October 3, 2007

Before Your Were Formed … I Knew You

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born
I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations”
Jeremiah 1:5

This was God’s message to the prophet Jeremiah. But as God’s chosen women, we shouldn’t make this a gender issue – it applies to you too!

But just in case you're unfamiliar with the story of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was appointed by God to be a prophet both to Judah and to the nations. However, he objected to his appointment as a prophet on the grounds that he did not know how to speak because he was only a child. In other words, he felt he wasn't eloquent or experienced enough to accept his appointment.

And God's response to this…

"Say not, I am only a youth: for you shall go to all whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak." (Jeremiah 1:7)

I mean, what a sophisticated reprimand and praise all rolled in to one! How on earth could Jeremiah not accept his appointment when it was put like this!

God was telling Jeremiah that his experience was irrelevant because a) his appointment was from God, b) God would be with him and c) He would tell Jeremiah what he should say.

So, the next time you find yourself:

Second guessing your abilities
Wondering whether you will ever find the direction and purpose for your life
Questioning whether God's calling on your life is His voice or your own
Feeling that you're too much
Thinking that you're not enough

… Remember God's message to Jeremiah and remind yourself that you were chosen before the world began and whatever God's plan for your life, He never expected you to go it alone!

You may have all of these questions, thoughts and feelings for a very good reason, but unless you listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling you - as Jeremiah did - when you're in doubt, these thoughts, questions and feelings will be the very "things" that unintentionally get in the way of God establishing His purpose for your life and therefore hinder your destiny.

Can you imagine if Jeremiah had not been listening to the voice of God? He may have missed his opportunity because God's message to Judah and the nations was immanent. God needed a messenger now!

And like most of us are "oh so" guilty of at times, Jeremiah could have spent time asking others what they thought about his ability and standing in the community, with a view only to decide it must have been God when those from whom he sought counsel approved of his appointment.

By then, God may have already appointed someone else and Jeremiah would have had to wait for another opportunity.

But notice I didn't say God would have given up on Jeremiah because He never would! He's the God of the second, third and fourth chance so if you've been feeling lately that your life seems to lack direction and you know you've missed opportunities for fear of taking action when you know you should have done, I have some great news for you…

God Hasn't Changed His Mind About You!

And despite all of your doubts, fears and apprehensions, God want and needs you to know and understand that before you were born, He knew and approved of you [as His chosen instrument], and before you were born He separated and set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5Amp).

The enemy may have made many attempts to "disqualify" you from receiving all that God has planned for you, including lying to you about your worth. But God needs you to listen to Him, to stand on His Word and to claim victory over every negative situation in your life.

ACTION CHALLENGE:

By renewing your mind through God's Word, you'll begin to experience the life-changing potential that was deposited within you before the foundation of the world.

So this weeks Action Challenge will help you lay a solid foundation for the exciting journey that you have ahead of you. It may be second nature to some of you, and even tasteless to others, but this is something I had to learn the hard way; so really, I want to save you from the pain…

Pick up your Bible and start reading…

…even if it’s only a few verses per day and spend some time speaking to God.

If this might be a struggle, check out Word for Today and order yourself a copy of Prayers That Avail Much, by Germaine Copeland from Amazon. These are a couple of resources I've selected and personally use that will help you spend some quiet time with God.

Why am I so keen for you to do this?

I want you to build a relationship with God because it is the only way you will have a clear idea of what His purposes are for your life and the only way you'll reach the level of experiencing real life abundance. You'll also become more attuned to when God is speaking and learn to know when the enemy is playing mind games with you.

So I urge you to get to KNOW Him who KNEW you before you were even conceived.

Have a Question For Me?

If you have any questions about this article or questions in general, I'd love to hear from you. Email me at trish@womenofinfluence.com and I will make every endeavour to reply to your email within 48 hours.

Until next time,

Blessings,