TESTIMONY TUESDAY!
“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.”
~ Luke 8:39
Presenting with excitement, I introduce to you Testimony Tuesdays!!! A testimony by definition is: a formal written or spoken statement, a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience. The Bible commands us in numerous places to bring praise, glory, and honor to our God by proclaiming, declaring, and telling about His marvelous works to others. That is the purpose and heart behind this installment for my Tuesday posts. Each Tuesday (more or less), a testimony will be shared here involving the recounting of salvation, redemption, overcoming, and/or healing just to name a few; A story that brings glory to our God and in which we might be encouraged, spurred on, and challenged with at the same time.The stories that will be shared will either be of my own personal experiences, excerpts from books, testimonies I find via youtube or other media sources, as well as YOURS! I would love to know and give you the opportunity to share here with us a testimony of your own, of whatever fashion that involves the Lord doing a transforming work in your life. Just email me or use the contact me form over in the sidebar to shoot me your testimony and I will see what I can do about posting it on a future Tuesday! You may choose to have your name be known or anonymous. I look forward to hearing from you!
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My Dear blog readers,
How has life been treating you lately? I hope you are doing well!
Today I would like to talk to you about life, specifically mine! Being in the age of my youth, I have only just begun to discover, understand, and come to terms with all the many facets of life that there are that we can be confronted with. Life has its good times, hard times, happy times, sad times, and all the while we deal with whatever life personally presents us with, elsewhere the world is seemingly going crazy all around us! It can all seem so overwhelming, but no matter what life throws at us let us remember that we can find consolation, rest, and peace in one thing, in our one Lord and Savior and in all the many enduring promises that He has established for us.
"His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay."
So far, it has been a great year for me, characterized by growth and new birthed motivation. This year marks my fourth year being a member of the touring ballet company and ministry Ballet Magnificat. As I commit to another season with them, I would like to share with you that after much seeking of the Lord over the past couple months, He has very clearly confirmed to me my calling, which remains in ministry and has been so sweetly encouraging me in it. He has affirmed me in continuing with Ballet Magnificat, but has also recently been highlighting to me the other giftings, talents, and desires I have, that I never before perceived could be used for His glory. Through an arduous process of sanctification this year, my eyes and heart have been opened up to the fact that aside from only just my dancing, God would like to use me in ministry in so many more/other ways than I have previously, narrow-mindedly comprehended.
Transparently I will explain to you that this year has been a battle for me in fighting off distractions of the world, false idols, vain hopes, and complacency. You see, I have been doing this dancing thing for several years now and I have found myself in a very stable, secure and smug place. Sometimes I believe that is when the Lord likes to shake things up the most.
-Destractions of the World: With the constant adverse change and discontentment that our society seems to sow more and more of these days, it is hard to not buy into all the worry, and fret, and complaining that goes on, and is easy to get distracted, carried away, and sucked into the fear and drama of it all. But I know what God's word says:
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
-False Idols: Surely I am not the only one who struggles with the temptation of idolizing my career, my possessions, my accomplishments, my achievements, myself ? But I know what God's word says:
Mark 8:36 "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?"
Jonah 2:8 "Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love."
-Vain Hopes: Similar as of that above, I'd simply get caught up in putting my hope in finite, fleeting, worthless things. Perhaps you can relate. But we know what God's word says:
1Peter 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."
-Complacency: It is a sneaky monster. Remember how I mentioned earlier that I've found myself in a very stable, secure and smug place? Well that is the place where complacency breeds. Prohibiting me from going deeper in with the Lord, I can now see how pride and complacency has the power to compromise the value of my ministry. I touched on in further detail my experience with complacency in the blog entry HERE But I know what God's word says:
Revelation 3:15-20 "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
Those these struggles seemed to be crippling for a time, I can see how it was all a part of God's process of sanctification for me. As metal get's refined and purified under fire, so my faith was also refined and strengthened by the adversity.
I can not give you a summary of my year without failing to mention the brief but intense bout of doubting my faith that I underwent. Yes, you could have called me 'Doubting Thomas'. I am sure there were several things that instigated my storm of confusion, like the weariness produced from the battles I was fighting mention above, but also nearly abandoning prayer, and not spending enough time in the word of God. It was as Mark 4:13 says: 'the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things came in and choked the word, making it unfruitful.' I think visiting a number of 'diverse' churches while being on tour this year also sparked some questioning in me, which actually was really GOOD though! Basically, I was challenged to rediscover the reasons why I believe what I choose to believe, but let me tell you with excitement and confidence that it was the Word of God that carried me through that storm and helped me to see clearly. I now have a new found appreciation and passion for the Bible like I've never had before...as maybe you have already begun to gather. ^_^
I don't think I have ever experienced anything more faith-building, then doubting! I do feel a little like a new baby believer all over again, but I am encouraged reading 1 Peter 2:2-3 which says 'Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.' I am currently, humbly and carefully rebuilding my faith in accordant with what the word of God teaches me, block by block, truth by truth. I can't put into words just how marvelously Jesus has revealed himself to me through His word. He is the Word! He is eternal, ruling, reigning, and coming back! And now that I have snapped out of my daze, I know more confidently than ever that I am ready for his coming, and I am ready to make sure other people are made aware and ready too!
I Do not have an immense amount of evidence to report to you of the Lord working through myself over this past year, as I have largely been occupied with all the teaching, rebuking, correcting and training he has been doing within me! Not to say that God hasn't been using myself, and the Ballet Magnificat ministry as a whole because He has! We set out to 'plant seeds', and if/when the Lord allows, it is always a major blessing to see the fruit of it. We have toured to a number of states this year including Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas...and have witnessed a number of miracles and salvations! God has been ever so faithful to us this year! Praise his Holy Name with me!
"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name."
I can not give you a summary of my year without failing to mention the brief but intense bout of doubting my faith that I underwent. Yes, you could have called me 'Doubting Thomas'. I am sure there were several things that instigated my storm of confusion, like the weariness produced from the battles I was fighting mention above, but also nearly abandoning prayer, and not spending enough time in the word of God. It was as Mark 4:13 says: 'the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things came in and choked the word, making it unfruitful.' I think visiting a number of 'diverse' churches while being on tour this year also sparked some questioning in me, which actually was really GOOD though! Basically, I was challenged to rediscover the reasons why I believe what I choose to believe, but let me tell you with excitement and confidence that it was the Word of God that carried me through that storm and helped me to see clearly. I now have a new found appreciation and passion for the Bible like I've never had before...as maybe you have already begun to gather. ^_^
"When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil."
I don't think I have ever experienced anything more faith-building, then doubting! I do feel a little like a new baby believer all over again, but I am encouraged reading 1 Peter 2:2-3 which says 'Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.' I am currently, humbly and carefully rebuilding my faith in accordant with what the word of God teaches me, block by block, truth by truth. I can't put into words just how marvelously Jesus has revealed himself to me through His word. He is the Word! He is eternal, ruling, reigning, and coming back! And now that I have snapped out of my daze, I know more confidently than ever that I am ready for his coming, and I am ready to make sure other people are made aware and ready too!
"When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne."
I Do not have an immense amount of evidence to report to you of the Lord working through myself over this past year, as I have largely been occupied with all the teaching, rebuking, correcting and training he has been doing within me! Not to say that God hasn't been using myself, and the Ballet Magnificat ministry as a whole because He has! We set out to 'plant seeds', and if/when the Lord allows, it is always a major blessing to see the fruit of it. We have toured to a number of states this year including Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas...and have witnessed a number of miracles and salvations! God has been ever so faithful to us this year! Praise his Holy Name with me!
Our nation wavers, truth is compromised as the scriptures predict, and things become more and more corrupt with the passing of days, but let us NOT! Let us stand firm and remain faithful to our Savior and as Romans 12:12 says "Let us be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
"On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand."
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Thanks for reading!
Do you have a topic idea or suggestion of something I should write about?
Do you have a question you’d like to ask me?
Leave a comment below!
*Excepts from the Hymn “My Hope is Built” (The Solid Rock) by Edward Mote
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This was so beautiful, thank you for sharing insight on life c:
ReplyDeletexo
http://diaryofseresha.blogspot.com/
Thank you for the encouragement, and for stopping by and taking time to read my material! :D I appreciate it!
DeleteThis post is very convicting! I appreciate the humble way you have shared your faith journey and also how you tie everything to God's Word. And God has used that same hymn to strengthen my faith many times over the past few months.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very powerful Hymns! I so appreciate the sound theology of some of those good ole' great hymns! Thank you for reading my wordy blog post! :)
DeleteBe Blessed!