11 minute read
Writings from the Global Office
Writings from the Global Office
EMPOWERING LIVES WITH PURPOSE: Best Plan Ever
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We each have plans and dreams for our lives. We think we know what is best and often think that if God just followed our plan, everything would be perfect. But God’s plans are much bigger and better than ours.
By trusting that God is for us and not against us, we can see our future as He sees it.
Jeremiah 29:11 explains that God has plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future. Sometimes we might want to hold on to things that God is calling us to let go of, even to leave behind. Why, you ask? If God is asking you to let go of something, you can be assured that He has a greater blessing waiting ahead.
Psalm 77:4-5, TPT
Do you catch yourself reminiscing in these changing times of what used to be and how good it was?
God’s glory bursts are evident! He has rescued us over and over and His blessings are all around us. Remember, He formed a highway through the seas and His miracles and powers have brought us this far and they will continue to carry us until He calls us home. We should never forget the faithful ways of God, dear ladies. NEVER!
When we follow God through the rough waters, we will break chains of bondage. We will minister to a stubborn and rebellious generation. We will be the light in the darkness. We will minister in love and continue to speak truth because that is who we are in Jesus.
promises of God as we do. Even though the path ahead may look fierce, and it may, in fact, get even worse, we have victory in Jesus wherever we are.
When I was younger, I dreamed of what a perfect life would look like for me. I pictured my future and imagined that ideal life, but my life today is entirely different than I thought it would be.
When you were a child, what did you think your life would look like when you grew up? Maybe God has led you toward that childhood sense of what your future would hold, or maybe He has led you away from it. Whichever way, we can trust God’s Word, and His Word promises a hope and a future that only He can ordain.
Throughout the Bible, we see God’s people facing uphill climbs. Abraham’s faith journey, for example, had its highs and lows. He believed God’s promises from a young age, yet throughout his life he struggled to trust those promises as he encountered some difficult times. Maybe you can relate to Abraham when it comes to the growth and plans that you are struggling with.
God assures us that we can trust Him and move forward in faith wherever we are! Remember, the glory of His power is strongest when the path is the most difficult. God split the sea wide open for His children at just the right time so they could pass through, and He will do it for you, too.
You can access God’s power by diving into His Word and reading until you cannot read anymore. Prepare yourself for the battle! God will help you discern good from evil so that you don’t fall into any trap, but instead, stand tall in Jesus Christ. Reading God’s Word brings truth to your life, and knowing it in your heart brings true freedom, giving you assurance and confidence as you walk forward by faith into the future.
John 8:32, TPT
God has a plan for your life. The plan is about the journey, the process, and the relationship of faith that is built with every shaky step you take.
God loves you! He loved you enough to give his only Son – and He has a far greater plan for your life than you could ever dream up. When you let go of this world and hold tightly to the One who vows to never let you go, the plan you are given will never be bad. With strength and humility, invite God to surprise you with a new direction in life. Resolve to align with His will, and you will receive the best plan ever!
Kimberly Hobbs
Founder and Executive Director, Women World Leaders kimberly@womenworldleaders.com
Biblical Profiles
MIRIAM: POSITIONED FOR A PURPOSE
What can be more exciting for a sibling than a new baby coming into the home? I remember the days leading up to my 3rd child’s arrival. My oldest daughter, six at the time, was not exactly thrilled at the thought of a new baby taking more of the attention that she already had to split with her 4-year-old sister! As the day of her brother’s birth drew closer, however, she couldn’t deny the joy that began to well up in her. I have watched the love and tenderness grow between them for the last fifteen years, though some days have been a bit rough; and I see my older daughters both fiercely protecting and guiding their “little brother” – who now towers over both of them!
As I read about Miriam, I can’t help but think of this sibling connection, because so much of who Miriam is revolves around her brothers Moses and Aaron.
Miriam’s story begins in the 2nd chapter of Exodus. We see her come on the scene as big sister to a newborn Hebrew male baby at a time when all the male babies were to be killed by being thrown into the Nile River. I can picture Miriam hovering close to her newborn brother’s cradle as her parents discussed how to hide the boy, which they successfully did for three months. I can imagine her sweet face as she and her mother prepared the basket carefully as the baby got too big to conceal. They even waterproofed the basket so they could follow the letter of the law – placing the cherished baby boy into the Nile – while still giving him every chance at survival. The family likely knew exactly when Pharaoh’s daughter would be bathing at the river, and I can picture the grief-stricken mother placing the basket among the reeds and running away in torment, while Miriam, the ever-protective big sister, wouldn’t let her little brother out of her sight. When Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, Miriam had a plan! She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and approached the princess: “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” (Exodus 2:7, NIV)
Miriam’s bravery and obedience in following God’s leading were astounding and blessed her family with the return of baby Moses to their household for a few precious years and an income from the royal family for the care of the infant; and blessed Israel with a leader who would be positioned and prepared to stand against Pharaoh. All that from a sister’s love.
Eighty years after that fateful day at the river, Miriam sang, danced, and led the Israelites in celebration after they crossed the Red Sea on dry land, escaping the wrath of the Egyptian army - led by her little brother Moses. (Exodus 15) I imagine
her elation had to do both with the thrill of the rescue of the people and her relief at the protection that God gave her still-adored brother, Moses.
Later, we see a bit of sibling rivalry erupt when Miriam questions God’s anointing of Moses’ leadership. I imagine it got difficult to play 2nd, or even 3rd, fiddle to her two powerful brothers. Nevertheless, God took note of her rebellion against His will and, burning with anger, struck her with leprosy. It was Moses who came to Miriam’s rescue, calling on the Lord for mercy. (Numbers 12) The protected becomes the protector.
We get one more view of Miriam from God’s own words as written in the book of Micah: “I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.” (Micah 6:4, NIV) Miriam was a leader! A leader sent by God – not only to guide Moses as a babe into the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter, but also to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. Miriam was positioned for a purpose.
God always has a plan, and He always positions His people purposefully to fulfill that plan. When young Miriam felt the excitement of her little brother being born, helped her mother craft the basket that would save his life, and spoke bravely to the princess of the land, her goal was likely to be a good big sister. She didn’t know that she was an integral part in God’s plan to save the Israelites, God’s chosen people, from the bondage of slavery. You, like Miriam, are an integral part of God’s purposes! When you feel like you are playing 2nd fiddle, or being overlooked, know that God sees the leader that He made you to be, because you, like Miriam, are positioned for a purpose.
Julie Jenkins
Teaching and Curriculum Leader
julie@womenworldleaders.com
Jesus at the Center of Our Lives
WHEN GOD SHOWS YOU THE MEANING OF LOVE
Love. God has a lot to say about it—and of course He does, God IS love.
“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16 NIV
Love is one of the most frequently used words in the Bible, yet oftentimes we like to pursue our own idea of love rather than God’s design. I’m reminded of nights before I had a relationship with Christ—nights of laying next to another person, yet never feeling lonelier in my entire life. Only in Jesus Christ was the fullness I’ve always desired found.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
He’s shown me to depend on Him for provision and to trust His hand for protection. He taught me to seek His approval and affection. To love Him first and foremost.
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22:37 NIV
Is Jesus first in our hearts? Do we love God wholeheartedly, or only with the leftover pieces after we’ve given it away to someone or something else? Are we connected to the source of love who enables us to love others?
God’s love is perfect—it never fails and it endures forever. And from this love, it sustains the love in all of our other relationships.
I know the heartbreak of someone walking away, losing the love they had at first for me.
So when I get preoccupied with the things of the Lord more than the Lord Himself, I hear Jesus telling me,
“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:3-5 NIV
I hear Jesus telling His Church, remember the love you had at first.Do you hear Him?
Lauren Dean
Business and Missions Director
lauren@womenworldleaders.com
Encountering God: Passion Prayers, Poems, & Promises
MY HEART’S HUMBLE HERO
The author of courage
The mighty in strength
The counsel of care
Rests in the power of the Almighty
My heart’s humble hero is Jesus
And a perfect hero He was, He is, and He remains
A humble hero willing to die for you and for me, carrying the weight of our every shame and sin
My hero stands resurrected, embodying control over every one of my anxious toils and fears
A hero illuminating the pathway to victory in His arms
A hero who has gone before me, ahead of me, and after me when I stray
He will awaken my day with a song, so valiant and true
His feet stand ablaze before me, reckoning the wicked with justice
Arrows of prospering in His Word land on my soul with fire
Fire that purges sin within and fills me in places without
My humbling hero provokes me with His kindness, His steadfast love, and ever flowing mercy
Graces all encircling my life with praises to be brought forth in power before HimI am reconciled to Him, chosen with favor and free flowing love
Resting in armor made for me to wear in abundance and victory
Satisfying hope to fill me and cancel my debt, my wrongdoing
It is He who stands as my hero, my haven, my hope, my healer.
Carrie Christopher
Ministry Development Leader
carrie@womenworldleaders.com
