The dawn of the New Year always brings moments of self-evaluation and decisions. It is time gyms are flooded with newcomers, and diet websites profit from people’s desire to lose weight and improve their lives.

There is no question that many devoted believers also start a new year with a renewed commitment to good health and better life choices.

In the past several years, I have noticed many Christians beginning the new year with a fast – a time to “reset” their spiritual lives and cleanse their minds and lives to hear God’s voice more clearly.

Several ministries start a 21-day fast this week as congregations pray and sacrifice, seeking a year filled with God’s favor, provision, healing, and clear direction.

As I was praying and reading my bible early this week, I heard these words in my spirit: “More than saved – called.” The verse that rested in my heart as I thought about the meaning of the sentence was Ephesians 2:10:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

My heart filled with joy as I read the words and digested the deep meaning of this passage.

Carefully placed in the very book Paul was inspired to write to help believers better understand the dimensions of God’s eternal purpose for his children, this verse tells everything we need to know to step into our God-given destiny confidently.

For we are His workmanship

Do you realize that the very Creator of the Universe “crafted” you to do exactly what He has called you to do?

Do you realize that the very Creator of the Universe "crafted" you to do exactly what He has called you to do? #NewYear2023 #MondayMotivation #Calledtoserve #useyourgifts #spiritualgifts
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I became a teacher at the tender age of 10.

We had a live-in maid in Brazil whom I loved dearly. When I discovered that she could not write or read, I could not believe it. I became determined – I was going to teach her to read and write.

My mom was a teacher and worked for our city hall, where she directed the program for illiterate adults. 

When she heard my plea, she brought home a package containing their program’s methodology to teach adults. Dad hung a blackboard in a room in our backyard, and every day, when I got home from school, I would teach my dear Sonia (not her real name). 

Day after day, month after month, I saw her eyes beam with joy as words and sentences became alive before her.

That experience ignited a passion for teaching that continued when I turned 15 and started teaching English as a second language in my ESL school in Brazil. After graduating college, I started my own Language Institute, where several other teachers and I taught adult students to speak a foreign language.

All of this happened before I ever met my Savior.

Little did I know He was preparing me, honing the gifts He placed in me, because one day, He would call me to teach His word… and proclaim His grace and mercies to anyone who would hear.

He created us for what He calls us to do

“(You) are created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that (you) would walk in them.”

When you accepted Christ, you became a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17 ). You received not only a new nature but also a new assignment. The Good Works that God prepared for you to do before you were even born are now ready for you.

When you accepted Christ, you became a new creature. You received not only a new nature but also a new assignment. #NewYear2023 #MondayMotivation #Calledtoserve #useyourgifts #spiritualgifts
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But look at the last part of this verse:

“So that we would WALK in them.”

Did you see that?

1) The work was created by God for you and me to do from before the foundation of the world.

2) He called us BECAUSE He equipped us (crafted us) with what it takes to do His work (Psalm 139).

3) We cannot only say we believe this truth. We have to WALK in it by faith.

God calls us out of our comfort zone.

As you hear God speak at the beginning of this year, He may call you to step out in faith and start something new, change a career or make hard decisions concerning unhealthy relationships. 

Change is always frightening. Starting or changing something that requires more than you believe you have in you is indeed a daunting task.

Remember, God did not save us only so we would be spared from eternal damnation. He redeemed us so we would have an abundant life right here on earth, and so that all those gifts that He has placed in us, and the plan He crafted for us before the foundation of the world, would be set in motion, one step of obedience at a time. (John 10:10; Matthew 5:13-14)

So, this message is for you and me – people who are called to do more than we are able. People who hear a “go” into the dark, out of their comfort zone:

If you want peace, joy, and victory, God’s calling needs to jump out of your journal and become “action.”

If you want peace, joy, and victory, God's calling needs to jump out of your journal and become 'action.' #NewYear2023 #MondayMotivation #Calledtoserve #useyourgifts #spiritualgifts
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It’s trembling knees as you step out. It’s holding His hand as you see the dark before you, yet keep going. 

It’s the very definition of faith. And by it, as the great men and women of Hebrews 11, you will gain your heavenly Father’s approval:

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2   

And without this faith, without this “walking in” type of faith, you will not be victorious at the end of this year.

So go on, my friend! Step out in this glorious truth:

If God called you, He equipped you.

If He equipped you, it’s because He has a task for you… and a blessing after you step out in faith.

If God called you, He equipped you. If He equipped you, it’s because He has a task for you… and a blessing after you step out in faith. #NewYear2023 #MondayMotivation #Calledtoserve #useyourgifts #spiritualgifts
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The post Called Out of Your Comfort Zone appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a lady in her 70s, who is suffering from depression because one of her daughters is absent from her life. This daughter is alive and well, but she chooses not to participate in her mother’s life, even though she lives close.

Almost every time I talk to this mother, the conversation turns to the pain and suffering that she is experiencing with her daughter’s absence. And every single time, my advice to my friend is the same.

“You cannot help other people’s choices. If you concentrate on one person who, by their own choice, prefers not to be around you, you will end up becoming bitter and distancing others who love you. You need to find a new purpose. Give your love to people who are hurting. Bless someone with your gifts and talents.”

I thought about my advice while browsing some of the videos that I received from one of the local representatives of Operation Christmas Child. My ministry supports Franklin Graham’s organization every year around the holidays, by promoting their efforts to bring the gift of Christmas and the Gospel to needy communities around the globe.

It always fills my heart with joy to learn how Samaritan’s Purse International, Operation Christmas Child’s parent organization, tirelessly works across the world to ensure that poor communities experience God’s love through disaster relief projects, community outreach and gifts.

The videos I watch every year tell stories of children whose lives have been impacted, and often drastically changed, by the seed that is planted with a simple shoe box.

While browsing this year’s DVD, however, I came across the stories of people who are on the other side of Operation Christmas Child’s initiatives. The clips told the stories of common people, who work diligently to ensure that poor children who often have never received a personal gift, are blessed by a simple shoe box filled with toys each year.

My favorite story was about 9-year-old Faith from Tennessee, who ran a 5K to raise funds, while energizing her small community church to pack 300 boxes this year.

The story would not be very different than several others, were it not for Faith’s physical limitations.

Faith was born prematurely with spinal bifida, a birth defect in which a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly, creating serious developmental issues. She has already had several surgeries, including bladder and bowel reconstruction. Her parents were told that their little girl would probably never walk.

But Faith showed them from the beginning that there is no limit of what God can do with a willing and determined heart. She walks, dances and is a bundle of joy to her family and friends.

When she told her mom last year that she wanted to run a 5K to raise funds for Operation Christmas Child, her mother felt uneasy and concerned. But as her mother prayed, she heard God whisper: “Do not try to limit me.”

The video ends with Faith crossing the finish line, cheered by a community of friends who came out to support her. “I really want to say that we could do 20,000 boxes. That’s what I wanted to pack,” she said. “But next year, we will do 500!” she shouted with a beaming smile.

We support Operation Christmas Child www.samaritanspurse.org
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Purpose. Faith and her family found new purpose in their suffering.

Her great example of determination, overcoming limitations and doing the impossible, is a lesson for each one of us who think that we cannot make a difference in the world, or who allow our problems and disappointments to paralyze us.

Amid our pain or emptiness, we can allow God to redirect our focus, thus using us to bless someone who is hurting much more than we are. That is how God makes beauty out of our ashes, filling our lives with new purpose and joy. Sometimes, all it takes is filling up a shoe box with toys, prayers and selfless love. Find more information about Operation Christmas Child at www.samaritanspurse.org

Amid our pain, we can allow God to redirect our focus, using us to bless someone who is hurting.#OCC
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This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, November 12.

The post Find Purpose While Sharing God’s Love {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.