3 Lessons I'm Learning from God (that are helpful for all Believers)
Lessons from God as believers are a constant. These last few weeks for me have been no different - except that they’ve felt more amped up, more frequent, and more energized. I want to share with you 3 Lessons I’m learning from God that are helpful for all believers.
I’m curious, has God been talking to you a lot the last few weeks or do you feel He’s present but more quiet for you? Remember, however your relationship with Jesus looks today, he’s always, always with you. I’m grateful to serve a God who is patient with me as I learn how He wants me to grow in my life.
Lessons from God #1: people are actually more than willing to help you given the chance.
Raise your hand if you’re the woman who is pouring into her friends, family, and community - always, always giving, listening, and helping. People are grateful for you (whether they know it or say it to you). The world needs more women like you who are willing to share their God-given gifts for the betterment of others.
Let me say it again, you are a treasure to so many.
And often, when women like you are such givers of time, compassion, love, and support you can often feel exhausted, overwhelmed, even sad because selfless giving does take energy and commitment.
Not always, but in a lot of cases (I see this in myself and my clients) if giving comes naturally, asking for support or receiving it back does NOT. You might feel neglected or even create a routine pattern with friends or family who forget your needs or to give back to you. And you settle for that. I am exploring how to heal this with God’s help right now just like how I shared in this episode (scroll up to listen).
Givers need to receive too. Let’s reframe any discomfort for asking for what you want and need and see it as on opportunity of giving your friend the chance to encourage, love, and give you a gift your heart has been wanting so bad (like my friend said it felt for her when I FINALLY asked for some help)…
Was I surprised by friend told me she’d been wanting and waiting for me to ask for her help. Heck yes I was! It was the best feeling for her to help me. Something I was expecting to be a burden, was actually her delight!
Relationships are meant to be reciprocal. I encourage you to spend time with God this week to see a place or two in your life where there’s an opportunity for you to ask for some encouragement, some help, or support that feels more out of the ordinary than your norm. Stretching grows you into a stronger version of yourself, you can absolutely do this!!
Lessons from God #2: building a servant’s heart. who or what do you have a heart for?
What matters to you? Who do you have a heart for? What is God leading you towards with conviction these days?
I recently bought my first Val Marie Paper Prayer Journal (use my link and get $5 off your next order) and it’s been an incredible tool to strengthen my prayer life. The way it’s set up has helped me to become a lot more organized and be a more well-rounded and kingdom-focused pray-er.
Reminding me, for example, to think bigger about who I want to intentionally pray for - whether that’s people groups, circumstances, or things burdening my heart. Not only praying for what’s happening in my very small personal life but reminding me there’s an entire world of people who need all of our prayers.
I now spend time at the beginning of every month setting up my prayer journal with intentions for: our world and nation, my community, my church, my friends and family, prayer requests and prayers for people in my life who aren’t saved yet - it’s been really helpful to see it written out in organized lists for when I pray everyday.
Through using this prayer journal, God’s been showing me the places where my heart feels burdened and what makes me sad for what people are going though. I started asking God to refine me and give me a servant’s heart. That He would show me how to use my prayers for the good of others in bigger ways.
God answered, and showed me two places to focus on right now.
The first is: God Behind Bars Ministry. Their work bringing the Word of God to prisons is incredible. And the second is Voice of the Martyrs who encourage prayer for persecuted Christians worldwide. I recommend you sign up to get their free global prayer guide to learn more about what’s happening to believers everyday in other parts of the world.
What does it mean to have a servant’s heart?
A person with a servant’s heart loves people and sees people and God’s mission as a #1 priority. We use what we have available to us and we all have the ability to pray. That’s a great first place to start as God grows you into your form of service and gifting.
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.”
Other scripture about serving I love are: Acts 20:35, Galatians 5:13, 1 John 3:18, 1 Peter 4:10, and Mark 10:44-45 (there are many others).
Ask God how he can use your prayers in really specific ways for others. Yours will probably be a lot different than mine right now - or maybe mine will help you to shape where God's leading you right now.
Ask God and He’ll show you where to pray, who to pray for, and what else He might want you to do (where to tithe, or where to serve, etc).
Lessons from God #3: God is a good father. yes, even when we’re disappointed in his protection or his no.
Some of us are more used to disappointment, rejection, and the loss of opportunities than others. I’m pretty used to it. And it’s one of the places where if I’m honest I can open space for the enemy to get right into my mind and make me think it’s because of any number of lies I’ve believed about myself over the years.
I shared my disappointment and how I’m handling it in the episode (scroll up to listen). It’s never easy to pray for something and surrender to God and then the thing you were hoping was going to happen ends up being a no instead. BUT, actually, I’d rather get an up front no and protection from God than to go through more potential heartbreak, grief, friendship loss, or rejection. Those things are all inevitable. And it’s a comfort to know God may be limiting some of it, some of the time.
God’s protection is always a gift. Even if we need to stop and cry and feel sad about ‘what could have been’. It’s ok to feel those things and at the same time be grateful that God’s always out ahead of us, directing us for what’s better, more impactful, more wonderful in your future.
In my disappointment, that I’ll keep praying and asking God about, (my thing only just happened today, I know I’ll understand more about it soon if God wants me to) I’m remembering, Matthew 7:11: If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.
He’s a good Father. He’s also our comforter and our protector. He wants good things for you and for me.
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Until next week,
Eliza
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