Clarity for God's Call on your life

A few years ago during a sermon at my old church, I experienced a profound level of clarity for the calling on my life. 

I didn't really understand what was happening at the time, but in retrospect, I can with certainty see just how special & important that moment was for my walk with God and for this work that I do. 

While the pastor was teaching, I sort of started to drift off from the sermon & experienced a sense of relaxation, presence & heart-felt gratitude in my heart & body. 

I don't remember exactly what I was thinking about but I do remember the feeling of hope, peace and zest for life that was stirring in my heart. 

I felt really, really cozy & deeply grateful with a sense of adventure on the horizon. 

A conversation was happening in my heart with The Lord. 

Honestly, the conversation was more of an invitation than an actual conversation, but it was something that would change the way I would press forward in my work serving the Body of Christ from then on. 

The Lord asked me if I would be willing to do a work with and for Him that my heart leapt to say yes to. 

I remember thinking, “yes, yes, yes…” and then asking something along the lines, “are you sure – me?” and “am I really hearing from God? is this just in my head?” 

Only time would tell if it was a figment of my imagination or a true invitation. 

It's a bit difficult to put language to what I want to convey, but we can see in scripture that someone can pretend to be close to God while not being truly reconciled to Him in their hearts. 

Here are just three places, where it is abundantly clear that the surface of what we see on the outside does not necessarily match the true nature of a person's heart. Especially when it comes to their walk with Christ. 

“And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.”

Isaiah 29:13

“So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. ”

Ezekiel 33:31

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 

‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 

Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

Matthew 15:7-9

The invitation I was presented during that sermon was an invitation to partner with The Lord in helping His people experience a “heart softening.”

To help soften their hearts toward Him. 

To invite others to choose to partner with Him for their sanctification. 

We have to be intentional in our relationship with God as there is so much power in our free will choice to choose. 

Through the years, He has led me through a variety of classes, trainings and certifications to be able to accomplish this in practical and tangible ways. 

Where the contentment Paul speaks about from prison in Philippians 4 is no longer just theory or something we assume happens for “super Christians.”

He has highlighted to me the embodied experience of not truly trusting Him in our hearts – even though we desperately want to with our minds – in contrast to unshakeable, embodied faith where we know that we know, He is faithful to fulfill His promises. 

Always. 

He has allowed me to wrestle with doubt, fear, performance orientation, and so much more to help me understand the depths of the pain of not being fully reconciled to Him with the whole heart. 

I love how John Sandford says, 

“Inner healing is evangelism to the unbelieving parts of the believer's heart.” 

Implying that a broken heart comes with fragments that all need to be reconciled to God. 

When Jesus promises peace, or shalom, this Hebrew word actually means wholeness. 

He has revealed several bitter root structures (mentioned in Hebrews 12) which wreak havoc on our relationships - in particular our relationship with God – and leave us unable to enter the wholeness & peace He offers. 

Let alone walk in the calling on our lives. 

He has shown me what it feels like to experience “pretending” to be close to Him in comparison to the truly vulnerable, needy, & achy journey of letting Him touch the most wounded places of the heart & soul.

He has shown me our inclination to self-medicate with things of the world & remain distracted or in denial of the walls between us and Him in our own hearts. 

To honor Him with our lips while having hardened hearts towards Him. 

I have listened to countless stories of deconstruction and held space for layers of existential crisis in the lives of many sisters in Christ who have moved through my courses. 

I have had the privilege to sit with those brave enough to name the truth – that they don't actually trust God & are even furious with Him… & so much more.

Their sense of shame (although only a weapon of warfare from the enemy) is palpable & it's no wonder this is some of the hardest stuff of our faith. 

We want to be able to fully surrender and experience the deep rest and peace available through truly abiding in God, yet it's easier said than done. 

My recent pastor said, 

“There is no more perilous a condition than to lose divine intimacy with God.”

I can still hear his booming voice repeating this over and over through a more recent sermon. The sting of grief in his voice as he shared stories of fellow leaders who had fallen into secret sin before losing their position within the church – all because they “drifted away” or forgot to eat their portion of daily bread. 

Essentially, they didn't pour into their relationship with God or let Him touch their scars. 

I want to help you learn exactly how to partner with Him for your sanctification so you can walk in the fullness of what's available for you as a child of God. 

So you can stop running away from Him when and where you need Him most. 

So you can actually stop self-sabotaging & experience the rich depth available in a truly intimate relationship with God for yourself. 

To then actually fulfill the call on your life as you walk in your true identity in Christ. 

The Body of Christ needs you operating in your full capacity and gifting. 

We depend on one another. 

The lost souls around us depend on us to be truly fragrant with His fruit so our lives testify of the living nature of our relationship with God. 

Very soon I will be sharing more details for an upcoming opportunity for you to be able to make this choice in your own life. 

To soften your heart towards God and let Him reveal any walls you've erected in your heart that are keeping Him out.  

In the meantime we will be looking at some of the biggest challenges we inevitably face on this journey. 

As always, thank you for being here. 

Blog Post Title Two

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