Becoming His Planned Purpose

“It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe.” Proverbs‬ ‭29‬:‭25‬ ‭

I’ve been doing a study by Rick Renner called Accepting Your God Assigned Place. As I seek out God’s will for my life, I want to be a living sacrifice for Him.

Rick Renner shares from the life of Paul. He shared how for five years Paul put off his ministry to the Gentiles to stay in the comfort of preaching to the Jews. I have overlooked this fact in reading the Scriptures and in my study of Paul. I have never heard an in-depth teaching in this view before this.

I know Jesus speaks of not being persuaded by other’s opinions.

“Even then, many Jewish authorities believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees they did not talk about it openly, so as not to be expelled from the synagogue. They loved human approval rather than the approval of God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭42‬-‭43

I had missed that Paul, as well as Peter was swayed to change their activities under the influence of others. The study Rick Renner offers goes into depth about the Greek meaning of certain words and the original Greek texts.

“When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul gave his whole time to preaching the message, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭18‬:‭5‬ ‭‬‬

I won’t pretend to even go there. As I was reading though, I thought about how I moved to Missouri from Arkansas away from all my family support except my husband. Now, here I am twenty-four years later in New Mexico facing some of the same things. I recognize there were some lessons I needed to learn. Was all this time in preparation for where Holy Spirit is leading me now?

I don’t feel that I am a person who caters to the opinions of others. The person I am, is just the person I am. I don’t really like to be someone I am not, it is exhausting. I am the same person in public as I am behind closed doors (although sometimes a little grumpier and negative). The behind closed doors Jackie has taken the longest to surrender to God. She is such a better version of me than I was even ten years ago, even more so than me twenty years ago. I am still becoming the woman God created me to be.

All the time, I want to be a living sacrifice. I want to be a person not swayed by anyone, even myself. I only want to be swayed by Holy Spirit. I want to love so surrendered, I am only swayed to do bolder things for God.

Prayer – Lord, please reveal to me if there are any lessons I failed to learn back in 1999, I want to be ready. If this has been a time of preparation for where You are leading me now, let me step out in obedience. Lord, I surrender to Your plans. I ask You for grace to walk it out. Lord, help me to stay Your course when the enemy tries to distract or derail me. Strengthen me to resist the enemy. Help me to avoid every voice that would try to contradict Your voice or turn me aside from Your will for my life. Lord, I seek to harvest for Your kingdom in everything I do. In Jesus name, amen.

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