Originally published Friday, 13 July 2012.
Last week’s give-away highlighted the heartbreaking issue of human trafficking. This week’s give-away is the perfect follow up! It’s one of my all time favorite’s of Pam Farrel’s - Woman of Influence: 10 Traits of Those Who Want to Make a Difference.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “One heart impassioned by God can make a difference!”
Sometimes there are so many demands on us already that when we hear of the troubles that plague others around us (like human trafficking), we feel grief for them, but also feel completely unable to touch the situation. It just simply too big of an issue.
This book shares the stories of women, ordinary women like you and me, who poured their hearts out to God over a variety of issues that burdened them and the extraordinary ways He used their passion to fulfill His purpose. It also lays out character qualities to develop and provides practical ideas to become the woman of influence God created you to be.
If there’s been a larger-than-life issue/passion in your heart and you haven’t known what to do with it, pray about it and also seek out wisdom from sources like this very book! You have no idea how God might seek to use you!
Some years ago, I watched the Lord take a little something from my heart and use it in a broader fashion than I would have imagined, or even wanted! Before my husband was my husband and we were just sweethearts, we worked together at a local Christian center for homeless and under-privileged children. We left when the center went through a variety of changes and we weren’t as needed there as we were elsewhere. But years later, the center still had my heart. After one of our church’s mother-daughter events, I thought perhaps the team from our church might come and share it with the center as well - since we had left over goodies and all. When I emailed them to see if they could use goodies or an event for the teen girls, I was told they needed a speaker for their Mom’s Night Out event that week. The coordinator went on to say they had a number of women who were just out of jail that week and one who would be released the day of the event. Their previously scheduled speaker had emergency surgery and now they had a void. This was so not the task for me. I wasn’t a mom and I had no jail time in my background! But there was the need. The coordinator said this was the best way I could help them right now, so after praying about it, I rather reluctantly committed to teach. Many of the women couldn’t read - so using my traditional outlines with alliterated fill in the blanks was entirely out of the picture. Some of them didn’t speak English, but hungry for love and a safe place to grow they came to the events. So I sat down with my Bible, begging God to give me something that would be right for these women. Well, by the close of the evening, the coordinator was brimming over with joy over the women’s responses. She proceeded to have me back on a regular basis - to teach women anyone else in the world, including me, would have said I wasn’t suited to teach.
In reality, our gifts, backgrounds and abilities serve as springboards, but ought not be seen as limitations. Most everyone has known the inside of a jail, whether it be a physical one or a spiritual or emotional one. Most all of us know what it is to be poor and needy in one way or another. Most of us know pain, regardless of where we’ve come from or how it’s been delivered to us. All God needs to use us in a situation is our heart, lifted wholly to Him.
So what has been on your heart?
In Woman of Influence, Pam cites Sojourner Truth who said, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough was strong enough to turn the whole world upside down, then these women here ought to be able to turn it back and get it right-side up again!”
In my Bible reading this morning I hit a segment in Isaiah address just to us gals. God was sifting though the sin of Israel, declaring His plan of purification. In the midst of His declaration he says, “Rise up, you women who are at ease and hear my voice; give ear to my word, you complacent daughters...” (Isaiah 32:9) Interesting that women are called out for complacency rather than something that is more of a black-and-white kind of sin, like murder, lying or witchcraft. Complacency. That was it. I was convicted to check my heart and mind over to see what was living there and how much room I’d given to complacency!
If God could use 12 men to change the world, surely one generation of truly impassioned, consecrated followers of Christ could change the world too!
To win the book:
1. Like/follow Motl Ministries on facebook or twitter (if you haven't already)
2. Then leave a comment or share the link from fb/twitter to be entered! We'll be able to see your comment or share.
3. For some of you who don't use facebook or twitter, you can send us an email stating that you'd like to be entered in the give-away.
4. Drawings are open from Friday to Thursday of the next week. Then each Friday we will announce the winner of last week's drawing and the new give-away. Entries are shuffled and the winner is selected randomly.
You can click here to purchase the book or click here to find out more about Pam and Bill Farrel's ministry to men, women and couples! They have an exciting new ministry event called the Peak coming up in August for any of you fellow SoCal-ers!
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