We place borders around our faith and have the audacity to still call it faith.  Faith with borders protests more of fear than it will ever speak of faith; and time and time again the source of our transgression proves to be pride.  We assume pride always looks haughty and arrogant, chest proud and head held high.  But the pride that may be even more destructive is the one more discreet, the one that says, “I could never do that.”  Those words are full of more murderous poison than the boast “I can do anything” will ever be able to destroy.  Reverse pride is still pride, it’s just been twisted inside out, leaving us more vulnerable than we ever thought possible.

Eventually we have a choice.  The call to purpose will swell in our soul like a tsunami.  We can’t fight it anymore then we can choose its path and direction.  Our choice is to float face up trusting the One who can do all things, or we can stubbornly sink in what we call a faith with borders.  Pridefully offering up our conditions, excuses, and fears; allowing the current to take us under.

I know many brave women that choose faith over fear, women that choose to believe they were created for great things soley due to the greatness of their God.  He doesn’t breath mediocrity into the lungs of women, it’s impossible.  It would be against His character.  He takes our conditions, our weaknesses, and our excuses and He trumps them with Himself, for those who will believe Him for it.  He knits together a story of abounding grace and beauty, and says “Choose my story and purpose.”

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,  so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Allow the swell to rise up in your heart.  Be brave.  Be free.  Step one toe in the water of purpose and watch Him do great things.

Just for fun on this Friday, I’m leaving you with an artistic visual of what free-falling into purpose can look like.  Michelle Jader left her successful and secure Fortune 500 career to pursue art.  I like her already…

{There is a video attached to the post.  You may need to click over to Playing Sublimely if you are viewing in a reader}

Moses fled from his failure.  Of course he did.  He was human, the son of Adam, born a sinner like the rest of us.  His pride and flesh made it’s best effort at what he knew he was called to, but it wasn’t enough.  Stephen affirms for us in the New Testament, what the Old Testament  had years before implied; that Moses knew God was using him to rescue His people.  He knew his life held a divine purpose.  Long before we hear the wise Mordecai challenge Esther with the words “for such a time as this”;  Josephs’ promise to his brothers hovered in the distant, dry desert of Egypt.  Pharoah thought it was a mirage, but Moses knew the time was coming.  The fourth generation was upon them, and God was about to set his captives free.  It’s what He does best.

And though Moses had a purpose, and his life a calling, he blew it.  His best efforts fell short, and now he was living the worst case scenario that we all fear will become reality.  Moses was a fugitive, he was ashamed, he was hiding, he was broken.  Moses had failed.  If only he knew then, that God seeks out his children in the desert!  He finds them in their barren and howling wasteland, and He shields them.  He guards them as the apple of His eye.  Moses hadn’t written that song yet, because he had to live it first.  He himself had to be called out of the desert, before he could speak that truth over God’s children.

God grows authenticity in the dry sand of our souls.

The beautiful place where our weakness collides with His strength, is the birthplace of purpose and calling.  The barren brokenness that happens in the desert, is the very place we hear God speak our name and say, “It’s time.”  When we come to the end of ourselves, His fullness steps in and fills the gap.  When we finally reach the broken, humble posture of, “I can’t do this thing that You have called me to do!”  He answers, “Exactly.  But I can.”

We are not called to something that we can do in our own strength.  This purpose thing that you and I are wrestling out, has nothing to do with us.  If it was about us, then there would be glory for us to receive.  But all glory will be His, because all power and strength is His.  He will be the One to accomplish in you, what He started to begin with.

Your God knows how difficult desert life can be, so take heart today my friend.  Know for certain that if you are living in a dry place, He is cultivating a greater harvest in you.  God does great things in the desert, but sometimes we don’t realize it until we have been called out of it.  So if you are living in defeat and worn out by what you know you are called to accomplish; then you are staged beautifully for a great deliverance.  Humble yourself sister, and watch Him do great things.

 

“No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

I remember everyday, but especially today.

(This post contains a video, if you are viewing in a reader, you may need to click back to playingsublimely.com to view.)

What if we took Him at His word?

What if we believed Him when He said He is always for us?  How would that change the stride in our step?  Would there still be fear?

What if we believed Him when He said we had been made new?  Would you smile more, maybe if for no other reason than you believed that the old was gone?

What if we believed Him when He said He had removed our sins as far as the east is from the west?  Would you lift your head higher, and maybe even praise Him a little louder?

What if we believed Him when He said He would complete a good work in us?  Not because of what we had done, but because He was the One who started it to begin with.

What if we admitted our questions, doubts, and fears?

What if were honest enough to say, “I believe!  Help me overcome my unbelief!”

What if we took our mustard seed faith to Him and asked Him to grow it?

What if we believed Him when He said we were healed, and we went home expecting to see the evidence?

What if we took Jesus at His word?

What if He really did redeem the very moment the question left our lips?

What if we believed Him for it?

What if it is all true?

What if His grace really is enough?  In all circumstances.  And what if it’s true that it flows freely?

Well, I think that would change everything.

I think that would mean that He changes everything.

Including you.  And me.