THE RIPPLE AFFECT
Reflecting on Sunday's message, and reviewing all that God has brought together in my life for the last ten and half years, I am awe struck at seeing God's providential hand and plan for my life. His plan will propel us forward as we become obedient to each task He sets before us. Yet, it began before ten years ago, it actually began when I was around 53 years old that would be twenty years ago. WOW!! This is long, that's why it is a blog post 😁. And I have shared some from time to time, but this is a reflection of the Ripple Affect of God's hand in my life and I suggest that you also sit back and reflect how God has moved in your life. So let's begin.
1. At around 53 years of age, I had been praying and like normal I asked God this question "Is there anything else I need to pray?" And I heard in my spirit "You did not praise Me!" Now I knew how to thank Him for all He has done in my life, I understood singing praise and worship songs, but honestly I had no clue what God meant for me to do. But God knew I didn't know, He was planting in me what He wanted to reveal to me. So I remembered and I sought Him to understand but I still didn't get it. (Slow learner).
2. Now I am around 62 years of age, active in a church I loved, cleaning houses and keeping my grandchildren. When an opportunity came up for me to clean the Daycare area and the church in the evening, so I took the job, but let me tell you how that opportunity came, I don't listen to the radio and I was working cleaning a house when my daughter called and said she had heard on K Love that this church was hiring someone to clean in the evening, then she said "You need to get that job", so I applied. Now think about it if she hadn't heard and God had not led her to call me or I did not follow through God's plan would not have come to pass as He wanted it to. Though when my mother passed away (who lived with me and I cared for) in my time of grief I found working both day and evening had become too much for me so I quit my evening work at the church.
3. Approximately a year later God removed me from the church I was at and the Sunday after Easter I went to visit the church I had been cleaning the year before. I heard my now pastor say "Church can we not just love on Jesus for a moment?" Then I heard very softly praise being lifted up throughout the room, to my ears it was harmony and beautiful and very different from what I was used to. (I remind him of that every now and then and he says "how do you do that") and I smile. So I stayed and continue to stay. I said to Jesus one time "I came here to work but I never made a lot of money" His reply "You came for a job I brought you here to worship".
4. I love my church family, and I have served in the kingdom of God as God has lead me right where I am, my family has listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit and have given their love for me in many many ways. As I have given my love for them.
5. When I learned I had a lung condition that had no cure, but life was approximately five years, and I had to quit my job of cleaning and only had my Social Security, my church family never let me down and they continue to pray for my complete healing and are still there for me. I am walking in my healing and did not die three years ago when the doctors said I would. Well praise God!
6. Then came COVID and Angela got sick and my church family together prayed for her healing and when she died they were there for me. When my adversary began to attack me they wrapped their arms around me and helped me through it all. As my other daughter, Amy, continues to battle cancer they are right there praying with me for her. When I thought why did I have to live to see this, and voiced it even to my pastor, no one judged me they just loved me through it. And God spoke, and showed me why He has kept me that my children needed a mother they could call on and say "pray for me" and my church would never have been praying if I were gone and God wanted them to pray, and my children knew and know they are praying even now.
7. There were times I literally could not see what my purpose was anymore in God's kingdom, and God would gently remind me with these words:
"Pray Linda just pray, pray for your pastors, your church family and speak confidently the truth of My word". So I continue to obey and do that simple thing God asked.
8. In March two months after Angela went to be with Jesus, I asked Jesus "What can I do to bless people?" So He gave me an assignment, some would say a task, in obedience I set out to do this one small task, but it blessed me and gave me back my joy, probably helped me more than the others 😁. It was a costly task, yet, God had already prepared me for that in advance back in April of 2020 my pastor had said inflation was coming we need to stock up on food items, and I did just that and when I used something I replaced it. Now when I needed to fulfill this task money I would have needed for groceries was available to buy the items needed to do what I needed to do. Plus when people began to realize what I was doing many have contributed to the project. The original task was completed on Father's Day 2021. But God changed the task.
9. God then gave me specific instructions on what I needed to be doing now. And in obedience I am doing exactly what He asked. Now approximately 3 or 4 years ago I was asked to take on the responsibility of our card ministry, I said yes, now watch this if I had said no I would not have been able to do the new task God has given me.
10. I almost left God's protection out, not almost I did 🙄. About 3years after I was at my church, I lived in an apartment. One night I was awake all night listening to the neighbors upstairs fighting about 5 am I had a thought to get up and get on my laptop, I sat up and immediately I heard "Don't do it". So I laid back down and fell right to sleep. Twenty minutes later I heard this loud noise on investigation I found a bullet had come through the ceiling where my laptop was and had ricocheted from behind my chair into the living room. The police said if I had been sitting using my laptop I would have been killed. See how good God is.
The Ripple Affect began when at 53 I listened to God and sought understanding, then I accepted a job at the exact church God desired for me to be a part of. And the Ripple flowed in everything I did, when we are fulfilling what God has given us to do all around us will be affected. Our motivation and our behavior is never for our personal glory but to bring glory to God, to willing serve along side our pastors and our church in the kingdom of God. Never to be a taker but to give back into the body according to our ability and to do it cheerfully. Not just to talk a good talk, but put our talk into action.
Hope you have enjoyed my simple testimony of God's faithfulness, His goodness is not just in my life but also in yours. I only went back a short way but could have gone all the way back to my childhood and shown God's hand in my life. Take the time and sit down, if you have never done it before, and allow the Holy Spirit to show you God's providential plan being played out in your life. Never forget God is always working on your behalf even when it seems all of Hell is coming against you. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.
May God bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you and bring you peace.
