#16 - Pursing your Purpose in Peace

Good morning. :) Sometimes I am curious when I wake up.... "What is the Lord going to teach me this morning." In my own knowledge, I have no idea what it's going to be. I don't even know the direction He is going to take. I keep waiting on Him to have a devotional on fitness (see the latter part of Proverbs 31:17).... but as of yet, He just hasn't led that way. That would be something easy for ME, because of the knowledge "I" have.... but can anyone say, "PRAISE THE LORD"... when we get before the Lord, it is not about what WE know, but about what HE knows and how HE directs us. This morning was good & HE had a lot to say about the subject we are going to talk about, so let's dive in. 

Proverbs 14:30 - A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body...

Proverbs 31:17 - She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task]...

Before we really jump into things...let me make mention of a couple of areas in regards to your time with the Lord. There have been seasons of my life when my quiet time consisted of 15 minutes in the morning, or when it did seem a little rushed, I was running out the door to get to a meeting on time, to see a client, to help a banker. I have not always enjoyed a nice morning, just me, the Lord, my Bible & a cup of coffee. I want to encourage you, wherever you are & whatever the time constraints you have, do not feel pressure. Whatever you can give God as far as "time", he can bless it. I was reminded of this at church yesterday as Pastor Jenkins mentioned, "Even if it's just on the way to work, turn the radio off & just spend time with the Lord." Beginning last June, that is what I was doing. My "quiet time" consisted of my 20 minute drive to work.... this is what I did. I had Proverbs 31:10-31 saved in the "Memo Pad" of my blackberry. Each morning, I would pull up the "Memo Pad" choose a scripture, copy it, make a "memo" just for that scripture, and I would drive to work meditating on the verse. I would read it, several times over, I would say it out loud, I would ask the Lord: "What is it you would have me to know about this verse?", I would pray, and thoughts and ideas would just come to me. I would jot these thoughts and ideas in the "memo pad". Sometimes the Holy Spirit would bring a story to my mind that related to the verse. Sometimes just ONE word would jump out at me. But, I can tell you this, the 20 minutes that I spent meditating on the Word, the Lord DID have things to say. He DID show up! So, whatever time you may or may not have, don't feel pressure, just use your time wisely. Give God some part of the beginning of your day, even if it's just 5 minutes. The time will compound & you will truly be blessed. 


Ok, let's jump in. 
The "undisturbed mind", "mental strength".... that's what I want to talk about today. The thought or picture that comes to my mind, which I'm sure has been a picture of me at times, is this: A person, a lady, frazzled, hair a bit disheveled, a look of partly frustration, partly fear & partly like tears are getting ready to burst forth. She even yells at herself as she puts her hands on her head, fingers in her hair and says outloud, "Get it TOGETHER! Get it TOGETHER!" She is definitely a bit on the "stressed out" side. 


Tangent....that reminds me of a quick funny story... my little nephew Karson who is 4 years old was walking down the hall looking for my sister, his mom... as he walked down the hall he was yelling (like most 4 year olds may), "Mom! Mommy! Mom! Mom! MOMMY!" He continued down the hall in search of "mom". In the meantime, my sister stood in her dark closet, no light on, not answering the call of her boy. "Mom! MOMMY! MOM! MOM!" As she stood there she thought, "Can I just get five minutes of quiet by myself? Just 5 minutes to change out of my work clothes & not have to cater to someone?!" She stood in her closet, still remaining in silence. The bedroom door opened, "Mom! MOMMY! MOM! MOM!" Karson didn't see her in the bed, walked to her bathroom, no mom there either. Didn't bother the closet, since the light was out. So, Karson leaves the room and heads back down the hallway, "MOM", hands flailing out in frustration, "MOMMY", hands flailing out bigger, "MOM! YOU'RE STRESSING ME OUT! WHERE ARE YOU!??" LOL. 


Stress. It's a bit obvious, Karson had heard that before. But, I'm sure a lot of mom's can relate, "Can I just get ONE minute to myself?" 


Our Proverbs 31 woman is mentally stable, and she works on it! The dictionary spoke of "gird" as the following: to encircle or bind with a belt or band, to surround, enclose, hem in, to prepare oneself for action, to provide, to equip, to invest. Our Proverbs 31 woman is INVESTING in mental stability. She is PREPARING HERSELF FOR ACTION in regards to mental stability, she is STRAPPING mental stability on as with a belt. She is EQUIPPED with mental stability. 


What are some signs, or red flags that you may NOT be mentally stable...or at least that it is something you may want to work on? 

1. Do you snap at people when they ask you a question? 
2. Do you cry often?
3. Do you feel like you can not get a handle on yourself? Your schedule? Your life?
4. Do you lack peace & often feel pressure or stress? 
5. Do you feel like sometimes you don't know which way you are going? You don't know heads from tails? 
6. Can you sometimes not see the forest through the trees. You feel surrounded, but don't see the light to know the direction to get out?

Did you answer "yes" to any of those questions? Mental stability may be something you want to work on. 
This is what the Holy Spirit said to me on the subject: 

I want you to enjoy the "now" as you pursue what I have designed for you to do. YES, your GOD-GIVEN TASK. You can pursue in peace. Pursue with passion but without being "frazzled" without being "caught up", without letting stress or pressure be the leader. Satan will try to "help" as you pursue your calling. It will look like a form of help, but in all reality he will try to pressure you into making premature decisions. His help will come in the form of pressure, stress & urgency to do it NOW. It will push you with deadlines versus the ease of following peace. DEFY Satan when pressure comes, DEFY Satan by walking slowly, by not being in a hurry. When pressure comes, "Cook an egg" as Pastor Jenkins says. Show him you will not be RUSHED, and just to prove your point, move slower than normal. Mental stability while pursing your purpose. 

A calm & undisturbed mind is LIFE & HEALTH to the Body. Have you ever almost felt sick when you have been stressed or running or too busy. Has your body ever almost started shutting down in areas causing you to be more tired than normal, more touchy than normal, light-headed, headaches, almost sick? In whatever area, arena, or decision... the biggest thing that I keep in mind is keeping PEACE as my Umpire. Peace comes from God, Pressure comes from Satan. Even if I'm having a hard time listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, I can still listen to whatever or wherever the "Peace" is deep down inside. I can be led in the direction that gives me peace & have faith that I am being led by my Father. 

Your GOD-GIVEN Task. Do you realize you were created for a purpose? You were created to complete an assignment. You were made for a very specific task. If you are not sure what that is in your life, here are some bullet points given to me by the Holy Spirit to figure it out:

• Your purpose is what you were born for & created to do.
• Your purpose has always been in you.
• In the back of your mind, you have always thought it would be cool to do or accomplish your purpose. 
• At one point, you may have even included your purpose in a list of goals for your life. 

Instructions: 

• Get the LISTS back out.
• Put them on PLAIN TABLETS, in front of you. Write them on paper. 
• RE-AWAKEN to your dreams. 
• PURSUE your PASSIONS!
• Many of those thoughts on YOUR LIST are GOD-GIVEN ASSIGNMENTS and YOU are needed to complete them!
• Too many people have brushed them off. It is simple. If they would begin to get quiet before Me, meditate on MY Word, Listen to MY Voice, I, I AM, will lead them. I will bring them to a place where they will NEVER "work" a day again in their life. When people are operating in their "GOD-GIVEN" assignment, it is as if time stands still because they are enjoying pursuing their assignment. It brings them alive. It is their passion.

So, today.... I encourage you to seek it out. Get out your LIST! If you don't have one, MAKE ONE! What is your passion? What makes you come alive? What have you swept under the rug but know with all your heart that you were MADE to do this very thing? It is what you are good at, it is what makes you happy. I encourage you to get before the Lord, seek Him, follow the instructions above. He will guide you. And who knows this, you can't loose with the Lord! :) 

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Additional helpful resources: 

If you are searching out your purpose, check out a few video's that discuss "Finding your Purpose" & "Seasons of your Purpose", I believe they will be very helpful to you. http://www.youtube.com/tylerhmccart 

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