God Uses Ordinary People to do Extraordinary Things

Yesterday when I woke up, I was feeling absolutely HORRIBLE. My body was aching, I was coughing so hard I felt as if I would cough up a lung at any moment. Makayla had been coughing very hard all night as well, and I did not want to get out of bed when the alarm clock went off. I had seriously contemplated staying in for the day and just resting because of the Thanksgiving Holiday quickly approaching. I finally managed to roll out of bed, and then I started thinking. I know I have not had a fever and I am not contagious so not going to church would only hinder me. Then the little devil on my shoulder reminded me how nice a day of rest would be, and the angel reminded me how I could really be missing a message God wanted me to hear. I then decided I was getting up and getting ready. I did not look great, no make up and hair pulled back, but God loves me anyways. He just wants us to come as we are.

I am so grateful that I made to conscious effort to rebuke Satan. The worship service was amazing and you could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. The sermon as suspected really spoke to my heart. The speaker reminded us how God always chose ordinary people to do EXTRAORDINARY things! If we just listen to that Still Small Voice, and do as He asks we can make a difference. Even if we only make a difference in one person's life, that person can pass on the blessings, and the next and so on and the next thing you know you could have an amazing movement!

One thing I have noticed lately is all of the hate and violence in the world. My goal is to be a witness to everyone I meet simply through my testimony. Most of the people I know who are non believers only have the views they have because they have been severely mistreated by people who go to church, but are not exactly acting as a Christian should. These people do not want to be preached to. They know what the Bible says, but they have been hurt. I feel that living and speaking the right way will influence much better than preaching to them will. Showing them that not everyone who professes to be a Christian is going to treat them the way the ones in their past has. Unfortunately there are so many "Christians" out there who are very judgmental and act "Holier than Thou". This is a major turn off, and can really hinder people from wanting to be a believer in Christ! Why would they want to be a Christian when every Christian they come into contact with is rude and judgmental? As a person they act better than the so-called Christians they come into contact with.

It is not our job to judge people. It is our job to LOVE people. We can love people and still hate the sin. Everywhere we go there are people that are in pain. People are suffering everywhere. You may not be able to tell who it is that just needs to be shown some love! It is important that we show kindness and respect to everyone we come into contact with. We never know who needs just a little kindness. I always try to remember that no matter how bad my situation is at the moment, there is always someone who is in a much worse situation. So my biggest challenge to myself and to everyone else is to show a little kindness to a stranger. You never know when you may come in contact with an Angel!

Thanksgiving Season

The Thanksgiving Season is one of my favorite times of the year. I personally do not like the turkey and the traditional Thanksgiving foods. What I love about this time of year is how it causes me to stop and think about all of my many blessings. All too often we take so many things for granted. Even on my worst day, I am still far better off than millions of people in the world. I have made a personal challenge to send out a message each day this month about one thing I am thankful for. So far it has been going very well, and it has really helped my attitude. I find myself much more grateful for even the little things. I love the fact that I see many others doing the same thing on facebook. It does my heart and soul good to see people expressing gratitude instead of complaining about everything.

It seems that especially with the social networking the world is full of more hate, rumors, and drama than ever before. I have personally considered discontinuing my usage of these sites because of this, but then I decided that would be allowing Satan to win in a way. I can be a blessing and a testimony by remaining positive and being there for others. The ones that only cause drama can easily be ignored. My hope is that my attitude will be contagious and more people will start giving thanks for the small things.