So, everyone knows that teachers are way overpaid and extremely rich, right? (Insert sarcasm) But, seriously folks, if I had a dime for every time someone asked me why I am a teacher instead of an attorney (because I have a law degree and passed the bar and practiced law for a short time), I would be stupid rich! Nevertheless, I have come to realize that it is not how much money you make; it is what you do with all that God gifts you, your time, talents and treasure that really matters.
No disrespect to the profession of law; I have several friends who practice law very successfully. Being an attorney did not fit with my personality. I had to decide if I would stay in a profession that was literally making me ill, or if I would pursue a different path. I chose my current day job because of the opportunity to enrich the lives of younger generations and because of all of the days of vacation. It was never about the paycheck. It was about finding something fulfilling that allowed me the time I needed to pursue my other dreams and passion in life. With my passions and dreams firmly in sight, I taught for the first couple of years, and then, I bought a house. In order to pay for my house, I had to work more hours. That meant I had less time for dream chasing because I had to work, which left me exhausted. But, last year, I made a conscious choice to put the extra, “time robbing” pursuits aside and focus on my faith, my family, and my future. Letting go of the extra jobs meant letting go of the extra income, and at first, it was a struggle. It had been a long time since I had too much month at the end of my money, and I was not really sure how to handle it. One thing was for sure, I was confident that my actions were God-led, so I knew He would take care of me. I didn’t know how, but I knew He would. In this season, I learned about God Math. God Math is when you make less money, have more bills, continue to give your tithes and offerings and end up with a surplus. It makes no sense, but, then again, when does anything supernatural make sense? I stopped balancing my checkbook a long time ago because it was depressing. I do live on a budget, though, and at the top of the budget, is giving my first fruits to God. I am not saying that I didn’t tighten my purse strings when I got a pay cut because I do have common sense. What I am saying is that if you put all of the numbers in a calculator, they would drive any accountant crazy! That is how God works. When your relationship with Him and your pursuits for His dreams for your life become your focus, He will make miracles happen. I used to hear the church folks say, “He’ll make a way out of now way,” and I didn’t really understand what that meant. Now, I do; it’s God Math! I made straight A’s in mathematics and I don’t understand it, but you don’t have to understand; you have to trust! Ms. EV
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This past Sunday, during the opening of worship, we sang the “More than Enough” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The words are:
Jehovah Jireh, my Provider You are more than enough for me Jehovah Rapha, you’re my Healer By Your stripes, I’ve been set free Jehovah Shammah, You are with me You supply all my needs You’re more than enough More than enough More than enough for me As the song continued, I began to envision that I was all alone singing for an audience of One. I felt as though I was sitting at the feet of Jesus singing this song of praise to Him. But, as I continued to sing, I felt a stir in my spirit asking me if I truly believed what I was singing. Do I really consider God, my Savior, to be more than enough? If He never did anything else for me, would I still lift my hands in praise or would I hang my head in defeat? I think that all of us would love to shout “Yes! Lord, no matter what happens to me, You have already done more than enough!” And, that is true. I fully understand that God does not owe me anything. He has already poured so much grace and mercy over my life that I did not deserve. Yet, there are still times when I want more. Can we sing or say that God is more than enough and continue to ask Him for more and more? If we ask God to bless us, does it mean that we do not believe that He is our everything? I don’t believe that taking your concerns, your thoughts, your dreams, and your prayers to God means that you devalue everything else that God has done. It does not mean that salvation was not enough. Jesus said, in John 10:10, that He has come to give us life more abundantly. That kind of life means that whether we have plenty or whether the world would consider us to be poor, God still reigns on the throne in our hearts. We contradict ourselves when we say that God is more than enough, but then, we try to do His job for Him. We are not being true to God when we say that He is more than enough, but we hang our heads in defeat at every time we get a bid of bad news. This earth is not our home, so we will always have a longing for something greater. There is no need to be ashamed of that. But, we must never be ashamed of our God. We must never think that there is any challenge to great for God. ‘More than enough’ does not meant we should never ask God for anything because that directly contradicts His Word. ‘More than enough’ is the character of God. When we do make our requests known to Him, He not only answers them, but He answers them in the best way for us. He gives us more than we asked for, even when He says, “No” or “Wait” because the denial or the delay always leads to something greater than we imagine. So, if you are thinking that you cannot sing, “You’re more than enough for me,” because you are still asking God to bless and keep you, don’t let the devil convince you of that lie. Hold your head up and shout it from the rooftops! My God is more than enough! My God is more than able! My God has already given me His best and will continue to do so! And, don’t just sing or shout it, mean it and believe it. Ms. EV Even though growing up, all I ever dreamed of was becoming an attorney, I very quickly realized that it was not the career for me. Because my life had been so geared toward that goal, it was then that I really had to start listening to God’s promptings. And, I was not always great at listening. Nonetheless, when you are faced with the fact that you no longer have the one consistent desire that you have had for most of your life, the best and safest place to turn is to God. So, I prayed. Lord, show me the right career. Lord, give me the financial stability and freedom that I need. Lord, bless me with a family of my own.
Each and everyday, I would pray to God for what I wanted. There is nothing wrong with asking God for your desires. He encourages us to ask, to seek, and to knock. I truly believe that my current career is where God wants me to be. However, the road is not always easy. Every year, as with almost every other industry, the game is changed. There are more and different demands, sometimes with less incentive and one really has to examine the true motivation behind the work. Last year, in the midst of anger, I made a decision to give up a source of income. Before I notified my superiors of my decision, I prayed and sought after God because I have learned not to make rash decisions out of anger and not to make any decision before I pray about it. Though I made the decision, it took two months of praying and listening before I announced the decision. And, I feel that I listened and it was the right thing to do. Still, the enemy wants to cause confusion and second guessing. As I said, this particular venture was a source of income; not a significant amount of income, but something extra. I realized that the time I was spending on this job could be spent pursuing the passions that God has placed in me, which would lead to a more joyful and peaceful existence created by a blissful balance of work and play. I started to record music, continued to write, and took on some catering and coordinating jobs, which are all things that I love to do. But, the things that I love to do aren’t replacing the little extra that I was making. I thought that there would be another opportunity that would not take up much time, but provide me with extra income; however that does not seem to be a possibility anymore. So, the devil wants me to start questioning whether or not I made the right decision. And, I give him credit because he is good at his job. He knows to throw in, “Now, you’re not just a lonely spinster, but you’re going to lose what little luxury you could afford. The only thing that made being alone bearable was that you could afford to treat yourself.” I will admit that I was letting him win. Then, I went and grabbed some of my notes that I keep around the house when I need inspiration. The first two things I read didn’t seem to speak to the current issue, but then I saw a quote that I copied from my dad’s “Courageous” calendar. It said, “I used to ask God for all kinds of things; now, I just ask for God and He takes care of all things.” The beauty of being His child is that I know He will provide. I do not need to seek the provision; I only need to seek the face of the Provider. I know I listened. Even though, I thought I was making a decision because of hurt feelings, when it came down to it, I believe that God allowed things to become uncomfortable, so that I would free myself up to be used by Him. I know that God is faithful and He knows my every need and He has NEVER failed me. So, I choose to ask for more of Him, to seek Him, and to knock at His door, knowing He will take care of ALL things! Ms. EV God is still speaking to me this week. Today, His provision was through Scripture, support, and a supplement. The Scripture is Romans 4:3-5 (MSG):
“What we read in Scripture is, “Abraham entered into what God was doing for him, and that was the turning point. He trusted God to set him right instead of trying to be right on his own.4-5 If you’re a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don’t call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it’s something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.” “Trusting Him to do it is what sets you right with God…,” those words stood out to me as if God was whispering in my ear, “You cannot do this on Your own, just trust me.” Within hours of this revelation, several prayers were answered. They were answered in such rapid succession that I was overwhelmed. I was just trying to take in all that God was doing in a matter of moments. I was getting answers to prayers that I have been praying for months. I was overrun with God’s wisdom and so thankful. I am a huge believer in “be still and know that I am God,” but that doesn’t make it easy to wait for answers. But we don’t show our faith by jumping up and trying to make things happen for ourselves. We show our faith when we wait for God to work it out because we know that the job is too big for us. That is what sets us right with God. Upon receiving the support and supplement, I was tempted to move forward in my own direction. I was tempted to take the easy path, but that was a path that I had control over. So, I prayed for wisdom to do what was right with God’s blessing. And, for the first time in a long time, I received an immediate answer and I obeyed. I took the step of faith that I believe God was asking me to take and I am trusting that He will lead me in the right direction. I would be more specific, but, honestly, I don’t feel led to give the specifics right now. Just know that God hears you. He knows what you desire and what you need. And, when you trust Him to do the things that you know you cannot do and obey His Word and His promptings, He will provide. If you are ever wondering if God is talking to you, take a moment to reflect on messages that you have received on a particular subject. For example, about a week and a half ago I had a conversation with one of my uncle’s about God’s amazing provision. Last week, I was informed about a possible bonus at work. Yesterday, a friend texted me about my music ministry’s movement and I replied that nothing was really happening. Within minutes, I was composing a new song. Today, I received a payment from my day job that I was supposed to get a while back, but that I need right now. This morning, one of the devotions I read was about God’s provision. Another was about being content with what we have. This afternoon, I saw a post of Facebook about getting support from those around you.
Each of these instances had to do with provision in one form or another. As I reflected on them, I could hear God’s message loud and clear saying, “I am your Provider. I am your Source. I know exactly what you need and when you need it. As long as you have trusted Me, you have never been alone or lacking anything. In fact, you have had more than have needed, even when it seemed impossible. While you may not have those things that you desire at this time, I know the perfect time. I know the perfect people to use to help you. Keep trusting Me. I have your best interests in mind and I have a plan that will blow your mind.” Provision is not always about money. Sometimes it is; however, other times provision can come in the form of comforting communication from God through others. It can come in the form of a friend who gives you a God-prompted push. It can come in the form of eating for months and suddenly realizing that you haven’t bought any groceries in months. It can come in many forms, but its Source is always the same, Jehovah Jireh; God, my Provider. He will not share the glory with anyone, which means He will not let just anyone help you in your times of need because you may be tempted to give that person or profession glory, or, because that person may take the glory for himself or herself. God’s way is perfect, not easy, but perfect. He has promised to give you exactly what you need. And, I have learned that He knows my every need and He can and will provide it when I jeep Him first in my life. Ms. EV |
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