My Sunday School teacher asked me to fill in for him this past Sunday, so I began to ask the Lord what He wanted me to talk about. I kept coming back to this: How to find His will in our lives. I used a post I had written several years ago to get me started and moved on from there. What a joy to hear that it was exactly what someone in the class needed to hear!
So I’ve decided to repeat it here today. I pray it will be an encouragement to someone out there in blogdom. 
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve begged God to give me a clear sign so I’d know His perfect will for my life–you know, something really Biblical, like a message written across the sky, with fireworks exploding around it. But when I gaze up into the vast blue beauty, all I see is a white puffy cloud that looks like a hamburger. Am I supposed to give up this writing thing and work at McDonald’s? (Don’t laugh. I’d certainly make more money flipping burgers!)
Are you like me? Are you sometimes in the dark when it comes to discerning the road God has for you? Maybe it’s simply a question of where to live or what car to buy. Or maybe you need direction regarding a marriage partner or a career choice.
Or maybe you need to know what you’re supposed to write.
Or whether you’re supposed to write at all.
For the past several weeks I’ve been focusing on finding God’s will for my writing/speaking life. There are so many good things we can do–and we may do many of them well–but as my family and friends have to constantly remind me, I can’t do them all…and do them all well…all at the same the time.
Like many of you, I do a lot of things. I speak at women’s events and writer’s conferences around the country, write Christian women’s non-fiction books and children’s mysteries and speak to kids in schools, write magazine articles, plays and music/lyrics. I co-direct two conferences of my own. I have a family and grandchildren and responsibilities at church. And somewhere in there, I have a wonderful husband who deserves to have a wife who shows him how much she loves him.
I’m not sure I can do it all.
So, I sit down and follow the world’s instruction on how to decide what I’m supposed to do to find the answer: I make a list of Pros and Cons. Sounds easy enough. But by the end of the list, I realize that for every item, the Pros column is overflowing, and I can only think of one thing to put under the Cons: I don’t have time.
But I want to do it all! I love writing and speaking and teaching and helping. I love acting and singing and entertaining.
The truth is, if God has gifted us with talents and passions, He plans for us to use them for His glory. He has given each of us everything we need to pursue the plan He has for our lives. BUT (and this is a big “But…”) He doesn’t expect us to do it all, do it all well, and do it all at the same time.
Profound, huh?
Once we understand that truth, the dilemma then becomes, “If He’s gifted me for all these things, how do I know what He wants me to do now?”
His answer to you and me is in Romans 12:1-2:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
Did you get that? If we want to know his good and pleasing and perfect will for our lives, we have to do three things:
- Offer our bodies as living sacrifices. In contrast to the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, God wants us. He wants our bodies, our lives. He wants us to put away our own desires and plans and goals, and give them all up for what He has planned for us. Do you want to write a bestseller? If we’re honest, we’d all have to admit that we would love to be on the “A” list. But what if God merely wants me to write and share my work with my church? Would that be enough? Would that be enough for me? Would it be enough for you? Sacrificing our desires for His is our spiritual act of worship.
- Do not conform to the pattern of this world. In case you haven’t noticed lately, this world is getting worse everyday. Yes, I know sin has been here since the fall, but with the advent of technology, sin is more readily available and thrown into our faces (and the faces of our precious children) as never before. The world says it’s okay. It says everybody’s doing it. It awards recognition and insidiously enters our homes through generally accepted, generally approved sources–like bestseller books, blockbuster movies, and popular magazines. And yet, I Thessalonians 4:7 tells us that God has not called us to live impure lives, but to live at a higher standard than the world. Whose standard are we living up to?
- Be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Years ago, soon after I realized I didn’t really know beans about writing for publication, I attended Marlene Bagnull’s Write His Answer seminar in Franklin, NC. I remember driving up the mountain, begging God to let me get published. Less than 24 hours later, I came down the mountain promising God I would write, whether I was ever published or not. For the first time, I saw this gift, this passion for writing and speaking, as a calling on my life, rather than a frivolous self-indulgence. It was no longer about me and my desire for publication. It was about Him and His plan for my life. My mind had been transformed.
In 2011 I’ve been focusing everyday on this passage in Romans 12. Yes, I do want to know His will for my life. What does He have for me to do today? This week? Over the next few months? What He has for me to do today may be totally different from what He has planned for me to do next year. But I can know this: If I want to know His good and pleasing and perfect will for my life, He will show me. All I have to do is be obedient. I have to offer my body as a living sacrifice, avoid conforming to the pattern of this world, and be transformed by the renewing of my mind.
That’s now what I’m praying for everyday. Will you join me? Will you commit to meditating on these verses everyday and allowing Him to transform our hearts and minds?
If so, it’ll be a joy to see what He has for us to do next!
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I Need Your Kudos!
I’m hearing from lots of you that you’re seeing the fruits of your labor, and I want to share that good news with the Christian Writer’s Den readers! So, if you’ve had something published, signed a contract, received an acceptance, landed an agent, started a new blog, website, or ministry, I want to hear from you!
Please contact me with the info in this format:
Your name
Your state
Link to your si
te
Your good news
Link to your good news, if available
Lo res jpg of your new book cover, if applicable (Contact me with the other info and I’ll let you know how to send the jpg)
Can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to!
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Let’s See the MoGo7000 Results for June
Did you write at least 7000 new words on a book project between June 1 and June 30? If so, please leave a comment (no email, please) with your total and you’ll receive an entry for the end of the year drawing for $100 cash! Comments must be posted this week in order to be counted.
Didn’t reach your goal? Don’t worry–the new challenge began July 1, so you have the rest of July to write away! To find out more about MoGo challenge, check out the MoGo7000 guidelines here. It’s free and it’s never too late to start!
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Deadline for NCompass Writing Retreat Cec Murphey Scholarships is July 10
Registration for the NCompass Writing Retreat will continue until September, but if you’re planning to apply for one of the Cec Murphey Scholarships, you need to act now! Deadline for receipt of all scholarship applications is this Sunday, July 10. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by! You can download the NCompass Writing Retreat Cec Murphey Scholarship Application here.
Visit the NCompass website to find out more about the September 29-October 2 retreat at Lake Keowee, SC. We’d love to have you join us for the writing time of your life!
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Are You a Social Networking Phobic?
I’m thrilled that my friend-and-partner-in-many-crimes, Edie Melson, has just released a new ebook, Social Media Marketing for Writers: How to Blog, Tweet, & Peep Your Way onto Amazon’s Best Seller List. Only 99 cents, and you can download it straight to your phone or computer without a Kindle or Nook! Mark my word, this is going to be a must-have resource for all writers!
Congratulations, Edie!
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TWO New Online Conference Opportunities During the Month of July!
Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles of ChristianDevotions.us have teamed up with other great teachers to bring you two new online conferences this month. Check out Writer’s Coach workshops here.
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And the Winner of Linda Evans Shepherd’s When You Can’t Find God: How to Ignite the Power of His Presence is…
#14, Dana Armstrong! Congratulations, Dana. Simply contact me with your mailing address and the book will be on its way.
Don’t forget, you’ll want to get your own copy of Linda’s latest book When You Can’t Find God: How to Ignite the Power of His Presence.
And thank you again, Linda, for your insight and instruction. Great interview!
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Parting Words from The Word…
What better way to end than the way we began, looking at these words written by
Paul:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
I pray God’s blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda
