Take your EVERYDAY ordinary life and place it before God as an OFFERING

Yes that's right guys, we will be updating this Blog regularly throughout this term so keep checking back to receive awesome new teaching, daily focusses and handy hints from your youth team!

I want to open up this week with a focus point for you -

How much of your everyday, ordinary life do you place before God?

Romans 12 v 1 says "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."

I've been really challenged by this over the past few weeks. If you didn't know already i had an interview for a new job last week, i was given the opportunity through a friend the week before, and the moment i said yes to her organising the interview i panicked! The interview was for a receptionist position at a solicitors firm here in Newport, and if you know anything about me you will know that this type of job is SO different from the job i had before. I used to work with horses and have done for the last 12 years, so the thought of working within a professional office environment freaked me out!

Why? Because it's so far out of my comfort zone and it will involve me learning a whole new set of skills.

This reminded me of the similarities with my first day at school, and i was prompted to share this experience with those of you who have gone into a new year of school, university or workplace recently (which most of us have!).

Did you know that God chooses to use our everyday ordinary lives for greatness??

We don't just need to work to pay the bills, or go to school or uni to get an education, we do these things so we can be apart of the world - to be living representatives of Jesus within these places. But every now and again we go through an experience that rocks our world, and we struggle to see Gods part in it because of how scary it may look or how uncomfortable it might be.
God LOVES these moments in our lives!! These are the times where he can truly teach you something about yourself! The times where you look to Him for your everyday needs because you literally couldn't even contemplate going through that day without him. That's what He's there for, He's there as a source of strength and comfort, He exists to give you everything you need to accomplish the greatness He has planned within your day!!

And if i'm honest i would have to confess that i knew all these things in my head, but i hadn't fully developed them into a way of living. God spoke to me the week before my interview when i was having a major freak out, and all He said to me was - 'Is my Word only good enough in spiritual matters??' In other words, why can i trust Him with my spiritual matters, those that run within my ministry and my daily walk with Him. Why can i trust Him with the massive visions and dreams He's placed on my heart without trusting Him with simple daily living like job opportuinities and interviews?

This really challenged me, because God was right (duh!) i'm quite happy to look at the dreams he's given me and trust him even though they're far outside of my capabilities, far outside of my sphere of influence, far bigger than me! But when it comes to the everyday stuff, the situations that don't seem to be completely God focussed i freeze up and get scared and worry about the outcome.

Where does it say in the Bible that God's guidance, help and strength only comes within spiritual matters? It doesn't!! Because God is a relational God, He wants every part of us, because it's within all the other parts of our lives that He can best use us to successfully reach other people.

So i prayed about it and explained how stupid i had been to only let God control my spiritual life, and since then i've noticed how much i need it!

To cut a very long story short i did get the job, and im currently sat at the reception desk learning all the new skills i need to, to become the best receptionist i can be. But it hasn't been easy! Just because i prayed to God to take control of every area, and surrendered all my fears and worries to Him didn't mean that life suddenly got easier. It actually got a lot harder, and im having to constantly rely on God's awesome power, strength and comfort to get me through every hour of every day. But that's why He needed to challenge me on it! To make me realise that i needed Him so much more than simply in my spiritual life. He knew the type of situations i would be dealing with and He knew how far out of my comfort zone i would be living in - so He equips me with everything i need for every moment of every day.

So i want to challenge you with the same question God brought to me -

Have you given God EVERY AREA of your life? Now might be the time to ask him to reveal the areas you havn't released to him, because you never know what next week may bring. And i for one want to follow the only one who does - so i can be thoroughly equipped for every good work! (2 Tim 3v16-17)

Check it out!!
And have AWESOMELY BLESSED weeks!!

Sammi