Week 3: Wholly Committed

On January 1, I declared 2013 a year of transformation in my life.  

In 2012, I declared that it was a year of shifting in my life. Things were going to have to change.  

My mindset was going to have to shift. Coincidentally (or not)  my pastor preached a sermon series in the Fall about "The Shift".  

In the summer of 2012, I decided to do Joyce Meyer's 100 day Battlefield of the Mind devotional because I knew my problems were all in the way I thought about certain things.

 Joyce Meyer was coming to my area for a 3 day conference.  I just knew I had go.  I had no idea what she was going to talk about, but I knew I needed to be there to hear it.

Thursday evening of the conference she says, "Well folks I have to do this series for television.  This conference is going to be about the Battlefield of the Mind and we will be taking our subject matter from that book."

I nearly fell out of my seat.

Upon leaving that conference, I did not feel good, uplifted, and that spiritual high people get after conferences.  I felt convicted and knew there were things that I really was going to have to change starting with my need to reason, rationalize, and try to figure everything out. For this to happen I needed to let go and let God take over my situation.

One of the goals I set for myself in the new year was to be better about being in God's word because I knew by immersing myself in the Word my thought process would begin to change.  I signed up for a 1 year Bible reading plan, devotionals, and now I've gotten into this Bible Study.

I wish I could say that after I started all of that, things got better all.  It did not.  I made messes of certain situations in my life because I was still trying to exert my own will.  I got discouraged, frustrated, and irritated when certain things didn't seem to be changing.

One Sunday at the altar the pastor gave me a word:  He said, "The Lord says for you to walk with him. He says that if you walk with him, then he will teach you his ways.  Walk with him.  Don't give up." Just that week before the Lord put a song on my heart  from my childhood and I had been singing it all week.  "i'm determined to walk with Jesus" so I knew this was confirmation.

God began to deliver me little by little.  I wanted a promotion at work, but was afraid to apply because I figured I wouldn't get it.  Finally, God moved so that I would at least apply.  After I applied there was immediately chaos and it didn't look it was going to happen.

 I saw another opportunity open up.  It took a leap of faith to apply for the first promotion, and I had already taken one step of faith so what was another?  I applied for that promotion and got it.  Of course, that situation turned out to be way better than the one I wanted.  

Then of course I've mentioned the task that God laid on my heart which I didn't want to do, but I began doing it.  There was indeed fruit from that situation.

So I began saying YES TO GOD AND THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE

June 30, 2013: I'm all in

Here we go with this again, but it's the honest to God's truth.  That day my commitment level changed because I knew for sure God was working.  I was doing the Bible reading and devotions prior to this day, but I wasn't all in.  I was doing it, but I wasn't sure if there was a point.

After that day, I stepped up my commitment level.  God was calling me to truly seek Him and his will.  I began to crave the word of God and my quiet times.  I was committed to seeking God and living out his purpose for my life.  I've said before I even noticed the sermons were all about confirming what God was telling me in my Bible studies and devotions.

This thing that God has called me to is so much bigger than myself and I cannot do it without Him.  It is waaaaaay beyond me.  The funny thing is that I'm not even sure what it is.  

There are certain areas of my life that I have prayed about such as my desire to lead, teach,  and have a family. I do believe those are all connected to my purpose, but I just have no idea what God is going to do.  It's going to be something big and life changing.  That much I know is true.

There are walls he is breaking down right now in my life that I don't understand, mindsets he is changing that I never even thought about, and transforming my views on success and love.

God has called me to a deeper level of commitment and I'm all in, even though I don't know what's going to happen. 

I just know that it is going to be EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY MORE THAN I COULD EVER THINK OR IMAGINE.  Ephesians 3:20 all the way!