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zaneellis
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11:46 PM
I led worship for the first time in a long time on Sunday. I can't even begin to describe the feeling in my heart in the moment and after it was over. Have you ever felt that amazing feeling of clarity? That's what it was like, only so much more. The past few months have been somewhat discouraging, but I feel like I'm coming out of whatever funk I've been in. I feel like I have direction and purpose now. I have no doubt of who God has called me to be now. I felt more passion, I felt more connected, I felt closer than I ever have when leading and I have no doubt that I will pour all of myself into it with any opportunity that I get now that I've walked through this process.
I don't want to say I took my opportunities for granted, but I don't know how else to put it. I'm more grateful for any opportunity that someone gives me than I've ever been. It's like I've been given the opportunity to start over. Wipe the slate clean and start over again.
So what's next now? Well, I'm a worship leader and I always will be. So now I'm looking for opportunities to do just that. Any event that you have where you need a worship leader, let me know!
I have clarity, purpose and direction and it feels so good to know what to do. Now....how do I get there and where exactly am I supposed to go? There are some difficult questions that I'm praying through, but I'm positive that God is going to speak through this process.
So what are you looking for some clarity about and how is God speaking through your situation?
Posted by
zaneellis
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10:17 PM
Recently I've started reading through the New Testament as part of a series from One Life Church called New Thru 30. We are committing to read through the entire New Testament in 30 days. It's a pretty intense reading schedule, but it's been so good for me.
Lately I've been stuck in this "what's next" rut. It's like I've just pushed pause and I really haven't been sure which direction to head. I haven't really been sure whether I'm done with ministry altogether or what. Because of how things worked out in ministry and also as a result of a few other things going on in my life, to be quite honest I've just been angry. I felt like I didn't have a direction and I just felt like things weren't going in the way that I had planned. It apparently because pretty clear that God needed to get my attention. His Word has helped to get my attention back.
It's amazing what the Word of God does in your life. I haven't been given specific instructions when reading through Matthew or Acts. And today through 1 and 2 Thessalonians I didn't get some insight into God's plan for my life. However, I have direction. That sounds odd, but it's true. God gives me direction through His Word and it just means that I follow Him. I've got a clearer picture of where I'm headed even though I don't know what's going to happen 10 steps ahead. I know the next step.
There is a verse in Psalm 119 that tells us that God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. A lamp puts out light, but not enough light to see 10 yards ahead. Just enough is illuminated for you to take the next step. This is the direction that God is giving me in my life right now.
He's helped do that through our new church, some friends and most importantly, His Word. I'll be blogging periodically throughout our New Thru 30 series to share what God is teaching me.
Today as I was reading through the very first part of the reading schedule I came across this passage in 1 Thessalonians and felt a stirring in my heart of the movement that God desires to bring to His people. It reminded me of the message that I heard on Sunday. Faith without works is a dead faith. The church without action is a dead church. God desires to wake up His people and to wake up His church. He desires for us to have steel in our convictions, as Paul says. When we live the message of Christ out in our lives, people WILL talk about it. Paul says that their lives are echoing the Master's Word. This is my prayer for the church. That our lives would echo His Word. That people would talk about how we expectantly await the arrival of the Son of God- Jesus Christ- who rescued us from certain doom.
Here is the passage from today. I've been reading along in The Message Bible so that's what I posted here. Hope it inspires you as much as it did me. Continue to check back here for more updates on the New Thru 30 series.
2 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers3 as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father.4 It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special.5 When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you,6 and determined to live that way yourselves.
In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.7 Do you know that all over the provinces of both Macedonia and Achaia believers look up to you?8 The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore—you’re the message!9 People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God.10 They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom. - 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
