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Post by Sharon on Nov 29, 2017 16:56:08 GMT -5
Guys please be praying for me still. I feel like my whole life has been upheaved and turned on its head. I'm afraid but...
I have decided that I am leaving my families business. I mentioned it a few days ago, but this is a huge leap of faith for me. I am making very good money at this business and honestly it doesn't make a lot of sense to leave. The first stirrings of the desire were honestly stress related. I can't keep taking on my families problems and I feel very controlled and manipulated here. But now...
I've been offered a final interview for a church job. It's a small church and I would have to attend Sunday's, but I can still go to my church Friday nights which I like better anyways and my church has podcasts that I can catch up with. This church is much smaller but the pastor is wise and I liked it. My kids liked it too. I am afraid though. It is a significant pay cut ($200/week) and I still have a mortgage to pay and bills and all this. I have been wrestling with the decision mainly because of the money and the fact that I would have to regularly attend this church on sundays and couldn't go to my church Sunday's. But I was listening to wild blue yonder series at fresh life church today and Levi Lusko is talking about having faith and doing something big and scary and earlier listening to Micah Tyler's song different, the line that resonated most was "I want to be changed till all of me is gone and all that remains is a fire so bright the whole world can see". I am scared and I need more confirmation and I need great courage.
Can you guys pray that God gives me a clear path and direction and wisdom? I have been praying and I have been anxious and scared and frustrated, but earlier I felt so much peace suddenly at the thought of going to that church, even despite the drastic pay cut. I know God will provide if I have a need for money. That peace was a great motivation for me, but I have really been certain for a few days that I wasn't going to do it, so now this peace is confusing.
And as I am writing this one of my close friends called me who I haven't talked to in a while and I ran it all by her. She told me that her cousin and his wife just did this too. Took a huge pay cut to go do something they felt God calling them to do. So I am conflicted right now and I really need prayer for direction.
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Post by Eric W. on Nov 29, 2017 17:54:19 GMT -5
I will have you in prayer sister.
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Post by Adrienne on Nov 29, 2017 21:02:55 GMT -5
I will be praying for you too Sharon!
It is so easy to worry about money but I sometimes think about that passage... if God provides for the birds and dresses the flowers so beautifully, what more will He do for us as His children? God will take care of us. This is not to say that the church job is the right one - I don't know - but as I've seen myself lately, fear often gets in the way of what God wants to do in our lives.
I'll pray for clarity for you! When is the final interview?
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Post by Sharon on Nov 30, 2017 9:23:38 GMT -5
Thank you so much Eric and Adrienne. The final interview is this afternoon at 2pm. I also have a phone interview with Outreach ministries in the sales department tomorrow.
My church just emailed me about my application with them and said that they will be interviewing for this position after the start of the new year. Somehow, that timing is really perfect. It's after my sisters vacation and would give me plenty of time to train my brother in law. But I don't want to force my will here. There's a lot of doors cracked open right now for me Lord and I know you know which one I should walk through, if any. Please stand behind me, whisper in my ear, and be clear with me about which direction to take. Give me peace. Give me confirmation. Amen
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Post by Adrienne on Nov 30, 2017 10:18:45 GMT -5
Ok, Sharon, I will have that interview time in mind. I think your 2pm is my 4pm.
I appreciate that God is giving you so many options to look at - it's almost like He is showing you how much possibility He has in store for you! Like He is demonstrating His abundant generosity and maybe using this to help you continue to learn to trust in the path He chooses for you. I will keep praying for clarity for you, sister.
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Post by Sharon on Nov 30, 2017 11:52:46 GMT -5
Thank you God for an answer to prayers! I was just praying now for direction and felt in my Spirit "I haven't told you which door to go through, because I will bless you wherever you go" and then the reminder of Abraham...that he told Lot to choose whatever land he wanted and he would go the other way. But God saw Abrahams sacrifice and told him to look up to the North, South, West, and East and that all that land would be his. God hasn't given me a clear answer, because His answer is Yes. Wherever I go, He is going to bless me.
So I am going to wait. I am not going to take this church job or the Outreach ministries job and I am going to wait for the job I really want with my church that is opening the beginning of next year. Thank you God. You are so good.
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Post by Sharon on Dec 2, 2017 14:59:33 GMT -5
So the latest update is I had a few more moments with the Lord this week. Thursday, when I was praying I saw myself out on the ocean on the boat again. It was night and the sky was full of stars and a huge moon was lighting this water. There's land in the distance on my right and left and further ahead of me, but it's not terribly close yet. The Lord is on the boat with me and it was chilly so he put his arm around me. I asked him where are we going and he pointed forward and said the promised land. For me that obviously means towards restoration. I asked him when we will get there and he said "Wait a bit longer". That was the same thing he told me years ago when I prayed for my boyfriend before Chris that God would let me have that man to marry. God had told me to "wait a bit longer and the next one would be the right one". So then I had waited and now I am waiting again for the right one, but it was comforting to hear that. The the Lord told me that everywhere my foot was set, I would take ground. I asked him how Chris is going to get there and He told me "I will make a way where there is no way. On dry land" and I understood that he would be walking while I am waiting for this boat to take me. I asked if there was anything else he wanted to tell me and he kissed my forehead and told me that he loves me.
I talked to Chris last night and asked him if I should just put through the papers because I don't think he really cares. He said that I should do what I think is best, but right now he thinks this is right. That I told him myself that our focus needs to not be each other but getting ourselves right. He said he feels like he is finally moving forward in the places he has been lacking all these years. Specifically he mentioned budget and finance again, but I know this is just where God is starting. I realize now that Gods word "Be still" was only for me. If I am on this boat and it is carrying me, that is my journey. I shouldn't stand close to the water. I shouldn't shout out to Chris on the land unless it is to encourage him, but I don't need to know where he is or keep tabs on him. And he is walking on the land. While I am being still, waiting, Chris is working. Walking. Moving forward by making an effort. God is doing exactly what He said he would do and each of our paths are different, but we are both going to get to the same place. One other thing I had asked the Lord was "how will I know when Chris is there?" And He said "He will be there when we get there." Which makes me realize now that when I saw the first picture of God lifting Chris out of the water and setting him on his own rock, I wasn't there. I wasn't because I am on my own journey and I will get back to him when God has done what he needs to do. It was amazing to see all of it adding up where I didn't understand it before. Thank you Lord.
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Post by Adrienne on Dec 2, 2017 23:26:05 GMT -5
Praise God for that beautiful vision and the clarity that He is giving you! I will keep praying for you Sharon for strength, wisdom, and discernment.
Also - saw your post about jobs the other day and didn't have time to reply! I am glad you are really working to have this relationship with God and are being rewarded with clear reminders that He has good plans for you.
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Post by Sharon on Dec 2, 2017 23:37:51 GMT -5
Adrienne thank you for that! I forgot to tell you guys also that because God made me that promise that anywhere my foot goes, I will take ground, I realized that was for these job opportunities. I turned down two of the jobs and I am waiting right now for the interview sometime next year with my church that I am at. Although I don't know if I will for sure have an interview (the only thing they have told me is that the position will open up next year and they will keep my application on file), I know that this is the job I want more than the others and I know that God told me anywhere I set my foot will take ground. So I am trusting him for this job. I am going to wait for it. Please pray for strength for me in waiting and I will keep you all updated about when it happens. But I say when, not if, because I believe Gods promises are yes and Amen. If I am faithful with what he gives me, He always provides.
This also applies to my marriage. I am being faithful right now to daily give up my husband to God. And I know that God is blessing that and making it grow and one day, I will reap the harvest of it. I am just waiting and trusting right now...and Thank You Jesus for the peace that comes with waiting in your presence on your goodness. I know I just have to "Wait a bit longer."
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