Are you following the desires of your heart, or other’s hearts?
When I think about the kingdom of God, I see it as a very shared, collaborative, triumphant realm.
All victories that we experience are from the Cross. Your victory is my victory, my victory is your victory, because we are ONE body–unified by our faith.
The Bible says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” Revelations 12:11.
So through Christ and through our sharing of what God has done in our lives, we will live a confident and abundant life–unaffected by darkness.
It’s good to have role models, and to want to be God-like and live life abundantly like others do. However, theres a specific distinction that I want to speak to today.
1. God created us in his image: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26
God created us in his image. God is THE ULTIMATE CREATOR and not only invented creativity, but is creativity. So that makes us CREATIVE. We are all creative in our own ways–whether or not it is seen as creative by the world.
Creativity Examples:
- How you change your tire
- How you put your clothes together
- They way you tell a story
- How you paint
- How you sing
- How you write a proposal
- the list goes on and on….
2. God created us with purpose: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
Our actions have an impact! The thing we decide to do with our lives matter to God. Whether it be holding our tongue, resisting our pride, being generous, choosing kindness, keeping our love on, volunteering at church, housing a homeless family, feeding the poor, or praying for people, all we decide to do in love and truth is on behalf of the kingdom. Jesus only saw as the Father doing–our actions and intentions have an impact.
3. God created us to do great things: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10
It is by Jesus that we can do great things. God planned us to have specific locks that only his keys can open to distribute the kingdom of heaven in our homes, work, streets, community, church, families, social life, etc. God made us so specifically for such specific moments to look to him and do as he does.
4. God created us with different gifts: “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12:6-8
We are all different with a similar purpose. If you look at it like you look at the body, the fingers are different then the kidney, but work together to keep the body alive and well. Thats how the family of God is. We work together to live, prosper, and cultivate the Kingdom of Heaven. And this is all by his grace! Nothing that we’ve earned! We get the privilege and choice to love!
5. God created us with gifts to offer each other: “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10-11
Okay Talee, get to the point.
When I try to be something that I’m not, I’m dishonoring God. I am saying, to my creator, that what he had planned wasn’t good enough. That his artwork is crap, and I that I’m going to take control of it.
Usually, when I act from the position of inauthenticity, the actions I take don’t make the impact I expect. Now, its not to say that I haven’t been inspired to make actions that have positively impacted people, because I have. What I am distinctly speaking to here is when people want to adopt someone else’s path, and try and take that as their own. When, it is not apart of God’s design for your life, you can literally sense it. Whether it be in frustration, aggravation, confusion, etc., there are signals that are alerting you to “get off this path!”
Now, God never leaves you or forsakes you. Praise Jesus for that! Even in times when we don’t deserve it! Praise Jesus!
However, Gods grace and favor in our lives seems to follow us where He is calling us to, where He has already made the way for us, where He is in our midst, and where He in the waiting for us to stand in the new place He has for us.
If we realize that we can go places God does not want us to go, then we can learn to understand that he has something for us. And we can learn to lean into what he is saying, and allow him to illuminate the next words, phrases, actions, etc. that we need to do.
I have been down the road where God was not leading too many times to know this feeling of feeling like I’m alone, abandoned, and forsaken by God, when actually I was the one who abandoned him.
Back to my question, “Are you following the desires of your heart, or other’s hearts?”
What is going on way deep deep down that God is pulling to the surface? What is God calling out of you?!
Here are some practical indicators:
Where do you say,
- “Someone should really be……”
- “If only there was someone to…..”
- “Why isn’ there a committee that….”
- “Where are all the…”
Start hearing yourself blurt out the desires and needs that you see are missing and that you want to see present and see that as maybe…just maybe…that some body is you.
God didn’t put desires in our heart for us to complain about, he put them on our hearts to do something about it! With him! Through the power of Christ!
What do you do?
Why do you do it?
Who inspires you to do it?
Where is this idea coming from?
Be You
Be Kind
Be Love
DEN OF THE LIONESS 