Hey to all you wonderful friends. Let me tell you, I am reminded today about just how courageous you ladies are. Truly you who are pastoring partners are HEROES. I could go on an on about that topic...but I'll just give you a little tidbit of why here before I give you my thoughts on energy. I have seen a couple of really "run ragged" pastors this past week who are literally doing this "on their own" with no support whatsoever from their wives. I can't go into much detail because I would never break a confidence, but I will just say this...I travel and speak outside my church, as you know...many times as of late it's not the pastor's wife or women's leader that will call me, it's often the pastor himself who invites me. I'm shocked at what some of these guys out there are handling alone. One pastor who's church I ministered at is doing the women's ministries by himself in addition to pastoring his church. (That's right, HE does the WM meetings, plans them, executes them, EVERYTHING.) This would not be necessary, he has a perfectly fine wife who is not sick nor providentially hindered...oh well, no matter, this poor man is out there planning ladies retreats, and counseling, and all kinds of other stuff, but he doesn't particularly want to. He would give it up in a second he just has no one else to do it. I hate to say it, but it's not the first time I've seen this. I have ministered at some places where there is no women's group, no women's leader but the pastor himself invites me for a one time "special event" just to have something for the ladies. I go in and see all these "hungry" (spiritually hungry) ladies and say to myself, "WHERE'S THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH??????????" Anyway, I'll shut up and get off of this on to my real subject of this post, but my heart was so full with this I couldn't keep it in. YOU ARE A HERO. Did you hear me clearly? YOU...YES YOU, are a HERO!!!
Okay, on to the subject of energy. God showed me something. It was revolutionary for me, so I want to share it with you. Something was bothering me in ministry or should I say someone. You know, we all have one thorn at least...in every situation we're in. It keeps us humble, and hopefully doesn't drive us to the psych ward! (or a hot fudge sundae!) Anyway, something was grating on my nerves. I was spending a lot of energy thinking of how much they were irritating me. I brooded about it, mulled it over as I walked, called Tana Miller about it, well in general, I just let it take up A LOT of my thought life. You know, I was right in the situation as far as...I had "a reason" to be irritated. I was not imagining that what was irritating was indeed...well, irritating. It made me mad. It made me frustrated. It made me a person I didn't like at times. Finally one day Tana was talking to me about it, and quite frankly just talking to her made me feel better because she said, "I would be irritated too" (and that let me know I wasn't crazy) but...my breakthrough came when she said, "I have to tell you De, it's HOPELESS. There is truly nothing you can do. It will take a miracle of God. So just realize, you're never going to change it." Well...that right there changed me first of all because I realized it was something I had no control over. Second, my breakthrough came with this...I was praying and said, "Okay God, so it's hopeless. Unless you do a miracle, it's hopeless. So, what am I supposed to do with this? Where do I put it? (emotionally) And here's what God said to me...are you ready for this???
He said, "I WANT YOU TO TAKE ALL THAT ENERGY...ALL THOSE THOUGHTS...ALL THAT PASSION YOU ARE EXPENDING ON THINKING ABOUT THIS AND I WANT YOU TO THROW ALL THAT INTO BEING THE ABSOLUTE BEST MINISTER YOU CAN BE!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF THIS SITUATION OR PERSON IS SO IRRITATING, WHY ARE YOU GIVING THEM SPACE IN YOUR MIND? ALLOW YOURSELF TO GO BEYOND THIS INTO ANOTHER REALM WHERE I DESIRE TO TAKE YOU...INTO THE HIGH PLACES...ABSOLUTELY TAKE YOURSELF TO A NEW LEVEL OF GROWTH THROUGH TURNING THE ENERGY YOU SPEND ON THE THOUGHTS OF THIS SITUATION TOWARD BETTERING YOURSELF ALL YOU CAN AS A PASTOR, AS A SPEAKER, AS AS A LEADER."
So, I did!!! Guess what? It was responsible for my next level!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That helped me so much. I started turning my irritations into passion for growth in my own life and I saw myself improve 100% in the areas of leadership, communication, etc. because I began, everytime I had thoughts of that person/situation to literally get on my computer, open up the books on my shelf, get on my knees and intercede for a greater anointing, etc. I just absolutely threw myself into "operation improvement" every time the situation came to mind. If the devil put a thought in my mind about how irritating their behavior was, I would run and get one of my speaking tapes or videos, pop it in, go through the whole thing, critique it and decide how I was going to be better next time.
When Puppetmaster spoke of negative thoughts today and how they can consume us, I thought about this and wanted to share this key with you that I learned. It revolutionized me. Now when something is out of my control...it's something I don't like but I can't change it, I use that time and I use my energy to improve myself and when I do everything changes. The situation may not change and that person may not improve but the great thing is, I do! I soar on wings as eagles above the situation and many times am soaring so high above I don't even see them anymore. They are like a little dot on the ground, and I feel like I'm in a plane high above in the clouds, going ahead at warp speed! Whoo! Halleluiah, I feel a shout coming on.
Anyway, I hope you "get this" -- what I'm saying...don't give any negative person or situation any space in your mind. Keep your mind fixed on God and what He wants to do in your life. Soar above.
Deanna, have you and my husband been speaking to each other lately?
My best friend and I are always talking about "those words from the Lord that my husband gets that make us blubber like little babies."
Yeah...God gave him EXACTLY that word for me a couple of weeks ago. Still working on the "day to day" business of putting negative thoughts behind me, forgiving the particular person who is a thorn in my flesh, and trying to see her the way God sees her. But the moment I told God I was willing to work on that in my life, WOW!! I can feel a difference in my own spirit, my own relationship with God, and my Sunday mornings are going so much better.
And if that doesn't beat all, the focus on the weight loss message board I post on this week has been on putting aside negative thoughts in terms of getting healthier.
To quote one of my favorite bands from high school, "God is doin' a new thang (Ya know he's doing it...YO, who's doin' it?)."
I think moving to a new ministry has helped me so much in this area. The ability to look back and see things that I thought were important and realizing that in the 'big picture' they were just distractions! Now I am better able to see that 'this too shall pass'! I am also more aware that when these things come up I should be asking God what HE is wanting me to see! This is a great topic and reminder! Thanks Deanna!
No, Puppetmaster I've never met your husband (to my knowledge) but it seems "great minds think alike!" (Or are inspired by the Holy Spirit, rather!!!) I'm glad this ministered to you and Spiritled as well.
Spiritled, you hit on something really important there -- when you go to a new place of ministry YOU DO see things that were inconsequential in the past and you wonder, "why did I give an ounce of energy to that?" Oh my, my, my have I seen that in my own life. I shake my head when I think of how much time I wasted until I got this concept that you speak of.
I posted another thread about books, BUT...I want to highly recommend one...Fatal Distractions by Joyce Rodgers. (Or Rogers, can't remember how to spell her name right now, it's just too late at night.) Anyway, it's a great book. One of our assistant pastor's wives gave it to me to read last year and it ministered to me so much. I really was not going through any "fatal distractions" at that time, however it showed me how I responded wrong to things that were devil sent distractions before. The staff wife who gave it to me heard Joyce preach on the subject and was so impressed, she bought the book and when I read it I realized, God was speaking to me for the future. We all go through times when things are sent as a distraction. We can major in distractions if we aren't careful - they can run us.
I am also amazed at how, now that I don't allow distractions to have a hold on me like they used to, it seems that the devil doesn't keep dangling them as long in front of me. I had a wanna-be distraction in my way a few months ago and I just wouldn't give it any space in my mind, nor in my talk and you know what, it disappeared very quickly. Years ago that never would have been because I would have dwelled upon it and the enemy would have just fed it.
Puppetmaster, I know you are just starting out in your first ministry position (and not to talk down to you or anything like that -- please take this in the spirit of concern and sisterly love intended) but I am glad you are seeing this at this point in your ministry rather than waiting 10 plus years that it took me. Let me take the mystery out of this for you -- you are always going to have "a thorn" of some sort and the key really is...don't dwell on it, but instead dwell on the greatness of God, and what He wants to do in and through you. I spent years saying, "Why, God? Why do I always have somebody like this who is trying to kill me while I'm serving my heart out." Well, King David had somebody trying to do the same to him. He was a man after God's own heart and there was Saul around the corner trying to kill him. Paul had his thorn in the flesh - sent from the devil. All of God's Generals seem to have a serious thorn. Consider yourself in the big leagues - it's no mystery so don't waste years saying, "Why God? Why is this woman making trouble for me? "
If you weren't a threat, the devil would leave you alone. Keep your hand to the plow, don't look back, and FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS and expend that precious energy of yours on being the very best woman of God you can be!
No rent free space in your head Deanna!!! I have also learned this the hard way. But attending your class where this issue was touched on, put a name and a face on the problem for me. lw
__________________
...... Then they came for the Catholics, and I was a Protestant, so I never said anything. And then, they came for ME, and there was no one left to speak up. Martin Neimoller, German Pastor, WW2
I have also learned this the hard way. But attending your class where this issue was touched on, put a name and a face on the problem for me. lw
