#Empowered

What an awesome word…I mean, really.  Empowered.

Dictionary.com defines empowered as “to give power or authority to; to enable or permit.”  Empowered.

Remember a couple weeks ago when I told you God had drawn me back into Bible study as a student rather than a facilitator?  We can’t serve nonstop and neglect our own nourishment.  This was a tough lesson to learn.  I have spent the last few weeks marinading in God’s truth, and He has given me new eyes to see.  Not kidding, friends.  I feel like every time I turn around, God is flashing a neon sign that says, “Look at me, child.”  

I popped over to Proverbs 31’s (P31) website last week to look up information about their summer conference when I came across the tab “Online Bible Studies.”  That looks interesting, I thought.  So I clicked it.  If you’re savvy with online Bible studies, good for you!  Remember, I’m a recovering over scheduler.  I was the girl who used to sit and just cling to her Bible with her eyes closed, because she was simply too exhausted to open it and absorb the yummy goodness inside.  I did not like being that girl.  Why could I say yes to everyone and everything but God?  The girl I was did not feel  empowered.

P31’s newest study was about to start, and I had to smile when I read the title of the book.  The Bible study is Made to Crave.  I smiled because I bought the  participant guide and DVD months ago–praying God would help me find the time to do it.  I even started the DVD and participant guide by myself shortly after I bought it, but it proved too difficult to stick with it on my own.  It’s was heartbreaking, because I craved time with God.  My soul was so hungry! 

My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.  ~ Psalm 84:2

I read through the blog entries posted in preparation for the study, and I felt a deep longing in my heart to be a part of this movement.  And it is a movement.  The words and encouragement shared by the P31 team really resonated in my heart.  So I signed up and ordered my book from Amazon–heck yes, with free two-day shipping!  I couldn’t wait to get started.  

Four days later, my new BFF at Amazon had been unable to get a copy of the book to me — three attempts.  Nada.  I wanted to cry.  I prayed.  God, if you want me to do this, please make UPS bring me my book!  I threw on my tennis shoes and told my oldest darling that we needed to go for a walk.  Mama had frustration to vent!  People, I opened the door, and three packages were sitting on my doorstep.  There was no UPS truck.  No doorbell.  I had JUST been outside a few minutes before, and there was nothing there.  

I picked up the books and just stared.  Then I thought, God, you are so smart.  Of course!  What had been missing when I tried this before?  Community.  Yes, I would have my sweet new friends at P31, but God knew I needed support in the flesh.  Immediately, I thought of two friends who I knew would be excited to share in this online Bible study experience with me.  Friends who shared my struggle with food and craved time with God.  And I had two books to give them.

Every day, P31 has delivered a scrumptious morsel to my inbox in the form of encouragement and insight.  So why do you care?  Why am I writing about this?  Because, my sweet sisters…we all struggle with feeling empowered.  We all struggle with some kind of craving that provides absolutely  no spiritual, emotional or physical benefit.

We live in a broken world that is full of earthly temptations and evils that exist solely to separate us from God.  When we feel stressed and oppressed, where do we turn?  Sure, we pray.  But do you throw yourself at God’s feet?  Do your heart and flesh cry out for the living God?

When I’m feeling stressed, oppressed or depressed–pretty much any of the -ressed–I look forward to this:

Do you see that, friends?  My wine glass is personalized.  Yep, it sure is.

I don’t want to crave food and wine anymore.  Well, maybe chocolate…good chocolate–the dark kind, Lord.  It’s supposed to be good for you.  Okay, fine.  I don’t want to crave chocolate.  I don’t want to crave anything that keeps my soul from yearning, even fainting, for the courts of the Lord.  

I want to crave God and God alone.  I crave food and wine, but your craving could be something else entirely.  Success.  Exercise.  A bigger office.  Whatever is keeping you from being hungry for God…that’s what has to go.  We can do this.

Empowered.  I have the authority and power to make this change.  Will you pray with me?  Let’s ask God to help us reprogram our hearts and minds to overcome anything that keeps us from craving Him with a hunger like we have never experienced.  

Empowered to make a change.  Empowered to overcome.  Empowered to crave God and only God.