I have failed to blog about the rest of the sessions from the Deeper Still conference I went to a few weeks ago. So today I wanted to share a few points from Priscilla Shirer's lesson. Before the conference, I had heard that Priscilla was amazing and taught as powerfully as her father, Tony Evans, but I had never had the pleasure of hearing her speak. The praise was correct because she was soooo good. She was definitely my favorite out of the 3 ladies. She has some fantastic Bible studies at Lifeway Christian Stores if you happen to be in the market for a new study to kick off the new year.
Here is a shot of Mrs. Priscilla...
She taught a lesson on walking by faith and boy, did I need to hear that message. I was reminded that I have to connect my faith with action to see God's power in my daily life. There are just too many days that go by that I simply don't feel like I am living the victorious Christian life that I am suppose to be living. Does anyone else feel that way? She said that there are over 8,000 promises in the Word of God that Christians can claim as our own. Those promises are not placed right in our hand, but rather within our reach. We have to go through a process, a faith walk, to grasp them. We don't want to do that. We pray for miracles and for great displays of God's power and then we desire to stay out of situations where miracles will be necessary, claiming that we aren't equipped.
She based her session on a Bible story found in 2 Kings 13:14-25. I will give you the very short version of the story. Elisha, the prophet, the voice of God to the people, was on his deathbed and Joash the king of Israel came to him, weeping, saying, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen." This was a title given to Elijah in 2 Kings 2:12 and now used to refer to Elisha, referring to their power. King Joash meant that Elisha was Israel's best defense against the nations that would come against them in war. He ascribed the nation's well being to Elisha rather than to God Himself.
Elisha told Joash to take a bow and some arrows, to shoot one arrow eastward and then to strike the ground with the remaining arrows. The arrow that he shot eastward would symbolize victory over the Syrians, who had occupied Israel's land east of the Jordan River. Joash then started to shoot the remaining arrows to the ground, but stopped after three. Because Joash had struck the ground only three times instead of five or six times, apparently the number of arrows he would have had in his quiver, he would strike down Syria only 3 times. If he had struck five or six times, the threat of Syria would have been totally eliminated. But he lacked perseverance and endurance and victory will always depend on our measure of obedience....our action...our faith.
I could apply this to a lot of different things in my life, but one area is just being a mom ,a wife, and wanting to be actively involved in ministry. It is overwhelming, isn't it? I talked about this the other day in my post about asking for wisdom, so I won't belabor the point. But, on any given day, I feel so ill-equipped to do what God is calling me to do. I want to scream that I am only one person and I just can't balance everything and be successful with each thing. I constantly tell God what I don't have (my weaknesses), instead of focusing on what I do have (my strengths). In relation to the story, I have every arrow that I need in my quiver, I just have to offer every one of them to a Holy God, let Him consecrate my offering with His power, and then let Him work on my behalf.
The king held some arrows back and I hold back all the time. I have to be willing to shoot every arrow that I have and then give God my empty quiver because that is when He can show up in power. It is so much easier though to hold back, to keep a few arrows, just in case God doesn't show up. That doesn't require as much faith, does it? Being in the "safe place" never does.
I am the world's worst about trying to figure everything out on my own before I take a step. I am a worrier, I am a planner, and I want everything in a nice little order...that I can see....before I step out in obedience. And this applies to so MANY situations in my life! All the while God is saying, "Trust Me. I have given you what you need for today. I will continue to give you what you need tomorrow. Empty your quiver and trust Me."
She shared a few powerful verses that brought me to tears...
2 Chronicles 20:12 "O our God...For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but OUR EYES ARE ON YOU." (Life is hectic and days are busy and I feel like I have a great multitude coming against me. In those moments, I have to keep my eyes on God. He will fight the battle for me.)
2 Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that HE MAY STRONGLY SUPPORT those whose heart is completely His." (As I simply seek Him, He will give me the support that I need. I love that...now, if I can just remember that!)
She challenged me in other ways too. Here are a few other points that she made...
*Know your Bible....and then put yourself in situations where you will see the Bible work.
*Surround yourself with godly friends, friends who will support you and inspire you to be strong in the Lord.
*Don't try to figure everything out. It is OK to be in a place where God HAS to come through. That is where I will grow the most in my faith.
*We believe little because we've seen little and we have seen little because we believe little. Lack of faith is a vicious cycle.
*Psalm 20:7...Trust in the Name of the Lord. He is all I need.
*Believers should be marked by "peace"...not worry, not doubt, not fear. We are aliens and strangers in this world. The peace should be obvious to a lost world around us. It should mark us and make us different.
The weekend was powerful and just what I needed.
I am not going to share Beth Moore's lesson because it didn't speak to me the way the other two lessons did. I am sure that she "spoke" exactly what many other people in that arena needed, just as I feel like I was meant to hear what Priscilla taught through God's Word. God is like that and personalizes specific messages for each individual person.
Priscilla Shirer's website is www.goingbeyond.com just in case you are interested.
Until next time...
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