My beloved sisters,
I am so blessed to ring in a new year with you and to anticipate God’s goodness and faithfulness in the coming 12 months. Let’s allow 2014 to be more than the next number on a calendar. Let’s deliberately enter into a fresh season and invite Jesus to do something brand new in us and thank Him in advance for what He has planned. His ways are always right. Always fitting. Without having a clue what is ahead in 2014, you can have unshakable confidence that your God will be good to you. He holds you securely in the palm of His hand.
I am deeply thankful for you this day and all you mean to His Kingdom. You are staunch servants. Mighty, mighty women of God. I am amazed by all you do in His Name and for the beauty and creativity of His holy calling displayed and parceled among you. You sharpen me and keep me running my race at full speed toward the one and only goal worth setting: the finish line where Jesus stands, urging us forward and waiting to welcome us home.
I have a simple truth on my heart this new year but it is washing over my soul like a waterfall.
I want to obey God.
In mid-November of 2012, God dropped a word so convicting on my heart through another teacher’s lesson that my face instantly burned. You’ve had those times, too, when you look around the room sheepishly to see if everyone is glaring at you, hoping you got it so that the congregation can all move on to the next point. This was the word:
Stop sowing over and over in the exact same field.
I wasn’t looking for it. I didn’t ask for it. I was happy where I was. Like many of you, I like things to stay the same. I loved my circle of relationships and the familiar places I got to serve. I’ve never lost a passion for those places and have often wept with thanksgiving to God for the privilege of walking through some of the same doors again and again. I have a history of long relationships and staying put and that’s how I like things. But I knew God was talking to me. It burned like a branding iron.
Every single day for nearly 14 months, that same word has reverberated in my soul and troubled my feet.
I have made some strides and taken some steps. The Living Proof Live event team and I felt the urging of the Holy Spirit almost simultaneously to continue to do what we’ve been doing – calling people to worship and the Word – but to become very proactive about reaching the lost and the less-discipled. You will hear us become vocal about this initiative in the coming months leading up to our new LPL calendar year that launches in April. We are passionate to still serve women who know Christ well but we’re also hoping they will join us shoulder-to-shoulder in the accelerated outreach effort that God is blazing in our souls. We are praying earnestly that women will come bringing the lost and the searching and the broken and the untaught. A dying world surrounds us. One that Jesus loves. One that He died and rose again to redeem.
The process of change is not simple. It takes forethought and prayerful preparation. We are, for instance, deliberating on ways to make tickets available because we know that lost people aren’t prone to buy tickets to Christian events. We’re trusting God to show us what to do and how to do it. The free ebooks that we’re putting out for the first 10 days of January are part of this initiative. We’re very aware that, when it comes to reaching the unreached, free is key.
So strides have been made but they are only first steps.
I shared with you the date in 2012 that this word came to me so that, if you needed it, you’d have some assurance that I’m not knee jerking or reacting impulsively. I have had all these months to pray and study and listen to Jesus and ponder His leadership.
Fast forward 12 months exactly to the most recent November. A year after hearing from God so clearly about sowing further than the field that I’d loved and served in for so long, I had a very disturbing dream. I can count the significant dreams I’ve had through the decades on one hand so I’m not prone to look for messages in my sleep to keep from having to actually pray and read the Bible. That God can speak through dreams is clear in our own Bibles, of course, but for many of us it is unusual. I don’t feel the release right now to describe the dream though I may someday. What I do feel is a strong compelling to share with you what I knew beyond a doubt it meant. I believe that I can either be obedient to God in the faith walk He is setting before me or He will take my voice. I do not feel that it was a rebuke. I felt that it was a warning.
I was saved in childhood but I was 18 years old the first time I ever had a vivid encounter with God and it accompanied my calling. Christ has been so merciful to remain with me through harrowing ups and downs, fears and failings, and flaws and frailties. Good grief, what grace He has poured on my life. What forgiveness flows from His wounds on the cross. I’ve been so foolish at times and learned many things the hard way but I am not new to the believing walk. I don’t look to the air for my words from God. I look to the Scriptures. It is my daily bread. I want revelation any way Jesus wants to give it but I’ve been around long enough to know that, if it is unrecognizable in His Word, it is not of Him.
38 years have come and gone since that day I received my calling.
And I have rarely – if ever – received clearer orders from God.
I share this with you because I love and esteem you so much and want you to know that I haven’t lost my footing or had a dramatic change in my theology as I tread into a wider perimeter than I’ve served before. I say this to you before I have a single invitation on the docket that is out of the ordinary. I’m not manipulating you in advance of announcing some big plan to you. No such plan exists. No such invitations have yet come that I know of. But when they do, I will take them prayerfully before God and if He says go, Sister, I’m going to go. I must.
For lack of a better way to say it, I am not picking up and moving across the fence. I think this is more about dismantling a fence anyway. I’m not leaving Living Proof Ministries. I’m not departing from our mission statement of many years: to encourage people toward knowing and loving the Lord Jesus Christ through the study of His Word. I’m by no means leaving my beloved church, Bayou City Fellowship. I’m not saying goodbye to the blog or this community. On the contrary, we have an active year before us and summer Bible study right around the corner. I hope to enjoy many more years of fruitful friendship and partnership with LifeWay through in-depth Bible studies and Living Proof Live events. They have been so gracious and willing to exceed denominational boundaries. I praise God for them.
We must all be willing to exceed denominational boundaries. Revival is at stake. Nearsightedness will trip us and disunity will slay us in the perilous days to come. We can prioritize our denominations over the Scriptures if we want to but we will shrivel up and die on the vine if we do.
We who are called to teach must teach the Scriptures even if – and especially when – they differ from our long-held stance. That we will answer for.
These are days for bravery.
To avail ourselves to the Holy Spirit and a fresh work of Christ in our midst, our healthy fear of God must far exceed our fear of man. I say this with tremendous love. Those who refuse to rock the boat when Jesus is tossing the waves in their faces will never know the thrill of the water beneath their feet.
For without faith it is impossible to please Him. Hebrews 11:6
Change is on the horizon and certainly not only where I live and serve. The winds of the Holy Spirit are picking up. We can dig our feet in the ground and demand to stay right where we are. We can toil to maintain things just as they have been for years. And we can be left out of a coming awakening that could one day be recorded in the annals of Christian history.
We can throw our boundaries up at God, keep stacking our divisive bricks, and insist that He obey us.
Or we can obey Him.
God help me, that’s what I want to do. I am too old anymore to let the bullies boss me. And I am too young to quit.
Out of the stunning grace of God, I have had the joy of serving among some of the most well-discipled women in the Bible belt. Many of them take notes each week as their pastors preach. They listen to podcasts in their cars on the way to work. They serve their local congregations, feed the poor, and minister to the sick. Many of them have done every Bible study on the market by every teacher available. They keep their faces in the Scriptures. They memorize and evangelize and sacrifice. They are warriors. I’m not worthy of them but I so dearly love them. I have no words to convey how honored I am to have served among them and I deeply hope to serve among them still. But to serve them only – or even primarily – lacks stewardship. God is telling me to get my ear pressed to the ground for opportunities to serve in environments where women are less commonly studying the Bible in-depth. Some of those places may look very different from those I’ve visited before. I make this promise. I will hold tight to the Word and seek with everything in me to teach it soundly. I will hold onto Jesus as the love of my life. I will pray hard and you’ll never waste a prayer on me.
The days are short. The times, urgent. For all of us.
Need is a part of what steers a call.
I have no idea what the future holds. I have no idea where God will send me or if those places will seem different to many of you. But this I do know: if I do not tell Him wholeheartedly that I am willing to go anywhere He leads and serve anyone He says, He is going to do His good pleasure anyway. And without me.
I have to go with Jesus on this or my soul will collect an inch of dust on the lifeless, wooden altar of safety and sameness.
Thank you for your patience. You have been so gracious to bear with me through this lengthy letter. When all is said and done, I pray with my whole heart that this post will turn out to have been more than just about me. That’s so nauseating. I could have done that at home by myself and saved you the time. But maybe God wants to say something similar to someone else. Maybe it’s time for your next step, too, even if you have no idea where your foot is going to land.
Maybe you’ve been raised to keep your faith to yourself…and it’s time to start sharing it.
Maybe you’ve studied and studied for years…and it’s time for you to get up and teach.
Maybe you’ve been mentored so well that you know it all by heart…and it’s time for you to mentor others.
Maybe you’ve been the focal point of much compassionate ministry and you thank God for it…but it’s time now to pay it forward and minister to others.
Maybe you’ve been breaking free for 10 years…and it’s time for you to live free and show somebody how it’s done.
Maybe all our risk-free living is not really living.
And maybe I’ve missed it. But I am about to take that chance.
Oh. Oh. So excited for this. My heart is moved to step outside my box this year as well. Linking arms with you!
BEth, ThanK you for realizing the call on your life is not about denominations but about Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to seeing what He is doing in all of our lives that are willing to surrender to His calling.Love and prayers.Martey
OK, I LIKE this!!! I have observed your ministry since you spoke at Hyde Park Baptist in Austin years ago. You were young and enthusiastic to say the least. I did not “get” you.
Then my friends invited me to hear you several years later in Houston at a large event. Well, well, well I “got you”. You took the risk to share your life story and to move forward (change) despite the discomfort. Wow, your change has been such a flow from God to our hearts, souls and spirits for well over a decade.
Then you made your next God directed CHANGE with expanding LPM and altering your ministry as you have been led.
NOW, God is redirecting you again. This is exciting. I can’t wait to observe your next Journey with our Lord.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing. I just bet many of us have been uprooted and our lives demolished over the past 2 decades, I know my life certainly has been uprooted and demolished. The promise for me are the Jeremiah 31:4 31:38-40 verses I am holding on to for dear life and I paraphrase those verses in my heart almost daily. “I AM building you up again, you will be rebuilt. Your family (you) are being rebuilt for ME the Lord. All the areas where your family’s dead bodies, ashes, properties have been are now are NOW holy to me- Your work will be rewarded and your children WILL return to their OWN land. 40b Your family will never again be uprooted or demolished- I pray and believe my children and I are in the “rebuilding” stage until we leave this earth- the demolition has been overwhelming, hopefully the debris is almost cleared and God’s plans are ready to begin the rebuilding. I really to not want to HOARD the past and all my EGO thinks or thought had to be in order to be OK- There is no way to see our home if we have cluttered it with all we thought we had to “hold on” to in order to be safe. Let the new construction begin and let God’s design unfold!I want the LORD to be my contractor, I want to surrender to him- how I’m not sure, but I am willing- God Help Me! Love ya and lots of blessings to you and yours- My Goodness…..
This post spoke to me! Wow!! Thank you, thank you!!
This was INCREDIBLY moving! Thank you for sharing! I was blessed to be introduced to your Bible studies last year with Inheritance…I had been walking through life into my 30s walking through the motions. Then last summer I went to a conference that Jennie Allen was at. I have been challenged by you both to stop just having God in my head but let Him wholey and completely into my heart and it has opened my eyes to things I have never noticed before and experiencees in stepping outside of my comfort zone – serving breakfast to the poor & homeless & hosting a Bible study in my home that I now can’t imagine not having in my life as they have filled me with so much joy than I could have ever imagined. But the best part of all is I have inspired others to do the same. Thank you!
Yes. More than anything.
How encouraging to read your blog and the Word you’ve received from God. God is leading me to reach out to people who don’t know Jesus and/or study God’s Word. How wonderful that excellent Bible teachers like you are doing this necessary and vital work. I’ve been doing ministry to reach non-churched people for 14 years.
I support you and am praying for you and LPM as you follow God’s leading. It’s not easy, but so needed. Remember to base your success on being obedient to what God is asking of you, and not what people tell you.
Oh Mama Beth, the courage of your post brought tears to my eyes! Press on! Keep fighting the beautiful fight until you see His beautiful face! This ministry has blessed my life SO much over the past year. You have become such a spiritual mama to me. I am challenged by this post, what areas of my life is God calling me to obedience? I love that you said you fear Him more than man. Isn’t it so easy to worry more about disappointing those around us than The One who made us??? You keep leading by example! 🙂
Gotta say….been reading blog FOREVER,and I know this “insight” is real. I will be praying for the will of our FATHER to be done on this earth as it is in heaven.
You go, Girl! Oh this is exciting. And I know that we will be a part of it as well. You are right. The Holy Spirit is moving. And if we sit still, He will move right over us. Thank you for your obedience.
Being a girl who loves her some sameness, I hear ya! And it rings with truth. You certainly aren’t in need of my affirmation, but I can tell you that God’s been pushing me to previously unknown places. Does anybody else feel like they’re just making this up as they go along? Ministry, that is. I believe I’m being retooled, and I’m not really enjoying the process. Although I will add that it’s caused me to dig in deeper into my time with the Lord. Perhaps I keep hoping He’ll change His mind and return me to a more recognizable path. Or that maybe I misunderstood His directions. Not today 🙂 But I had tremendous Company!
I find myself wondering what this will look like from heaven someday. Will I regret that I didn’t have more “giddy-up” in my going? Perhaps we never really get “the hand” of this walk. I’d be too tempted to rely on myself.
God bless you for this powerful and bold word Beth!
I agree wholeheartedly and find myself in full agreement with you.
May I be as courageous and take the necessary steps God is calling me to take this year for His glory alone.
I thank God for you daily.
Prayers for you and your family as well as the ministry God has given to you and is yet to give to you as this post suggests.
Godspeed in 2014!!
Shelly
AL
WOW Beth. What an amazing post! It’s gonna take me all of 2014 to amen with you
and see Jesus hand in your life!
Have fun love you! FAITH not FEAR
Thank you Beth for such a compelling way to start this new year! I too feel the winds of change of breaking down the barriers that have kept us as children of God shackled and unaffective. Our ladies class is studying the James series and our eyes are being opened to what “pure and undefiled religion is” and we are so very thankful for women like you! I too feel the need this year to reach out to my family members who do not have the relationship with our Father that He wants so desperately to have with each one of us and you have encouraged me to be bold in those efforts in the coming year. I will be praying for you and ask that you pray for me. Thank you for your wonderful, sweet heart of servitude and I know that God will bless this coming year for us all! Love you!
Beth, thrilled to hear what the Lord has been speaking to you and stirring up inside of you. The desire to reach the lost and broken who are without Him and have no desire or knowledge of Him…there can’t be a more important calling. From a former pit dweller who didn’t want anything to do with Christ, belief, faith or “church people” I am reminded of the one and only thing that compelled me to turn to Him..LOVE…genuine Christlike nonjudgmental love that was shown to me without ulterior motives, personal gain, duty or obligation in spite of my coldness, rejection, skepticism, doubt and unbelief..the person just kept on loving no matter what opposition I put up to resist breaking down barriers built for survival. You love much! I recall one of your Wednesday with Beth teachings (The Alabaster Box) where you shared the scripture that leapt off the page and into your heart about..”for she loved much” You have the ability to reach others like you do because of your love and the ability to relate and be real with people because you are real with yourself. It’s your genuine authenticity and transparency that makes others relate and identify with you because you “cut the bull”–reminded of earwax story 🙂 I pray that you will be empowered by the Holy Spirit, refreshed and renewed to take on the journey before you because His kingdom and precious lives are at stake. May our omnipresent, all powerful, Holy and mighty Father be with you every step and breath of the way. The Lords purpose will prevail. Thank you for your obedience and for all the numerous teachings you provide that have given instruction, encouragement, deliverance and guidance that have helped to increase our knowledge in the Lord that we do not hear or get in the majority of churches..but have been and remain vital to our spiritual growth. Go forth in love, humility and boldness empowered by the Holy Spirit. We love you!
I wouldn’t be where I am in my walk with God without your precious influence… when you get a clear word, let me know how I can help.
How exciting and inspiring…thank you for the reminder of how crucial it is to obey the voice of God. The last of your post challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and share my faith!
Love you dearly!
Sandy
May it be said of all of us!
This is definitely a word of confirmation for me. The Lord is calling me to a new thing this year. Something that has never been a part of my plans. It’s time to get out and live what He has been teaching me for years through countless Bible studies, books, teachers, etc. Time to be Jesus to some that don’t even realize they are looking for Him.
Such a powerful, timely word. So excited to see where God leads each of us this year and the amazing work that is done in His name.
Beth, my heart is exploding with you! I can’t wait to see what God will do through you. Press on girlfriend!
I must confess…I downloaded all of your books-I really enjoy your writing and I love to read. I feel like “The Book Thief”, which I happen to be reading now as well! Thank you and I’m sharing this wonderful opportunity with others.
Dearest Beth,
This blog underscores the reason God has full confidence in placing the mantle of leadership on your shoulders. Thank you for challenging us to not become complacent. The time is indeed short and we stand before the doorway to hell and beg people to come to know Christ as their personal savior before it is too late. Your comment, “I make this promise. I will hold tight to the Word and seek with everything in me to teach it soundly. I will hold onto Jesus as the love of my life. I will pray hard…” This is a perfect summation of you and your ministry founded on holding fast to the author and finisher of your faith. I pray for you almost every day and many times several times during the day. I am praying that God will provide a hedge of protection around you and your family and that He will continue to work through your ministry of reconciliation and of growing women into warriors that will stand firm until Christ comes to take us home. May God continue to give you clear direction as He continues to work through you to transform lives.
AMEN!!! May our God richly bless you as you walk in His leading and annointing!!! Our God is Mighty and He is ABLE!!!
Blessings in our Lord Jesus!!!
Rosie
Thank you so much for your generosity! Your ministry has helped me grow so much in my faith. Right now I’m doing your Daniel study, by myself and buying the downloads. We commute between 2 homes alot and I find at this point in time I’m unable to commit to a Bible study in person because I’m not sure where I’ll be. God led me to your studies, and this one is about the 4th I’ve done solo. How encouraging for those of us who can’t participate in person in a study, to have this wonderful option! Thank you again! You’ll never know how much you have helped me to grow and learn and practice my faith by your loving example!
I wept with joy & understanding as I read this letter. I will pray for you & know when we are obedient to God the most amazing things happen and we are blessed to be a part of them. I also feel like this year will be a fresh start of such change in my life but am just not sure what God has planned but know once let go of holding on to the comfort of what has been the same for so long and step out into seeking His way will be better than anything I could have hoped for. Thank you for all you have done for women like me who have grown so much in understanding the Bible. I have also felt the presence of the Holy Spirit so strongly in the events I have attended and always have learned so much . I encourage you in your search for what God has planned for you & your team of believers. God has truly blessed me through your teachings & worshipping with ya’ll and I know so many who don’t even know Jesus yet will be so blessed too. Your sister in Christ. Monika
Did you feel that? It’s me sending you a virtual hug from up yonder in the Frozen North. Love this post. Love this line especially: “I am too old anymore to let the bullies boss me. And I am too young to quit.” I needed to hear it.
Love Jesus, you, Siestaville, and the fact that 2014 is in front of us ~
Cheers and Ciao, Everyone ~
Precious Beth…WAHOO!!! I have been with you since 1999 in Houston at then…Thursday night study; we moved to Milwaukee & as a new young mom…excited to start the DVD’s here – what a Hoot that was! By and through God’s Grace did that for 10 years…then I knew God was moving, again. I went back to school for a 2nd Masters for my State Counseling Certification and continue to love ALL people and the reach that His Word and Healing and Restoration has ~ working from the Brothels in Kolkata to across my culdesac…I don’t want to miss one step with JESUS! That’s why we love you so dearly and support you and your family, ministry and heart for ALL God continues to do! OH that my commitment to “commitment” would never trump my commitment to following JESUS – YOU GO GIRL!!!
A year plus ago I heard God calling me to walk away from my multimillion dollar family business and follow him. I chose to semi-retire into part-time work, but have heard him ever since say “that’s not what I asked you for… I asked for everything”. My heart has been eager and willing to follow, but (gotta love that word) there had been some questions on what that looks like for my children, ect. I have dragged my feet, Trying to be absolutely sure I was hearing correctly. I have recently felt the confirmation to take that step of faith… And Your letter was the “branding iron” on my soul. There is no other “thing” in this world I want above Him and His will… And For others to hear and experience the beauty of Isaiah 61. There is nothing in his world I would choose over the “thrill of feeling water under my feet”. So I stand beside you in agreement to follow where he leads.
Love this blog & agree wholeheartedly! We live in an exciting time … such a time as this! However …, I’m wondering:
Where can I get info re Siesta Scripture Memory Verses 2014?
I haven’t received anything yet via email & would like to get started. Loved doing it for 2013 … learned almost 50 verses for the year, wish I could still say them all. However, the ones I remember will be part of me & my life from here on. Especially love Habakkuk 3:18-19 and Isaiah 61:10-11.
Hi Ellen! We only do the SSMT every other year. So God-willing, we’ll go at it again 2015. But don’t let this keep you from memorizing in 2014. Blessings!
Yes and amen. I wish I could sit down and tell you how this speaks to me and how this word came at just the right time but that is for another day, probably on the other side of eternity. Save me a little time when you get there Beth, so I can tell you then. Is 54:2 – stretch out, there’s a whole lot of women that need to hear.
Adda girl Beth. Praising God for your obedient spirit. Know we are all with you. Through time and distance we are cheering you on.
Beth thank you so much for sharing how the Spirit of God moves you. And for your
example of obedience. Whether the cost, uncomfortableness, approval of men/women etc. your desire is the please HIM.
I had to pull out of ministry at church to minister at home this past year and a half. Deep down I knew the LORD is using this season to prepare me for a further leading. Its been a season of displaying forgiveness, mercy, understanding, encouragement and PRAYER.
When I finished the study The Law of Love ( Deut.) The word that spoke to me was obedience and being available to go where ever the LORD leads. You prayed that “we would steward well all the good gifts God has given us”. God’s lens reaches far beyond places of our comfort…YES the time is urgent !!! This season of Christmas was such an eye opening experience for me personally. I found myself looking far beyond my Ur ( usual routine..”The Patriarchs” And I was filled with such joy in the reaching.
As I sat on the patio with my husband the other day, I had shared that I sensed the LORD is preparing me for something beyond my sphere of influence. I too am waiting on the LORD but I can feel the stirring. My devotion for January 1st was from Deut 8: 7-10 “The LORD my God is bringing me into a good land….actually that was the very verse I had shared in group discussion when we finished the study. When I left to get a new calendar for 2014 the verse for January 14th was ( Yep ) “Love the LORD my God will all my heart, mind, soul and strength”…Beth He is bringing us out, that He might bring us in…to HIs ministry of service….My prayers are with you !!! As you often remind us all…put on the full armor…
May at the arrows of the enemy drop off our breastplates of the as we drench our armor in the Living Word of God !!!
Thanks again so much for this blog. It has encouraged many, of which I’m one.
blessings
kathy white
I want to obey god too. I will be praying for you.
Beth, thank you for your passion and obedience. Obedience is my prayer too.
I also wanted to encourage you and let you know that our senior pastor is feeling the exact same urgency for the unchurched/less-discipled/seekers. He’s lighting that fire in our church. Walking alongside you, dear Siesta Mama. And praying about what my part is in it all.
Sitting quietly; knowing for sure HE is speaking. Thank you, Beth.
Precious Beth, you haven’t missed it. It’s always God’s will to reach the lost and draw people closer to Him. You must obey that call, we all must. Thank you for once again leading the way as you follow the Holy Spirit. I love you dear friend!
A friend forwarded me your blog, and I was so glad she did! Everything you said resonated with me. Just a couple of days before I had been praying about my spiritual growth goal for 2014. Last year I prayed for boldness and the Lord was faithful to grow me in that area. This year He put on my heart to pray for growth in obedience. What a confirmation to see He has put that on your heart as well. I realized that it is part of a larger work of the Holy Spirit in His Body. I too came to Christ at the age of 18 and I turned 50 this year. The past 5 years have been exceedingly busy and difficult as I dealt with all the ramifications of my father-in-law’s stroke in 2009. He passed away this summer, and I have spent the past few months in recovery mode. I truly believe time is short and that the road ahead will not be an easy one. We must exercise our spiritual muscles and not let them atrophy. The winds of revival began to blow in CT this fall. Your comments have renewed my belief that God is at work in His Body and that the dry bones will yet live! Thank you for your ministry. Continue to challenge the Church!
Blessings,
Kathy
Thank you, Beth, for your willingness to listen and to speak and obey what you have heard. God is moving in our midst. There is only one Spirit and one church. When we can wrap our minds around that and realize that ALL men (and women) are created by God and desired by Him to be a part of His church, then our focus moves from our comfortable circle to a much larger circle.
Thank you for sharing.
The Lord has been telling me to stop protecting myself by staying isolated. It’s been 10 years since a major crisis in our life. I have always attended church, but not gotten “involved”. Shared Christ in the privacy of my own life and kept “safe”. He showed me what I was doing the other day. I’m scared, maybe even lazy at this time. I pray, I go! I don’t know what it looks like yet, but I’m listening.
PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!
GLORY TO GOD! GLORY TO GOD! GLORY TO GOD!
My friend and I attended your Living Proof Simulcast in September. We looked at each other and knew you have seen clearly and heard clearly the revelation of God’s amazing Grace. Press on Sister Beth. We are blessed to tell you our husbands and many others are in agreement and we are living proof everyday to all those we come into contact with. I could go on and on and on and on but please feel free to contact me to stand with you, encourage you, share with you as God has shared with us so many blessings.
We are part of an amazing family of faith and I can assure you it pleases our Father well!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peace of the Lord unto you and all yours always
Molly Gimbert
Beth – Thank you for sharing your vision and being faithful to what and where the Lord leads. I truly believe the Lord has gifted you and I am excited to see what lies ahead. May all of our eyes and ears be open to the changes God has in store for us and let us all be ready to move out of our comfort zone and zoar to new heights in 2014!!!! God Bless you and your ministry!
Be available for the change. This is the year of humility.
Beth, I love hearing that the Lord has been stirring this within you! I believe He’s doing this all across the Body actually… This past November, I went to the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY (which is one of the largest missions/healthcare conferences), and many of the speakers and sessions echoed this very word. The Holy Spirit is moving and working! I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store in and through you, LPM and all of us believers both individually and corporately! It’s going to be an exciting year!! 🙂
I’m encouraged, Beth. Not only by you, but by the 200+ other individual’s ready to move in 2014 as well!
Thank you Beth! Thank you for the transparency that you willingly display in your blog, teachings and bible studies. So much of my life is displayed before me when I read or watch you speak of your past AND the freedom you have found in our loving Savior. More than anything I pray that you know how much it means to others that you are so willing to share your heart and what the Lord is leading you to do. The desire of my heart this new year is to serve HIM fully and to be more intentional in reaching the lost. Your blog is confirmation in my heart and I just wanted to thank you for your encouragement to serve Him more boldly.
You, my sweet sister in Christ, are a precious gift from the Lord and I praise Him for the ministry He has called you to. May 2014 be the best year yet!
Wow, Beth… thank you for sharing all of this with us. It blessed me so. I am committing to pray for you and this “new field”, whatever and wherever it may be! My husband, John, and I are in ministry—and have each heard a very similar word over the past several weeks that God has confirmed more than twice. He is up to something for sure! Yes, indeed, the winds of the Holy Spirit are picking up and I don’t want to miss the slightest breeze of it!
I read your blog on New Year’s Day and it hit me hard. Scared me, in fact. I’d already been harboring a scratchy mood about the New Year for more than a month. I knew God was birthing another new year, He always does, but I was trying desperately to shove 2014 back into the womb of chronos in the worst way. “Not yet!” was my mental mantra. “Stop pushing me into this new year! I’m not ready!” I’d had the sense for quite a while that “something has gotta change”; something I’ve been putting off for way too long: Writing. And I wasn’t ready yet. Still not ready.
All I ever really wanted to do was study the Bible- and do your Bible studies in particular. Then I got called to teach- and God confirmed it, and I taught. Then I got called to speak- and God confirmed it, and I would speak/teach when I’d get the invitation to go out and do so. Then I got called to write- and God confirmed it over and over, and I wrote a little… and then I stopped. Lost my courage (too many skeletons in the closet… what if people found out). Then I got breast cancer and amazingly got up the courage to write again… even had something published. But then I stopped again. Frozen with fear… and every past sin and insecurity resurfacing to haunt me and taunt me. I even received my own “warning”. Beth, honestly, I heard Him say to my heart: “You will write, Punky. And this is a warning… if you don’t you will lose your effectiveness.” I didn’t feel any condemnation… just a stern warning of “do it now”. But I continued to make excuses that I had this group to teach and couldn’t let them down, and we have a ministry and there are responsibilities, and people to disciple… on and on. Yep, I threw up the boundaries and barricaded myself into this comfy little, over-sown field. The fact is I bailed on Him. I disobeyed. I kept on teaching and speaking… but the opportunities have become less. As a result- I feel I’ve stagnated.
One day I read your blog where you gave the challenge to write an obituary about our “old self”- based on Romans 6:6. I wasn’t going to write one, but the Holy Spirit absolutely put so much pressure on me it was palpable. So I wrote it. It scared me how quickly it all spilled out- as though He’d taken hold of my fingers on the keyboard. I wasn’t going to post it in the comments, but the next thing I knew, I did. And then you used it in your LPL Simulcast last September. That’s when the Lord whispered to my heart, “It’s official. She’s dead.” When someone dies, obviously you know they’re dead. But when you read the obit in the paper it just makes it so… official! That was no little exercise in creative writing. That was a life-altering ah-ha-moment that recalibrated me spiritually.
And so here we are. The new year is happening and I’m still trying to stop it until I can get a grip. The fact is… I. am. scared. to. write. Scared to tell my story. Scared of where to start. Scared I won’t do it right. Scared of God only knows what else. But what scares me more is being “left behind” through my own disobedience. Left out of the new thing He is doing. Left out because I was too afraid to risk… and believe Him anyway. It’s that feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway kind of thing. Right?
Therefore I sense the Lord has themed this year for me as, “The Year of Living Fearlessly.” I have your Scripts on fear from one of your LPL’s… and I’m committing to finishing Believing God (that I started and stopped last year… for the second time). And I have Jesus… and His Word, and His very great and precious promises. And I can do all things through my Jesus who gives me the energy, the strength, and the courage!
Feeling the fear… “with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead…” and doing it anyway. Just breathe.
But I do concentrate on this: I leave the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I go straight for the goal—my reward the honour of being called by God in Christ. (Phil. 3:13-14, JBP)
xo – P
(Sorry so wordy. Hopefully this in some way helps someone else.)
Punky,
First, I love your name, it’s sassy and in your face!
Second, do it afraid but DO IT!!! Sister, you know where unhealthy fear comes from, kick it in the head already. You will surely guarantee your very own failure(regarding writing), if you don’t do the thing. Don’t write for anyone else, write out of obedience. Write for the love of Jesus! Write because He has gifted you in this area! For heavens sake…write! Should another soul never read a word you write, you will grow from it yourself. God will reward your obedience in countless ways….even generations ahead can grow from your obedience now. Write for the souls that haven’t even been born yet. Befriend failure, that intimidates the heck out of satan. He has used fear against us long enough. So what if it isn’t “perfect”.
GODS unconditional love IS perfect and guaranteed with His word what else really matters.
I look forward to reading your book in the very near future.
Much Love Sister,
Vickie
Whew, you are right. What you are saying is something I want to do too, actually I need to do it. For a long time coming now. He is so gracious to keep tellingHey Meme I am planning on coming to see Meg today after lunch sometime what does Megsns schedule look like today? me and prompting me though my response has been woefully slow. I don’t want to miss out either. On courageous living for The Lord. What you said about the fear if man is true. I want to obey Him also. Thank you for posting this. Courage and bravery is my prayer for us, Beth. Lots to think about here…I will be praying
Ok that was weird, I accidentally pasted part of a text I sent to my mom about my sister in the middle of my comment since I am using a smart phone right now. Although this is a person I probably need to talk to first in my quest for boldness this year in sharing my faith. I hope u got what I was trying to say. Thanks again for posting this! I needed it too!
Beth I just love you! Because you point me to the ONLY one that matters…Jesus! Because behind the words that pour out from you I read sincerety and realness. Because you dare despite fear and failing. I love that. Have no worry Beth, you DO NOT lift up yourself here, you lift up HIM. My holy Lord whom I love. Your post has “stirred me up”. My heart skipped a beat a bit just writing that, I’m wondering if “stirred” could be my word for 2014. Still working on that. Thank you Beth, thank you. Your ministry will certainly be in my prayers. And praise God, always and forever.