October is My Favorite Month...

...for weather. Although this month was hotter than I would have liked. Yesterday was November 5th and it was in the 80's...crazy.

Here are some of the things I learned in October:

 PRAYER

• God's desire to pursue us is greater than our desire to hear from Him
• "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5
• Remember this when you're praying and getting distracted 

COMMITMENT TO TRAINING

•  2 Corinthians 3:17 - Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
• Liberty is not found doing your own thing, but being where the Spirit is, with others
• Are you available/ expendable for Christ?
• Will you go anywhere in the world He tells you?
• Will you do any job, no matter how base?
• Will you work for/under anybody?

1. Have a volunteer spirit. God isn't being done a favor by us working for Him, He's doing us a favor
2. Must be free from entanglements: money, education, etc. (if you're not generous with your money now, you won't be later).
3. Freedom from sin: God gives us a blank check as far as serving Him goes...it's up to us whether we are a vessel used for noble or ignoble purposes (humans have the same types of vessel, why wouldn't God?) - 2 Timothy 2:20 - 22
4. Marry the right person
5. Be available for training.

WHAT IS GOD'S PURPOSE/ CALLING FOR MY LIFE?

• God is more interested in forming you than using you.
• 3 types of calls...
• GENERAL CALL: We are called to...
• a Person first and foremost (God)
• being formed in the image of Christ (be who Jesus is)
• love others
• do good works  (do what Jesus did)
• PARTICULAR CALL
• Find God in our past. Is He really faithful?
• Find God in the present
• SPECIFIC CALL
• Call as a free steward of what we're given (talents, money, etc.)
• You are bound by a particular call first
• Often means surrendering stewardship to God
• The purpose of the parable of the talents is not that the guy in the field who hid his money did the wrong thing, but that he did NOTHING! All of the others were rewarded exactly according to what they did.
• People are the only thing worth investing in.
• Sometimes we ask God what He wants us to do, then He asks what we want to do.
• We have the option to say "no" to God and His calling and "yes" to fantasy
• STEPS TO DISCERNMENT
• Be open in community and with yourself
• Trust what God has placed on your heart
• Acts 15: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..."
• Sometimes it's not a huge thing where we need to hear God's audible voice. Sometimes it just seems good to us and good to God.

And don't forget to remember, remember the 5th of November...