Keep dreaming and live out your calling!

So Jacqueline preached an amazing preach this morning - so proud! Yay.  Basically, (if I'm right, and in short) it was about Nehemiah - and how, despite being an ordinary man he didn't keep quiet, but stood up for what God told him to do and made a massive difference, letting God do extraordinary things through his ordinariness.  

So God puts desires in us, places callings upon our lives and gives us deep rooted passions and desires to do things and stand up for things.  It got me thinking, because I know I've been called to more.  I have desires, dreams, passions... I want to do stuff and make a difference... Here are some examples...

- I want to make a difference through my writing
- I have a passion for the alternative, rock, goth scene and want to see them know God - so much so that I often cry when I think about this
- I want to see captives freed, and a binding up of the broken hearted
- I want to publish my God-inspired book and bless 1000's of people through it
- I want to see huge festivals with crazy rock music, and preaching and 1000's of crazy rockers coming to know God
- I want God to use me to bless people everywhere


Now I know this is a lot about 'me' and what 'I' want to do, but I believe these desires have been put there by God.  And it's not a selfish thing, it's a God-given passion.


So often it's easy to have these desires and passions and not see them coming to life, so we give up.  We have these dreams and desires, but they seem so far removed from reality that we ignore them and bury them.  It's often easy to doubt ourselves and think that we could never do something like this.  WRONG!


Psalm 20:4 says 'May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed'.


Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do 'immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine'.


Philippians 1:6 says that 'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion'.


Isaiah 55:11 says that God's word, including His promises and what He says we should do 'will not return to (Him) empty but will accomplish what (He) desires'.


2 Timothy 1:7 'For God did not give us a spirit of timidity , but a spirit of power, love and self-discipline'.


GUYS!  It is so easy to become dispondant when we do not see things happen.  But God will fulfill His promises.  It is easy to give up on what He has said and not believe it.  It is easy to believe that the task is too large for us so we ignore it.


STOP!  Let's stop doubting God's strength in us.  Let's stop procrastinating.  Let's stop avoiding the calling.  Ridiculous as your calling might be, there is a reason and a purpose for it.  Do not withold God's blessing from others because you are too afraid to step up and do what He has said.  Come on!  Do not hold back!

To illustrate some of this, let me share a bit of my journey...  For years I knew I was a bit different.  I knew God had a strong calling on my life to be part of the alternative scene and make a difference.  I loved rock music and I loved dressing in the 'rocker' style.  I battled with this for years because so many people hated it - even my mum who liked to constantly remind me as a teenager.  I wasn't 'normal'.  I didn't wear pretty dresses or listen to 'acceptable' music.  I got refused communion once in church because I have tattoos and piercings.  It was a daily battle.  Did I conform to the world or did I do what I believe God was calling me to do?  Did I stifle who God had created me to be, or did I boldly live out what He wanted me to do?  (Now don't get me wrong, I don't always make the best choices, and I know there are opposing opinions on tattoos, piercings, etc - this is not the argument here, I am just illustrating a point...).  All of this negativity, being laughed at for what I was, being rejected and looked down upon, being told how awful I looked and being 'socially unacceptable' got to me and led to years of low self esteem.  Things didn't look good.  But I could not deny what God had called me to do and what He had created me to be.  I refused to 'conform to the norm' to please man.  I wanted to conform to God.

So I reached a point where I had to decide.  Do I go with the world's view of what I should be, or do I continue, battle on and be what God wants me to be and make a difference.  To be honest, the desire was too great in me to not follow option 2, so I carried on being the crazy, tattooed, rock loving, head-banging, metal-loving, outspoken person you all know (and love) today.  No it isn't everyone's cup of tea.  No it isn't always 'socially acceptable'.  Yes I get it wrong.  But in addition yes, I am 'God's cup of tea', I am acceptable to Him, and He loves me exactly as I am.  Not only this but I can live at peace with God and myself knowing that I am following His will.  It has been a long journey.  I have had to learn the hard way.  There are certain things I have had to avoid/do/overcome/accept/put up with/modify and so on to ensure I am living as God wants (such as cutting up 200 CDs one day because of the negative impact they were having on my life, and also refusing to wear certain clothing with bands that advertise bad lyrics, etc).  But I am SO happy to be me - the me God created, the me that isn't stifled by society, the me who makes a difference.

And let me finally share some of the positives that have come from this - and I emphasise, not because of me, but because of God in me, using me, working through me and living out His calling in me...

- I have been able to relate to and form friendships with 100's of 'alternative' people Christians and non-Christians alike (people who otherwise I would not know and who I may not have been able to impact)

- I have seen people commit their lives to Christ through these friendships and relationships

- I have overcome a huge amount of personal issues, self-esteem related problems and vastly grown in my acceptance and knowledge of who I am, so much so that I have written a book based on this (still needing completion) and been able to bless loads of people

- I have had the most amazing conversations with people in the 'alternative' scene and been able to offer them hope, guidance, wisdom, prayer

- I have been able to network, facilitate ministries, put people in contact with other people, enable progress in the Kingdom of God

- I write for a Christian rock magazine - in which my first article had over 62,000 hits and blessed a lot of people

- I have been to gigs and concerts and prayed earnestly and fervently for the darkness to leave and for God's spirit to reign

- I have had my art-work displayed in London at an alternative festival and been able to share the gospel through this

- I have hopefully challenged and broken down some of the stereotypes and negativity from Christians and churches towards this 'alternative' scene and acted as a bridge between the two

- I have been allowed to write this blog

PRAISE GOD.


Now can you imagine if I hadn't have gone with God and ignored His calling?  Would all of this had happened?  Would so many people be blessed?  Would God have been able to work as much as He has?  Would I be the person I am today?....  I doubt it. And this is just the beginning!!!!!!!


So come on guys.  KEEP DREAMING.  KEEP HOPING.  KEEP LIVING IN GOD.  PUT YOURSELF IN THE RIGHT PLACES FOR GOD TO USE YOU! DO NOT STIFLE YOUR CALLING OR WHO YOU ARE.  Even when it is scary.  Even when it is hard.  Even when it looks bleak.  There is more.

Be blessed.