Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus made it clear that everything He did was an act of obedience. In John 5:19, Jesus stated that He could do nothing on His own. He watched for where God was at work, listened to what God told Him, and followed in obedience – even when obedience might not have made sense to those around Him.
How many times do we feel “called” to something and then we jump in and start making our plans? If we have not taken the time to sit in prayer and listen to God’s full instructions, then we risk failing at the task God has called us to do or at least making a big mess of it. Then we begin to question the call or we start looking around at others doing a similar task and wonder how they got there. In reality, it doesn’t matter how they go there because their road “there” might look totally different than the road God places you on.
Sometimes we feel called to something and being to research it and get advice from others. Not a plan, unless we skip seeking God first. If God has called us to something then He already has a plan for how to get us there. Jesus knew that the whole point of coming to earth was His death, burial, and resurrection so that we would have the hope of salvation. What if when He started His ministry on earth He went straight to the cross? If He had, how many people would have missed out on being healed? How many people would have missed out on having demons tossed out of them? The woman at the well would have never met the living water. The 5000 would have missed out on being fed with just five loaves of bread on two small fish. There would have never been disciples to spread the gospel. There would have been no sermon on the Mount. There would be no Lord’s Prayer as a model to teach us how to pray. There would be no parables to teach us how we should live. And the New Testament would have been whole lot shorter! If we try to take the fast track to get where God is taking us, then there will be many people who would miss the impact God wants to make on their lives through us.
John 5:19 is a verse that we all should all should apply to ourselves. Read the verse again and this time, insert your name in the blank: Most assuredly, Jesus says to you, _______ can do nothing of him/her self, but what he/she sees the Father do, for whatever the Father does, _________ also does in like manner. Can you truly say that about yourself?
God, Love and Marshmallow Wars: This book contains 365 daily challenges for couples to strengthen their relationships to each other and with God. Couples will complete activities such as Scripture memory, conversation starters, relationship builders, learning about Biblical marriage, romance builders, personal reflections, and date ideas. Click here to purchase your copy. (This link will open a new widow and take you to Westbow Press’ bookstore.) It is also available at Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, and Barnes & Nobel
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Looking for a speaker for your next ministry event? Julia is now booking for 2019 and 2020 Christian events for women’s and couples’ ministries for both small and large events.
Book with us now.
Julia is CEO of Wellspring Christian Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people and couples develop a passionate relationship with God. A public speaker, conference trainer, event planner, and blog writer, Julia is a two-time graduate from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor in Psychology and a masters in Professional Counseling. Saved as a child and raised in church and in a Christian home and private Christian School as a Pastor’s kid, Julia has taught Sunday school, led music, played the piano, served as Children’s Director, and engaged her gifts in many other areas of church life. Previously employed with the Florida Baptist Convention, Julia organized events and led conferences for church ministry assistants.
Julia enjoys sharing her journey as a growing Christian with others looking for a deeper connection with God. Through Bible study and her own life experiences, God has given Julia a passion to help couples understand God’s design for marriage while they learn to place God first in their marriage, cultivate meaningful relationships, build intimacy, and address the tougher issues that come in every marriage so that they can experience a marriage that honors and glorifies God. Julia also loves mentoring, teaching, and working with women to help them learn to live as Godly women.
With her history and experience growing up in both small and large churches, Julia enjoys bringing top level quality events to churches of all sizes. Her father largely pastored small churches and therefore she understands that these vital parts of the believing community need to be good stewards of the resources God provides them with. This knowledge inspires her passion for being available with a fresh perspective for those who want to provide their congregations with meaningful spiritual growth opportunities.
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