Since our last time together, I must confess that, away from our group, PRAISE GIRLS, I have done nothing physically to serve our Lord. It’s hard to admit that, and I say it with a lot of shame. I am confessing that without the group, I am a weak person. Being with all of you gave me a feeling of “strength in numbers,” I guess you could say. I knew you had my back, and I had yours. However, on my own, I felt powerless to go out and offer my services, whatever that was, to someone in need.
I’ve had a few months to contemplate my life, my purpose, and my role as a Christian woman.
When I lost my son and my daughter-in-law on October 13, 2023, I knew in my heart of hearts that God told me that the best way to get past this pain in my heart was to serve others. That is when PRAISE GIRLS was birthed, and only God knew what that pain was. I am so very thankful that God saw it all and HE brought all of us together. We have all experienced heartache in one way or another. We did some good things for others in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It was all to be for HIS Glory and not only for a social activity for a group of women and friends. I can’t speak for you, but I felt a real purpose for my life when I was serving others. We were doing the Lord’s work and that is what we were put here to do.
I believe that serving God can be done in many ways. Even though I have not served in a physical sense, I have been sharing the Lord with many. There was a time in my life that I was unable to deliver a book report to a classroom of my peers. I was always doubting myself.
I felt that I was never “good enough”. I just knew that I would be laughed at. All of these fears were conquered as my faith continued to grow. Jesus showed me that fear is of satan. I know now that I am HIS handywork and HE created me in HIS image. If I am ashamed of who I am, then I am putting down my Creator.
My ability to speak in a crowd or just one-on-one, on behalf of God and for His Glory, makes me understand clearly now the verse, “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.’ (Phil. 4:13) Not that I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. (from the Bible )
I know that I cannot always depend on having a group around me. God gives all of us a purpose, and HE has a plan for each of our lives. Sometimes we have to break free of our need to stand with a “group” to serve HIS purpose. It may involve just one, but we can rest assured that HE is always standing with us.
We are all individuals, and we are all accountable for ourselves. One day, we will stand before the King, and HE will only expect us to answer for ourselves.
Sometimes when I am sharing the Lord, it surprises me at how often I find that people don’t know the Lord. They don’t understand what a “personal relationship” is. They might say, “Oh yes, I believe in God.” But they know nothing about HIM. They will say, “Yes, I am a Christian,” but they never or rarely visit church, and many times, they rarely read the Bible. I hear people say, “I am a certain religion,” but they know nothing about the word of God and have NEVER read the Bible. This is the hurting world. They are so wounded by what they think. They are so accustomed to being “wounded” that they don’t recognize that they are the source of their own pain. This “hurting world ” is following people who have the same wounds. It is accepted as natural.
They are following a sinful path that leads to destruction and eternal separation from God. It seems natural that they would accept ungodly desires. After all, that’s what the hurting world does. Never mind what God’s word tells us. It is shrugged off as “old-fashioned.” ” Only uneducated people believe that stuff.” They would rather be comfortable in their fleshly lives.
When we choose to live a life honoring Christ, He comes to live inside us. He cleanses us and removes the tares from our lives. We are being sifted. God is removing the wheat from the tares. The tares are desires that can corrupt our relationship with Jesus. It’s Anything we place first in our lives above Jesus Christ. It may take more than one sifting, but when we stay strong and true to our faith, our commitment to know Him, HE brings out Christ in us. We are rid of the fleshly desires, and HE puts a new meaning in our lives. We can then have our personal relationship with Jesus. The tares are of no good use. They will suffocate our relationship with Jesus. HE wants only the “wheat”. The true grain, the food that will never leave us hungry again.
