"What Happens When Women Say Yes to God" by Lysa TerKeurst has been incredible! We are on chapter 8 and next week will be our last chapter. I have enjoyed so much the faithfulness of your contributions and the testimonies and thoughts shared through the comments you've left here as well as on your own blogs. God is up to something in women of God and I feel so encouraged each week as I read Lysa's words in her book and then yours. I feel so honored to be able to host a table where we can come and sit together and not have one thing in common except our love for God and the desire of our hearts to say YES to Him. This has been a heck of a ride with each one of you and I love reading how God is showing up at the doorstep of your heart and your opening the door to Him. You all are such a blessing. Goodness, enough mushy talk, I feel like my son's dog Kane has just licked my face and I'm soaked in his slobber...smile...let's get started shall we? Remember, anything in blue is a quote from the book.
CHAPTER 8: GIVING UP WHAT WAS NEVER OURS
CHAPTER 8: GIVING UP WHAT WAS NEVER OURS
I really enjoyed the story Lysa started this chapter out with.
Summary:
Her daughter Hope received a ten-dollar bill as a birthday gift. Lysa and Hope were in the drive thru of a fast food place and after placing their lunch order, Lysa realized she was short on cash. She asked Hope to borrow the ten-dollars, Hope declined.
The reasoning of a 9 year old mind: she was looking forward to showing her friends the ten-dollar bill.
Lysa: Do you trust that I'll pay you back?
Hope: yes, but I want the ten-dollar bill, not 2 fives or 10 ones, just the ten.
As they neared the window to pay for the food Lysa tried everything to convince Hope to lend her the money.
I loved what Lysa wrote: She did not want a ten-dollar bill later because she might miss showing off to her friends today.
Relunctantly Hope finally gave Lysa the money when they got to the window.
Read this carefully as Lysa points out how we do this very same thing with God.
Lysa had "special knowledge" that in the mailbox waiting for the birthday girl was a card from her grandma that held $50.00 in it. Her ten-dollar bill would pale in comparison.
God has special knowledge into our lives. He has blessings for the radically obedient that make the dime-store stuff we are so intent on holding on to pale in comparison. The question is, do we trust Him? Do we trust that He will bless us? Do we trust that His blessings are infinitely better than what He might first ask us to release?
Read that last question again...Do we trust that His blessings are infinitely better than what He might FIRST ASK US TO RELEASE?
My mind goes to my Mom and the special bond she formed with one of her foster children. I recently posted on this little one. This baby came to my parents unloved and despised by her birth mother and Mom nurtured her, loved her and gave her the best first year of life any mother could give a child. Carmie knew without a doubt that she was loved by my Mom. When the kids were returned to a biological mom that can't support them and has stated how she "hates Carmelita", my Mom was faced with a choice. Curl up in a ball and cry her heart out, which she has shed many tears over this child OR trust in God through the tears and pain. She had to believe that His blessings are better than holding on to Carmie. As painful as these last few months have been missing her, she had to release her to God, not to the biological mother but to God, and because of her obedience He is able to use her in the life of another baby girl.
The next section called 'The Floodgates of Blessing' is probably one of my favorites as my friend Yolanda from Higher Grounds would say, "Bragging on God" moments from Lysa.
Sacrificial giving is one of the few times God asks us to test Him.
On page 129, Lysa tells us how God ties in obedience with blessing.
He wants us to venture into truly abundant giving. He wants us to get out from under our own selfishness with our possessions and accept His invitation to become radically obedient with what we own. Then, not only will He bless us, but He will lavish blessing upon blessing on us.
Did you not love how Lysa shared of when she felt like an out-of-fashion speaker and so she saved $100.00 and invited her fashion conscience girlfriends to shop with her for new clothes? Then came the unexpected phone call from a friend asking for prayer regarding finances and how her family was in desperate need of $100.00 ASAP unaware of Lysa's stash. Lysa listened to God and gave her friend the money with a willing heart. Because Lysa's desire to obey God was greater than her desire to look stylish, she allowed God to open the floodgates of heaven and pour a huge blessing upon her. Instead of canceling her shopping date with her friends she went and tried on clothes with the plan to put on hold what her friends picked out for her and return when she had the money. Her plan was a good one, but God had something else in mind. While in the dressing room she had no idea her friends were also being obedient to God as they paid for the clothes and blessed her with a $700.00 shopping spree!
How awesome is our God?
We can never out do the blessings of our Lord. Never. He just has more up His holy sleeve than we can even begin to pretend to know and He will take us to our knees in praise every time He acknowledges our obedience.
We just have to trust Him ladies!
If we choose to obey and give of our resources in abundance, a feeling of amazing satisfaction will follow. The radical blessing of being able to take hold of a real life----a fulfilled and satisfied life we can't find any other way---will be ours.
The last part of this chapter really spoke loud to my heart. She titled the segment of this chapter, 'The Blessings of a Sacrificial Life'.
God owns it all. We are simply managers of His resources. When we pursue the beautiful opportunities of sacrificial living, we freely acknowledge that truth and then reap the blessings. When we come to understand that we're giving up what was never ours to begin with, we're walking in radical obedience.
I actually wrote the words "Get this Lelia!!" underneath that last sentence in my book.
My husband...God's.
Our kids...God's.
Our grand baby Amiyah...all God's.
Our paychecks...again...God's.
Our house...it's His.
None of what I listed above are truly "mine" and until I get that and stop trying be the control freak that I naturally am, I am missing out on what God has waiting just for me and my family. Until I choose to have a heart that is radically obedient to whatever God asks of me...
None of what I listed above are truly "mine" and until I get that and stop trying be the control freak that I naturally am, I am missing out on what God has waiting just for me and my family. Until I choose to have a heart that is radically obedient to whatever God asks of me...
My husband will never live up to my unfair expectations
I will have heartache when I don't trust God with my kids and grand baby
I will never feel like we have enough money and will spend foolishly
Housework will be a burden instead of an opportunity to show God I appreciate the shelter He's provided us.
Let's get this dear friends; let's get this today instead of tomorrow.
Please post a comment of what God lays on your heart to share. If you have a blog and have more to bless us with, please sign up below so we can visit you.
~Many Blessings~
12 comments:
oops. I got confused and skipped 8 and read 9! So, my post is about 9. I'll try to post about 8 soon!
This was a tough chapter for me. It's hard to talk about how we handle our money. I always feel like I struggle with this one.
Wow! So much to take in and so much tugged at my heart. It seems so many times recently in the last year I've heard the message that we need to let go of the "good" so God can give us the "great". That is a HUGE step of faith and trust. When we've been blessed with something so good, it is hard to imagine that there could be anything better. However, we must remember WHO we serve and how HUGE He is. Just like Lysa's daughter...maybe she never had a ten-dollar bill or not often and she thought that was the best...what could be better in her eyes. So hard to let go but I am challenged to let go of the "good" God has blessed me with and see what GREAT He WILL bring to me.
I just nod my head upon reading about Lysa's $100 and her shopping trip and I say "yep, that's our God." A lot of our faith and blessings is totally connected to trust and obedience to God. Yes, He does bless us regardless of our actions but the greatest blessings come when we give up control, trust Him, and follow in obedience. I believe we are blessed not only by His gift (such as the $700 shopping spree) but we are blessed knowing we obeyed Him.
I recently gave to a friend upon God's leading and it was a blessing to know and feel obedience in my heart. I don't know if any blessing will be showered on me because of that and I don't care. I joyfully gave because my Father spoke it to me...so that in itself is already my blessing.
Indeed we can never out do our Lord and we can never grasp how much MORE He has in store for us.
Thank you, dear sweet one.
Paula
Lelia, this one touched me so much.
I am that friend that Paula just mentioned (Thank you, Paula) and I have been completely overwhelmed by God's "best" for my life lately.
We have had such a difficult financial situation over this last year and a half, but God has shown Himself faithful to us time and time again, and in ways that we could have NEVER predicted.
As you know, He has blessed me with this trip. I have longed to go to the Mediterranean for a long time, but with our finances being strained right now, I NEVER thought that I would be going in the near future (or at all, really).
One day (back in November) I saw this nail polish by OPI called "Russian Navy." It looked like sapphires to me, and it reminded me of the Mediterranean (or how I thought it looked on television or in magazines). Anyway, I bought that polish and painted my toenails with it. Every time I would glance at my toes, I would get so tickled inside my heart, because I felt like I had a "little bit of the Mediterranean Sea" with me.:)
I had come to a place of contentment with God and the circumstances in my life, so I truly was "tickled sapphire blue" with this polish....
I know it probably sounds silly, but God knew my heart, and I had a peace in my soul and a joy that I had not known before in Him.
So as I was "enjoying" my Mediterranean toenails, it's almost like God said, "You think you like that, well I'll do you one even better!" :)
As I write this, my toes are once again painted with "Russian Navy." It may sound silly, but when I see them, I think of God. So as I am in real Mediterranean, me (and my toes) will be remembering all that God has done for me.
His "best" is always better than anything we could ever hope or imagine or dream of.
Thank you for hosting this Bible study, Lelia....It is such a blessing!
God Bless,
Amy:)
Lelia:
I haven't read the book, but I want to. You do a beautiful job of briefing us on some vital truth nuggets from Lysa. I feel I can relate on so many levels with this post.
More than any other person I know, my father has modeled a life of sacrificial giving...in every area, especially in regards to his finances. My dad has earned a good living, invested wisely over the years (sometimes not so wisely...that's why God gave him mom). Through it all, my dad has lived his life with open hands and an open wallet. He always carries cash around and gives to anyone in need...I mean anyone!
I can't tell you how many times I've seen this in operation. It blesses my heart and has challenged me to do the same. Giving is an obedience, and then after awhile, it becomes a natural outflow of the Christian heart.
I wish all your readers could know my dad. You would be blessed for the knowing. If not here...then there, for my dad is a man after God's heart, and we will share eternity together.
Thanks for leading me to treasure my heavenly Father, along with my earthly Father more this day.
peace~elaine
This is such a great chapter! One of the questions at the end of the chapter got me really thinking...Lysa asks "Do you believe God is capable of truly satisfying you?" On the surface, I definitely say YES, God, of course I do! But if I dig down deep...if I truly look at how I act and react on a daily basis, do I act as if I truly believe it? That is what I'll be pondering for some time to come.
For those of you who haven't read it yet, you can go to http://rebeccatyndall.blogspot.com/2008/05/miss-independent-not-anymore.html and read post about my saying yes to God. About how what I gave up was nothing compared to what I received...and all I had to do was just be obedient. God is truly good my sweet sisters. Truly good!
Thanks, Lelia, for hosting this! I can't believe it will be over in a week! YIKES! Maybe we'll have to move on to "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith!" For I have truly enjoyed this bloggy study! :)
Prayers and Blessings!
Rebecca
Lelia-my husband and I was discussing the She Speaks conference last night. He made a suggestion and so I encourage you to go to your e-mail as your posting today has confirmed to me what God wants me to offer...for Him to you. I will post on this weeks chapter later tonight. I have a summer class to teach from 1230-4:30 today.
Blessings!
In His Graces~Pamela
found your blog on a long trail, and this post really hit home, especially in consideration of my most recent post. thanks for your reminder that it really is all HIS.
look forward to many more visits.
Lelia,
I LOVED this chapter, it was so timely because I have been fretting over finances a lot recently. God has always been faithful and I know He says not to worry but I do anyway. I can relate to how those Israelites must have felt, needing new provision every morning!! I am one of those people who believe He will provide and that He has a plan, I just want to know exactly how it is going to go! Lots of faith in that, huh?
Again, thanks for doing this study. I didn't participate in much discussion but I enjoyed reading everyone else's comments and I LOVED reading the book.
Take care and I look forward to chatting soon (either by phone or computer).
Love,
Kelley
Timely reminder for me...thanks, Lelia..I do not have the book, but your summaries tell me all I need to know..blessings,
Sita
Hi Lelia,
I have been silently enjoying this bible study, but have been tied up working on a big project so haven't had much brain capacity to think up anything to post for the last 8 weeks. But this weeks bible study reminded me of a story that happened to me 2 years ago and decided I had to share it on my blog. Hope you'll check it out when you have the time.
I have also been meaning to tell you we have something in common.(besides our daughters giving birth outside of marriage that is) I too am a wife of a former Cornhusker. My Ed was middle guard on Nebraska's first National Championship team. The state of Nebraska hold many warm memories in my heart. Thanks for the great bible study.
Luanne
Reading and working through this book could not have come at a better time. Thanks again for being a gracious hostess and encouraging leader. What a blessing to see how God is working in the lives of others. On a side note, participating in this study also helps me connect with others and open up a little more on my blog. Blessings!
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