rachel issitt

What’s Your Dream – Rachel Issitt

This months guest blog is Rachel Issitt, along with her husband Edward, leads ‘Your Mission’,  a ministry which trains and mobilises the next generation of ministers, missionaries and missional thinkers through inspiration, training and consultancy. They are both ministers with the Assemblies of God in the UK. 

This article is an extract from Rachel‘s book ‘What’s Your Mission?’ available to purchase as a softback or for Kindle. 

 


Pursuing the God Given Dream for Your Life

yourmissionEach of us has desires in our heart, things we would love to accomplish. When we have fully submitted our lives to Christ, the desires of our heart align with God’s desires for us. We often dream God’s dreams for us without even knowing it. In Psalm 37:3-5 it says ‘Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart’. Proverbs 12:11 says ‘Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense’. Those who follow their God given dream and calling are not simply ‘chasing fantasies’. It is very important that we pray and discern the difference between our own imaginations and a God given dream and desire.

Let’s take a closer look at your dreams. What is it that you would love to see happen in your lifetime? If you could really achieve anything, what would it be? What inspires you? Who inspires you? When we answer these questions and when God is at the centre of our life, then we then begin to tap into the God given ‘desires of our heart’.

It is unfortunate that many people are locked into a ‘safe’ world where their real desires and dreams will never come to fruition. That ‘safe’ place then becomes a prison and a place of confinement. Some of the most inspiring people I have met are those who are willing to take positive steps into God’s desired future for their lives and remove any boundaries in the way of God’s will.

Fulfilment

“God is interested in seeing you achieve your potential in life”

Are you fulfilled in life? The Collins dictionary states that to sense ‘fulfilment’ is to ‘achieve one’s potential’. The achievement of your potential is linked with God’s plan for your life. Your dreams and fulfilling them are all connected with the way God has made you and his purposes for you. God is interested in seeing you achieve your potential in life. Psalm 138:8 states, ‘The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.’ God has a purpose for you and a plan for your life; we are crafted by God’s hands for a specific reason.

In Psalm 139 we find David talking of how God ‘knit’ him together while he was in the womb and how ‘all the days ordained’ for his life had already been written down by God. The intricacies of your personality, your gifts, talents and dreams were all planned by God before you were born and doing the will of God will include you fulfilling your potential. Ephesians 2:10 states, ‘For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’

Write Down the Dream and Get Wisdom

A positive move forward in the process of fulfilling your dream is by simply writing it down. When you write something down you make a statement to yourself that this is what you believe. This practical step can help crystallise your thinking. Isaiah, Jeremiah and Habakkuk were instructed by God to write down the revelation they had received.

Proverbs 4:7 gives us this invaluable advice, ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.’ This may not necessarily mean that you have to spend three years at a Bible college but it will involve you getting all the tools and skills necessary in order to be well prepared for the service God has for you.

Are you ready to take a step? Begin praying about God’s plan for your life. Take some time to get into the presence of God, listen to His voice and then write down what you believe is your God given dream. I would speak to someone you count as a spiritual mother or father and share what is in your heart to do. Proverbs 11:14 states that there is safety when you get advice from a number of people. Choose people who will add fuel to the fire and will water the seed of your dream and not quash it.

Align Your Dream with God’s Dream

As a follower of Christ, you need to become acutely aware of what is on God’s heart at this moment in time. As I read the Bible it becomes very clear that God’s heart is for people all over the world to know Him and experience a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ. God desperately desires that people know and believe that Jesus paid the price for their sin on the cross. God is grieved at the sinful state of the world and the huge suffering that this sin produces.

As a follower of Jesus, align yourself with a dream straight from God’s heart which is that all nations and ethnic groups have the opportunity to become Disciples of Christ. This involves making the link between your personal dreams and ambitions and knowing what is on God’s heart, it is being willing to let go of your own ideas. What I’m talking about is totally surrendering everything of your own plans and desires to Jesus and sincerely desiring His will in your life.

In Romans 12:1 we are encouraged to be ‘living sacrifices’. Essentially we are to die to our own wants and prioritise what God would have us live for. In considering God’s heart for the world, we need to note the passion that Jesus has for the lost. Jesus was very clear that it would take workers to see the ‘harvest’ gathered, Jesus actually asks His disciples to pray that God would send people into the fields. (Matthew 9:37,38) In other words, it would take individuals hearing God speak and obeying his call to reach the billions who have never heard of Jesus. My challenge to you is to take your special place in seeing all nations ‘reached’ in your lifetime. Truly align your dreams with God’s dream and you will achieve the greatest fulfilment.

Encourage Other’s Dreams 

It has been said that the younger generation desperately want those older than them to mentor them by giving wisdom and without judgement or pressure. If you feel that you would like to encourage others in their dreams, why not meet the individual or group for coffee. Offer a listening ear with a heart to see others achieve what God is putting in their heart to do for him. Encouraging dreams and aspirations is something which the younger generation crave and could unlock huge potential for expansion of the Kingdom of God in the earth.

I do believe that God puts dreams in our heart for much more than our own fulfilment, this can be seen in the life of Joseph. The dreams he had were far more than simply elevating himself, they were to rescue a nation. Where Christians are concerned, God is passionate about us being ‘salt and light’ in the world and having a huge influence. Start to pray into your dreams today and ask God for wisdom as you move forward into fulfilling them. Silence any discouragement and take a step.

 

For more from Rachel or to purchase her book please visit www.yourmission.org.uk

Tanya Robinson

Guest Blog – Tanya Robinson

This months guest blog is from Tanya Robinson, Tanya, wife to Noel, mum and child of God. Founder of City Women Outreach – and is Chair of Women on the Frontline Ministries. A heart for women from all backgrounds, from ministering to sex workers in East London to reaching out to Professionals. She has spent 8 years ministering to substance misuses & sex workers, sharing the love grace and mercy of Christ, more recently involved with Christians in Government and a panel advisor for a community based Gangs initiative.

Tanya has a powerful testimony of God transforming love and indescribable grace. her heart is for people to celebrate their individualism in the knowledge of Christ’s abounding love and walking out their God given purpose.


The father has provided everything we need to fulfill the plans and purposes that are spoken about in Jeremiah 29:11. The issue has always been how do we receive that which He has promised. I have seen in myself and in many others, a level of self doubt, especially if there has been any history of abuse, be it physical, emotional, financial, parental, friend or family betrayal. There can be an innate inability to receive the love the father has and all that comes with that, an unbelief that as you surrender more of yourSELF that our gracious Father will actually step in and fill that dead space with His life, and to be honest, how would you know, if you’ve never experienced a love that is unconditional? This is an area, which has taken me years to comprehend, and I’m still walking through as His love for me is continually revealed and washed over me in waves, the Fathers love is unconditional. The quicker we come to that realisation, the sooner we can begin to understand that, the more we are willing to let go, trusting that the God who began this great work in you is faithful to complete it.

I love the Lord with all of my comprehension. The problem has been that I have had to learn to love myself, that has been a challenge. Loving the Father, yet not able to love yourself, how do you begin to believe that you are lovable and in turn able to receive the love the Lord has already lavished on us.. You have to walk in the knowledge and understanding that He loves you. I started this journey as I pondered on the fact that I am His creation and He has released me into the earth. When you create something and share it with others, you are proud of your accomplishment, you release it to fulfill its function, be it a piece of music, art or even a completed project at work whatever it might be. Just know He knew you before you were knitted in your mothers womb, He predestined it that you would be released to fulfill your purpose, He is proud of His creation, you are individual with a function within the body, He loves your uniqueness. All you need to do is walk closely with Him, so when the enemy of your soul begins to whisper his lies to you, you’ll discern and make that thought subject to the word of God, you will learn to take such thoughts captive and hand them to God.

Affirmation from others should be approached with caution, wisdom is required to know when we should or should not take on the opinions of others. My husband describes the process of decorating, when you put on the first coat of paint it can look terrible, people will have an opinion because they do not have the vision of the finished article. But when you have some understanding of the work He has planned for you, you are able to discern where that voice is coming from, if it is a person opinion or if they see in the Spirit where God is journeying you. For your confidence to increase in Him, a closeness and deeper understanding of who He is, is required. Submerge yourself in what the window of His word is revealing to you. When you read the word, this is the beginning of the understanding; the adventure is going through that open window of His word and getting to know your father, getting to know Jesus, walking with the Holy Spirit who is the one who reveals His himself in Spirit and in truth… get to know Him.

The enemy does not have the ability to take away the resurrected life within you, but he tries all he can to prevent you from accessing that life, from walking in the fullness of Gods provision. This is done with the aim that we would become frustrated with God because you’re not walking in the peace, joy, love, and the fruits, that were predestined for you. This frustration then feeds into our insecurities that His love is not for you, that it has conditions and possibly that this plan and purpose is for others. In this vein our walk becomes a battle just to stay saved and that is NOT what our faith is about. This is not living life in all its fullness; this is not the life Jesus died for us to live.

There is a tendency for us to see prosperity as financial blessing, when I talk about God prospering you; it is in the complete context of your walk. In our coming in and going out, in our ministries and family and friends. Whatever the area of provision, this is not just for us, but for the lives we are to touch. Different callings offer different areas of grace and differing requirements of provision. I believe as Christians we should walk in an abundance of the gifts, which we don’t just receive from the table set before us, that in the receiving there is an overflow of blessings from heaven, enabling us to pour into the lives around us. These outpourings of love, peace, joy, finance, is not for our benefit, it is so He will be glorified in the earth.

Jeri Hill Steve Hill wife

Blow the Cloud Away – Jeri Hill

This months guest blog is from Jeri Hill, Jeri Hill is the wife of the late evangelist Steve Hill and the president of Steve Hill Ministries.  Jeri travels nationally and internationally bringing the message of revival, repentance and healing to a lost and dying world.   


I was sitting in my white chair in my bedroom. Tears welled up in my eyes, breathing quickly transformed into heaving, and my heart felt there was far too much weight to bare for one single person. You see, this chair is sitting exactly where the love of my life for 36 years entered into the fullness of God’s presence. Sometimes I would wonder if there was an open heaven over that chair, yet every time I sat in it my physical being felt too grieved to notice. Something I also didn’t mention was those tears were also being shared over my son. I had lost him just months after my husband. The pain of losing my men never seizes to grip my heart, but it especially wanted to make me feel defeated that day. As I was feeling indescribable pain, something amazing happened that shifted my soul’s cry. All of a sudden, I heard the voice of an almighty, comforting God say to me, “Blow the cloud away… and see Me.”

Life can seem unbearable, can’t it? Many have written me sharing how they are facing very difficult times. When I read of their current storms, I hurt with them. Everything in me wants to go in and fix it – but I have learned through my own storms, that no person can “fix it.” That job belongs to God and Him alone. And aren’t you thankful we have an awesome God we can lean upon? It melts my heart when I think of how God has continually blessed and comforted the Body of Christ. Today, I want to share a word of encouragement about weathering life’s most “unbearable” storms.

You may be struggling right now in your finances, concerned for your children, without a job, in a health crisis or grieving the loss of a loved one. Don’t let the dark clouds of this present storm bring you down.

David was not a stranger to struggle. In the midst of his trials he asked himself, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5, 42:11, 43:5 ). Here in Psalm 42 and 43, he pours out his soul. Then he asks himself three times, “David, why are you downcast?!” He knew there was no point in becoming depressed. He lifted his head and blew the cloud away so that he might see the Lord in the midst of the storm.

Blow the Cloud away and put your hope in God!

My daughters Shelby and Kelsey have experienced major trauma the past few years as you can imagine. They spent the majority of their teen and early adult years walking with their dad through cancer. Then they lost their dad and brother just a few months apart. Both of them had a choice. They could let the storm swallow them up or they could put their hope in God and trust Him to bring them through the storm. Kelsey once wrote something and her experience, offering a word of encouragement to others:

“The past few years, by far, have been the most agonizing years of my life… but the most rewarding as well. Every life-altering shift that occurs is an opportunity to form our character into Jesus’ image, if we allow Him to have control over us. If I could give you advice for the years ahead, I would tell you to embrace change, let forgiveness and love be your heartbeat, and allow God to transform your heart to be more like His. If you seek and put your faith in ONLY Jesus, even if it ends up being painful at times, you will look back on it and realize how indescribably beautiful the decision was.”

When sharing about what our family has gone through, Shelby will often tell others, “I will never fully understand the ‘whys’ or the ‘hows,’ but I know God has a bigger plan and it will all come together in the end.” Amen! The Lord never promises we won’t have storms. In fact, no where in the Bible did it mention anyone having a perfect life. Everyone goes through hardships. But the beautiful thing is, He does promise to be with us and bring us through them. Are you going through a storm? Let me give you some advice, blow the cloud away and see Him!

Blow the cloud away and put your hope in His Word!

We need the Word of God and the Spirit of God so that we can blow that cloud away. When everything around us seems dark and uncertain, His Word remains true. You can encourage yourself with His promises and trust that He will bring you through.

Jeremiah 29:11 assures us, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I like what my son-in-law Aaron says, “God has PLAN ‘A’ for us; He never gives us PLAN ‘B’.” How true!

Blow the cloud away and give hope to others!

I find that helping others draw close to the Father brings great joy. That’s the heartbeat of God for all of us – to be close to Him. You reap what you sow. When I help others find joy, I myself am filled with joy. If you need to be encouraged, find someone to encourage. If you need a miracle, pray for someone else to receive a miracle. If you want to find hope, offer someone else hope.

In the end, you can trust God is at work. No matter what “unbearable” storm we face. No matter the level of pain or intensity of grief. No matter the hardship or terrifying reality, God is at work. We can rest assured knowing that all things work together for good to those who love God (Romans 8:28). He is at work for your good and His glory.

The “unbearable” storms of life come to all of us, but we are the ones who make the choice to eliminate the “unbearable” and overcome the storm, or allow the storm to overcome us. Put your hope in God, put your hope in His Word, and give your hope to others. Let’s blow the cloud away… and see Him!

You can read more from Jeri Hill and Together in the Harvest on there website www.stevehill.org

Are we going to eat today?

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Matthew 23:36-35

I decided to write this blog with a little hesitation & a lot of certainty that God wanted me to share this. The hesitation was due to having to be very vulnerable & sharing something that was quite against our culture & human pride. The certainty was knowing that some where out there someone was in the middle of the situation we found ourselves in back in 2009-2011. Also knowing that it might help those who have never been there know why our Christmas Campaign is so close to our heart. As this involves us being very open about part of our life I also asked Rich if it was OK. So here goes…

A number of years ago my husband, Richard became very sick. What started as a pain in his shoulder preventing him sleep ,which no one knew the reason for,very quickly turned into a debilitating illness that not only changed him physically but also emotionally and even mentally. Day after day I watched my husband get sicker & sicker, losing more control over his body & his ability to do the simplest things. He soon was unable to work & could barely leave the house due to the physical limitation with the sickness, we now know is Multiple Sclerosis, which ate more & more of his life away. Being a man who since becoming a Christian had always worked a full time job, done over time & been extremely involved in ministry & the life of the local church & much charity work it wasn’t long before disappointment & frustration seemed to take up residence in our life. Due to our finances taking a huge hit with Rich being too sick to work we began to struggle to the extreme of being unable to meet the cost of house hold bills which had never before been a problem. I began working as much as I could, I’d been a Duty Manager of a centre caring for teenagers in care but due to the restrictions 16 hour shifts were putting on my ability to look after Rich I had to leave. Soon I was working jobs assisting in kitchens during the day & cleaning at night with a few hours in between to see to Rich. But things couldn’t continue as Rich grew sicker & sicker, I had to leave all work to care for him full time. As we had no wages coming in we ended up trying to make cut backs where ever we could but we ended up having to sell many things just to get by, we even lost our car. The things that we had no problem paying for when we were in work were suddenly beyond our means.

I have to be honest with you I’m finding being this truthful extremely hard.

We found ourselves in such a desperate place we had to empty the copper jar in the kitchen to put electric credit on the meter. As a man I know Rich found this all so hard, I remember him in tears telling me, ‘a man should provide for his family, I’m sorry.’ The truth is he had nothing to say sorry for, it wasn’t his fault that he had become unwell, that sickness had turned our lives inside out. I remember many mornings waking up & we would say to one another ‘are we going to eat today?’. I couldn’t believe that we lived in the UK and this was happening to us. I would think does this actually happen in our nation? We had fed people in Africa, raised thousands of pounds over the years for that work but this was happening to us, in our nation. I remember one day an elderly couple asked me to set up some new gadget in their home, I helped them & they took us out for dinner to say thank you. They didn’t know our situation, in fact no one did, but their small act of kindness meant we ate that day. Another day a friend turned up with a few bags of shopping. As I opened them & saw they had even bought dog food for our dogs I could have cried. I looked at her knowing she had no idea what was going on. She said, ‘I just wanted to bless you.’

I know some of our friends will be surprised reading this because no one really knew what was going on or how hard things were, it wasn’t just pride why we didn’t tell them but also we felt ashamed. Not only were we Christian but we were Ministers, we had been ministering with RBB for a number of years. I think we also felt people may not understand & they may think we were failures or had been bad stewards of our money, when in fact we hadn’t. Our lives just got hit by something unexpected, sickness had completely changed our lives. We will never under estimate how drastically a situation can change someone’s life. It has taken us a number of years to financially & even emotionally recover but we thank God that in the midst of that most difficult time He never left us & that nothing is wasted. That time has changed our thinking, we never knew people struggled to eat in our nation in this day & age but we now know they do. Since this there have been times we have just felt a prompting to drop off a few bags of shopping here & there, it’s true when the Bible speaks of the still, small voice. I think our experience has actually caused our hearts to change, to become softer & for us to become more open to the prompting of God in this area. To prompt just means to encourage, we have to actively choose to follow through with action. See this is why we felt to focus on the UK with this year’s Christmas Campaign. Usually we support projects in Africa which do great work but we felt to help local people because, yes, people really do wake up in the morning thinking ‘Are we going to eat today?’ Think about it, if you suddenly became sick or lost your job, could you keep your home, your car or buy your usual grocery shop? I’m not trying to persuade you to give to our campaign, I’m just simply telling you a first hand account from a couple not many would ever believe went through a time of being unable to eat. We just want you to understand why this is close to our heart. Whether you choose to support our campaign or just simply take a loaf of bread or a pint of milk to someone in need, know that you have made a difference. Because of you someone will eat today.

You can read more about our Christmas Campaign by clicking here or to donate please use the button below. Thank you.




Church on the Go