Purpose In the Pain

Hebrews 5:7-10 msg, “While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.”

Though He was God’s son, He learned trusting obedience by what He suffered, just as we do. Just like Jesus, God has a purpose for our pain. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we would have many trials and sorrows here in this broken world. Pain and suffering are inevitable, but we have a choice. Do we let it grow us or destroy us? Do we let that pain imprison us or launch us into something greater? Envision a bow and arrow. You load an arrow for shooting and pull back on the arrow and bow string creating a tension and energy. You stare at your target., laser focused on where you want this arrow to go. Finally, you release, and all the tension and energy send that arrow flying straight to the target it was meant to hit. Pain can pull you back and create tension. During this tension is when you need to set your laser focus on your Heavenly Father. He is there to teach and grow you if you are willing to learn. He wants to turn that pain into something beautiful. 

The release. Surrender. It is out of your hands and put it in His hands. You are fully trusting Him to make the scars into beauty marks. Fully relying on Him to launch you into the purpose He had planned all along. Healing. Some of your best moments will be on the other side of pain. Choose to surrender today. Let Him heal those wounds and launch you into something NEW. Let your pain become your platform. Let your wounds become your witness. Let those scars become beauty marks. Wounds transform purpose. Someone needs to see those beauty marks. Someone needs your story. Our DEEP pain brings DEEP revelation of our Fathers Love for us. Quote from hope when life unravels by Adam Dooley “God providentially allows hardships in our lives that are the opposite of what we desire because He knows they will meet our greatest need of knowing Him more intimately. Ironically, when God seems most distant because of what we face, He is often most active in our lives. When we least understand what God is doing, we are better positioned to know Him at a more personal level because of the faith we need to exercise. God’s goal is not our comprehending Him more completely, but our trusting Him more deeply. Will we choose Truth? Will we believe God is good and that He loves us? Will we trust the changeless One when everything has changed? Our deep pain cannot separate us from God’s deep love. In seasons of loss, remember, friend, you always have a choice. Let God’s promises be your oxygen tank and His love be the one sure place you can stand in the chaos of questions. He is with you, He is for you, and He loves you. Period

Written by: Ashley Coursey



What Kind of Garment Are You Wearing?

What kind of Garment are you wearing? Daily we put on clothes and I believe just as we choose the clothes we wear, we also choose what garment we wear. You may be wondering what I am referring to when I say garment. Isaiah 61:3 says, “And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. The oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” I encourage you to read this whole chapter because it is really good, but for times sake I want to focus right here on “a garment of praise.” Are you wearing a garment of praise or a garment of pouting?

Are you passing down a garment of peace or a garment of contention? Are you choosing a garment of prayer or a garment of bickering? Are you wearing a garment of forgiveness or a garment of bitterness? Are you choosing a garment of kindness or a garment of frustration? A garment of needing to be right or a garment of striving toward reconciliation with God and others? Are you picking up a garment of faith or a garment of worry? Are you choosing a garment of love or a garment of resentment for all the pain we have endured? Lastly but most importantly, do we wear a garment of priority of Jesus? When we make Jesus our first Priority, He lines other parts of our life up as well. It’s the most important “garment” we MUST choose DAILY. In a book I just finished, “Love Like You Have Never Been Hurt,” Jentzen Franklin wrote,  “People will not see or feel the garment you profess; they will see and feel the garment you wear!” We pass on the garment we wear not the garment we profess to our children and those around us. 

I encourage you to pause and ask the Lord what kind of garment you have been wearing. If it isn’t something you should be wearing or want to be wearing, it’s not too late to change it. Just like you change your clothes, you can ask the Lord to help you change the garment and choose to change it today. I will tell you your circumstances will likely not change, but your perspective will. Maybe you say today, how do I change the garment or why would I change my garment when my circumstances are like they are? I was reminded this last week, as Brother Jerry Roberts spoke at our church, that it is not protesting that changes things, it is PRAYER. Many times we are choosing our own way to change things when God simply wants us to choose wisely the Garments we wear and then Trust that PRAYER and PRAISE are the key to changing our lives for the better. Today, I am praying God fills you today with Strength and wisdom to put on a “GARMENT” that is of Him.
 
Amanda Miller


Freedom

As I think about this day and all it represents, I cannot help but be overcome with gratitude for the men and women that fought and sacrificed so much so we can walk in freedom today. This morning, as I pondered this, I began thinking on how God paid the ultimate sacrifice for our FREEDOM by sending His Son.

Galatians 5:1 ESV states “For Freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” It was for FREEDOM from sin that Christ set us free. Then Galatians 5:13 states, “For you were called to FREEDOM, brothers. Only do not use your FREEDOM as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” This Scripture reminds me that if I am not on guard and intentional, I can use my “freedom” and be sinning. That ultimately my FREEDOM is not about me but it is about the price Jesus paid on the cross so I could ultimately love and serve others.  Lastly, 1 Peter 2:16 reminds us “Live as people who are FREE not using your FREEDOM as a cover up for evil but living as servants of God.” What a great reminder today from His Word as we celebrate those that did just this. They sacrificed and served for the love of their country so you and I could still experience Freedom today. Today, as we take the time to celebrate on this Independence Day, I pray we not only take the time to celebrate and show appreciation to the men/women whom have fought for our freedom but also God who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could walk in complete FREEDOM by sending His Son.

Happy Independence Day from our family to yours!

Amanda Miller



PUSH

We first began hearing this term as a bad thing in life, being told “do not push.” Yesterday, my 2-year-old came to tattle on her older sister claiming she pushed her. My 11-year-old simply laughed because she never even pushed her, and her sister obviously did not understand what the word “push” really meant.

As I grew older, I heard this term as an acronym “Pray Until Something Happens.” It has always been one of my favorites. I read a quote that said, “One little prayer can change a huge situation,” and then I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that encourages us to pray continuously. I could not agree more with this statement. Yet, what if we are called to PUSH in life and P.U.S.H. in life? Let me better explain what I mean.

I said something to a friend yesterday that kept ringing in my head. In a moment I texted, “I am pushing my way to breakthrough,” but only in a joking way. It hit me shortly after texting that I should truly be doing that. Why do I often take defeat and accept it rather than FIGHT for victory?  Marissa Meyer said it this way, “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that is how you GROW. When there is that moment of ‘Wow I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you PUSH through those moments, that is when you have a BREAKTHROUGH. I believe that many times in life it is our actions that show what is a true priority. We are by all means called to PRAY at all times just as I first talked about, but I also believe we are called to, as my dad would often say, “put my feet where my mouth is.” So often I can be praying for things, yet never willing to act in the same direction as my mouth is praying. It is like saying when I get sick that I want to get better, but only going to the doctor’s office and sitting in the waiting room and never going in. Please do not misunderstand me, God has called us to pray because there is so much more, He can do more with our prayers than we could ever get done. Yet, I also believe there is some action He has called us to take.

Maybe after reading this you realize there is something you need to take action on today or maybe you were reminded to start praying again. We have all been that person at one time being shoved as someone pushes their way to the front of the line or the person feeling like a “broken record” praying for something faithfully.  No matter which one it may be, even if it is both, I believe It is time we PUSH our way to BREAKTHROUGH! I want to encourage you, do not let defeat get the last word. Stand up and PUSH your way to BREAKTHROUGH!
 
Amanda  Miller


Word To Live By

Welcome to the first Impact blog of 2020. I want to share a word with you, that if we live it this year, I believe we will experience a year of being used by God like never before. Today I want to look at the word humility. Humility is the state of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.. James 4 tells us that God resists proud people but gives grace to humble people. Humility is attractive and contagious. Pride is repulsive but unfortunately it is also contagious. Humility is mentioned 73 times in the Bible. I’m going to share just a few of the places in the Bible that it is mentioned.
Proverbs 3:34-35 says, “Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorned, yet He gives GRACE and UNDESERVED FAVOR to the low in rank, the HUMBLE, and the afflicted. I don’t know about you but I want God’s grace and undeserved favor in my life. Then 1 Peter 5:6 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God (set aside self-righteous pride), so that He may exalt you (to a place honor in His service) at the appropriate time.” God does the promoting not us. All we must do is humble ourselves and work hard. When we do this, God will do what only He can do.
Lastly, we find that 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name HUMBLE themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven.” Did you notice that God calls us to FIRST humble ourselves and THEN pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways? Humble means submitting to someone else. Being humble is to come under God’s submission. Submission in Hebrew means to lean down and lift in loving support. When we submit to God daily by leaning down, we allow God to lift us up in loving support. God wants to support us, but we must first humble ourselves.
Jesus chose to live a humble life so that we would know what it looks like to live in humility. All He needs from us as humans is a humble heart, not our idea of a perfect person. As people, we try to come to God in what we believe or strive to be “perfectly packaged.” I believe everyone that God has used and continues to use has simply chosen humility. It was proven time after time in the Bible how God loved to use imperfect people and I believe He still does today. Jen Hatmaker said it this way, “Humility comes only when I choose to be with Him and depend on Him instead of buying the lie that I am enough. Humility is a grateful and spontaneous awareness that life is a gift, and it is manifested as an ungrudging and unhypocritical acknowledgement of absolute dependence upon God. Humility reminds us of this truth. It says, ‘Relax. Your only hope is Jesus.’” Let’s choose to do a heart check today. Ask the Lord, am I choosing humility today? God isn’t looking for a perfect “package,” He is simply looking for a humble and willing person. It’s time we give up running our own life and put ourselves under God’s authority. Choosing humility daily will help us make great PROGRESS in our life this year.
 
Amanda Miller


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