The story behind this train of thought is something that I felt to share with those of you that read this. I hope it encourages you, gets you to think and I pray it releases you to be so much bigger with God – than you ever could have imagined or hope for.
It may not seem such a BIG deal to some, but this has been a powerful release for me in recent times. You see, I grew up in a culture of surveys, gifting analysis and SHAPE courses. These are in themselves not bad things. They have given me much encouragement, they have provided much structure for me, they have given me a starting block in my faith and the practice of walking it out.
My problem began when I allowed what they (and others had said) to create a wrong belief. The belief that the labels were the whole of me, rather than just a natural/spiritual strength.
God has been shaking the cage in me and knocking down some significant walls of the box I had allowed to be created around me.
I grew up seeing and hearing people working within their areas of gifting – which was AMAZING! I also saw that some were unwilling to do things outside of their gifting. NOT GOOD! I remember on a number of occasions hearing some talk about not sharing their faith, because they didn’t have the gift of evangelism. A righteous anger began it’s beginning in me, in that moment. And God has been stirring that and working with me since that moment about the area of giftings and what we are to do with them. I wanted answers as to what all of this meant…..
Over the past few years we began attending an amazing place where I felt celebrated for being an encourager. Now that in itself is not a bad thing, in fact, it’s a very good thing. It’s an even greater thing, when God is in it. That label of encourager, actually (over a period of time) began to limit me in God. I felt like if I wasn’t being encouraging, then I wasn’t being my true self. I felt a pressure to be always encouraging all the time. I began to feel things outside of that strength were not my thing. This is when God ramped up and escalated an epiphany.
I was chatting with a precious friend recently and she asked me what my intercessory prayer style was…I had never heard of such a thing. It was another list, something to work out, another tool or possible wall for me. It was at that moment, that I spoke up and endeavoured to put into words exactly what God had been stirring in my heart. Being such a beautiful and grace filled woman, she listened and actually heard my heart on it, rather than being offended.
This is basically what I said to her…..Jane,
I am discovering that God who is fully complete – lives in me.
Now as God lives within me fully, and being fully complete, He can be all things to all people. He is teacher, comforter, loving Father, creator, sharer of the truth, He is the TRUTH, fully whole in all and every way that anyone could possibly be.
In fact, one night as I asked God to show me something about Himself, that I didn’t know yet – He told me that He was a gifted musician. This made me laugh. Then Holy Spirit showed me a picture of the most humanly perfect cellist on this earth – He then expanded the understanding of just how gifted and perfect He was. He excelled by a squillion, the perfect flutist, pianist, drummer and vocalist each one upon this earth. It put me in absolute AWE of what heaven will be like.
Father God then revealed to me that this truth applies to ALL things. WOW!!!! I WAS IN COMPLETE AWE OF GOD’S ABILITIES AND HEART.
So, you might be asking how this all applies to the heart of this article.
This is how…..as He lives within me and within us – as believers. We also have the full capacity to do anything that God prompts us to do. Not only that, but we have the resources within us, because of who lives within us.
Practically speaking, how does this impact my daily life.
As I’m heading through the register at the supermarket – and the register attendant tells me about their wrist issue – I can actually pray for healing, because I have the fully loving and complete God living within me…I do not need the label of healer, because I have the healer living within me.
As I see someone standing by themselves looking alone – I can approach them and just love them as God prompts, because He is altogether loving and complete – not lacking anything. I do not need the label of merciful or gift of discernment, because I have the most discerning and loving Father who lives within me.
As my child shares with me about their troubles of the day – I can point them to God and pray with them about their concerns – even if I don’t have the gift of teaching or of intercessory prayer – God is fully complete in me and He knows what is needed in any given situation.
A friend shares a problem that they are having in life….because I have the God who thinks the absolute world of this friend, living within me, I can pour some of that love upon them. I can also pray with them about the answers. I can also receive divine answers for earthly questions, because I have the living Holy Spirit within me, who LOVES to answer our questions.
It’s because He lives within me, that I can come boldly to Him with any request and put it before Him. I can learn to walk in the flow of His Spirit, discerning when to step into and when to step back. I can do it ALL, BECAUSE HE IS MIGHTY AND WANTS ME TO LEARN THIS.
He has used all of the surveys of the world to help me in great ways, but nothing compares to the excitement and blessing of being a part of God’s greater story. A story without limits and with great mysteries and extraordinary events to come!!!!
He has said that He’ll use a donkey to get the message across. So for today and hopefully many days to come…Hee-Haw!!!!
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this beautiful truth, that I am not limited by my past or my present, it is only you who knows the future….and with you it looks amazing!
Father help me to know when you want me to speak….then give me the words.
Father help me to know when to act….then show me what to do.
Father help me to know when to listen…..then give me your response.
Father help me to know when you are speaking and when it is my own humanity speaking.
Father, thank you that I am not limited by labels, but released freely to be and to do ALL that you desire for us to do or be, together.
Father, bless the reader with a mighty sense of your excitement for them, about their future and about their release from the past and all its boxes.
Father, show them the next step to walking in complete freedom in you. Give us all courage to be who you designed us to be.
Give us all that is required to fly and to bless and to live full of You.
In Jesus powerful name.
Amen. xxxxx