Hi dear friends~
Thank you for continuing to visit Smelling Coffee! You mean so much to me!!! I pray that you are off to a great start for a week full of the Lord’s presence and Words in your life!
This past weekend I attended an incredible Leadership Conference for those who serve in Community Bible Study. Everything the CBS ministry does is done with excellence, and I knew it would be a wonderful conference. It had been such a busy and long week, and I went into the conference exhausted – but deeply desiring a Word from the Lord. And boy… did He speak! It’s amazing how that works… When we ask God to speak to us – and we listen to Him, He is always faithful to deliver! He is so good in every way!!!
The Executive Director of Community Bible Study, Camilla Seabolt, shared a message with us that the Lord put on her heart about the upcoming year. And all of a sudden, a lot of things that were on the “blurry” side became very clear to me. Here is some of what she said (taken from her written message on the CBS website).
We have so many promises from God’s Word as a strong anchor during the times in which we live… Isaiah 33:6 “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”
First Chronicles 12:32 writes about the men of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” The Lord desires for us to seek to understand our times!
What are the driving trends, strengths, dangers, and just plain lies that are affecting our cultures? Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 3:9 cried out to the Lord to “give Your servant a discerning heart to … to distinguish between right and wrong.” We need to understand when the Lord wants us to move out in faith, when He wants us to stay put by faith, and the timing of each motion.
Remember when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested Him by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven? Jesus replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:1-3). We do not want to have the Lord say that about us!
As we prayerfully work through our Spiritual Focus for 2009, let’s pray we will truly understand and discern God’s strategy for this time and then join Him in what He is doing… Our commitment should be based on the following Scriptures:
Ephesians 5:15, 16; “Be very careful, then how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number (account for) our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Will you, and will I, resolve to continue to let the Word of God calibrate our hearts, so we will always be able to rightly discern our times both now and in the future and thereby walk in His will? Let it be so, Lord!”
The phrase “let the Word of God calibrate our hearts” really resonated with me. As we’ve headed into the new year, many of you have shared on your blogs these same scriptures and truths Camilla shared. I’ve read them, agreed with them, processed them to an extent, and then said in my heart Scarlett’s famous phrase: “I’ll think about that tomorrow”.
But my “tomorrows” became full of good activities, busy-ness, responsibilities, etc. and I still hadn’t found the time to stop long enough to ask the Lord to calibrate my heart for the days ahead. Until this weekend.
At the conference, after some listening, learning, praying and processing, one thing has become clear: Because God has asked our family to join Him in something that is going to require my full focus on Him, His call, and my precious husband and children – I must calibrate my heart (focus) accordingly. (It will end up being a good thing – I’ll fill you in one of these days – I promise.)
You know how much I have loved blogging! It has been a blessing to me… YOU have been a blessing to me… but in order to have time to set my focus for the days ahead, I won’t be posting much on Smelling Coffee. I’m going to try to be quicker to listen and slower to speak. I’ll still be around the blogosphere, and look forward to soaking in what the Lord is teaching YOU! And when He leads me to pick the blog-writing back up, I’ll do it in a heartbeat!
This is one of those things God has asked me to willingly lay down as an act of worship and obedience. And with His help, I do it with joy-filled expectancy over whatever He has planned for our days to come. I love the way The Message puts Jeremiah 29:11! “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
So, my friends, as I sign off for a season, I’ll not say goodbye – because I’ll see you on your blogs. Instead, I’ll leave you with my love, my gratitude for you, my promise to pray for you, and with something Camilla said so that you can think about it for your own lives: “Will you, and will I, resolve to continue to let the Word of God calibrate our hearts, so we will always be able to rightly discern our times both now and in the future and thereby walk in His will? Let it be so, Lord!”
Let it be so, Lord!
…See you around the blogosphere!
With love, and in Jesus’ Joy,
Jennifer
