in Him and you will never be the same. It’s time you encounter Him!!
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