Revolution YOU.

Living Life with Purpose and Passion Every Day!

Trusting God in the Transitions

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Wednesday! Sorry for the inconsistency in blog posting recently—James and I have been going through a stressful couple of weeks, BUT I can now announce that we will be moving to Dallas, TX at the end of the month! It’s a little scary for me—I’ve never even been there before—but I know God will be protecting us, and everything will work out just fine:) I’m excited to begin a new chapter in our lives, and embark on a new adventure!
Like I said, I’ve been a little nervous about the move, but the closer it gets the easier it seems for some reason. Consequently, I’ve been reading the book of Daniel lately, which has definitely helped me through this time of transition. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the story of Daniel, but if not, I’ll give you a few details. First, Daniel was living in captivity in a strange and foreign land (Babylon). He was not familiar with his surroundings, but he and his friends relied on God to keep them safe. Daniel trusted God, even when it wasn’t easy. For example, when a decree was issued that no one would be allowed to pray to anyone but the King, Daniel refused to obey. Even though the penalty was death by the lion’s den, Daniel refused to pray to anyone but the one true God. Because of his disobedience to the king, he was thrown into the lion’s den. But, God protected Daniel by closing the mouths of the lions, and he remained unharmed until the King pulled him out of the den the following morning.
Daniel lived a life outside of his home country—his comfort zone—and he was always faithful to God. Now, I’m not going to be living in captivity like Daniel was, but at the same time I felt a connection with his story as I read. Like Daniel, I need to be faithful to God no matter where I may be physically—even if it’s a little out of my comfort zone. I need to trust that God knows what’s best, and that he has a greater purpose for my life and transitions than I could ever fathom. So, with that being said, I’m choosing to trust that God will provide for us down in Dallas, just as he has been for years in the Midwest. I am going to trust that he has us going there for a reason, and everything will work out according to his perfect plan as long as I trust him.
What about you? Is there anything that you need to trust God with in your life? Any big changes or transitions that may seem scary? Trust that He will guide you and protect you, just as he did for Daniel, way back in the Old Testament.
Hope you all are having a great week so far! God Bless:) 

Refuge from the Storm

By: Sarah Leffcomment

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the Earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea, although its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”                                                                  Psalms 46:1-3
God is bigger than our problems. He is bigger than any natural disaster that could befall the Earth, and he is bigger than any thing we may face in our daily lives. Nothing is too big, challenging or frightening for God. And it doesn’t have to be for us either.
It seems like our world is out of control sometimes. Natural disasters rage. Wars begin. People fight. Persecute. Hate. But, when things seem out of control, remember that God is ALWAYS in control-no matter what. He is our refuge and strength no matter what the situation or circumstance may be. Big or small-we can always find refuge in him. We don’t have to be afraid of our problems. When we find strength and refuge in the Lord, nothing is too big or too challenging for us. And the best part—his refuge is not just temporary, it’s eternal.
We can find everlasting peace and rest from the storms of life in His eternal refuge.
 
We don’t have to fear the darkness, because He has already overcome it. All we have to do is choose to seek him, find our strength and take refuge in him. He will do the rest. 

 

Too Comfortable?

By: Sarah Leffcomment

So. I’ve made it to Job so far in my ‘read through the Bible in a year plan’ …joy! Well, Job isn’t the most joyful book, but it is definitely eye opening none the less. Anyways, back up a few weeks and to the book of Nehemiah. Honestly, I’m not sure if I had ever really read Nehemiah before. I guess it just kind of slipped between the cracks. Or something like that. Well, I am glad I finally read it, because it was very interesting and insightful. Essentially, the book is written from Nehemiah’s perspective, and deals with the Israelite’s third return to Jerusalem (after captivity) and the rebuilding of the city walls, along with the restoration of their faith.
One verse that stuck out to me was this…
“Even when they (the Israelites) were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them, in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.”  Nehemiah 9:35
Let me back up and explain. The Israelites were guilty of adhering to what I like to call a “cycle of faith”. They would turn away from God for a season, become desperate and turn back to Him, only to turn away from Him yet again. And this cycle was not only present in Nehemiah—this was an age-old problem for the Israelites, even dating back to their time in the desert with Moses. Essentially, as this verse points out, God would bless the Israelites, and they would immediately begin to turn away from him yet again. His blessings made them feel independent and self sufficient instead of grateful for the things God had given them. They felt that these blessings came as a direct result of their “own” success (not from God) which eventually caused them to turn away from Him, thinking that they didn’t need Him and could do things just fine on their own. Hmmm…
When we receive blessings in our daily lives what is our reaction? Are we grateful for what God has blessed us with, or do we begin to feel prideful—thinking, like the Israelites, that the blessing actually came from our own success? I’d like to think that I am always grateful. I think for the most part I am—or at least at first. Until I start to get comfortable. But you see this is where the problem begins—the point where you start to get too comfortable in your blessing, is when you begin to forget that it actually came from God to begin with. When we get too comfortable, we start to think that the goodness we are experiencing is actually coming from our own success. That God had nothing to do with it. Bringing us right in to that lovely “cycle of faith” that the Israelites constantly fell in to. Cry out to God when we need Him, start to forget about Him when we are blessed, only to fall again and cry out, be blessed…you see where I’m going with this I think. Let’s not fall into that trap. Make a point of thanking God everyday for the blessings He has given you. Remember that nothing is possible without him, but everything is possible with his help. We’re human. We aren’t capable of doing things on our own. When you are successful, it’s not because you did something fantastic—it’s because God allowed you, helped you, pushed you and encouraged you to do it. I’m as guilty of this misconception as anyone. My goal is to be more mindful of the blessings God places in my life, and more humble in the face of success. How about you?
Lord, help me to recognize your blessings, and always be grateful for them. I’m sorry for getting too comfortable and thinking I am the cause of said blessings. Thank you for every blessing I have received today, and every day. Amen.

The 5 D’s

By: Sarah Leffcomment

This is the beginning of my journey through the Bible in 1 year. Day one of reading, life application and journaling completeJ Today I read Genesis 1-3, which is all about creation and the fall of man. Obviously I have heard this story many times, but God has a way of giving new revelation to old scripture, even when you’ve heard it 1,000 times.
In my NIV Bible, there are footnotes, as well as extra little tidbits of information about different people and places. One thing I found interesting in this portion of scripture was the little tidbit about Satan’s plan, and how he attempts to carry it out in our lives. According to the notes in my NIV Bible, there are five different ways he does this.
Doubt. Makes you question God’s Word and His goodness.
Discouragement. Makes you look at your problems rather than at God.
Diversion. Makes the wrong things seem attractive so that you will want them more than the right things.
Defeat. Makes you feel like a failure so you don’t even try.
Delay. Makes you put off doing something so that it never gets done.
Now, the first time I read through this I just kind of skimmed it and didn’t really think much of it. But, on the second time through it hit me. These words describe my life to date. For so long I have known that God wants me to write, that He has a special call in my life, and a specific plan for me. But you know what? I’ve been living under those 5 D’s instead. Satan has made me feel all of those things, especially recently, and I have just gone along with it!
When I finally cam to terms with this fact, I started to feel kind of angry and frustrated at myself. How could I have fallen into Satan’s trap so easily? I realized that I really needed to make a serious life change here. I’m not about to live my life under those 5 D’s. Nope. It’s time to be done with that. No more excuses. All of a sudden I felt this crazy motivation out of frustration with the way I have been living and acting. If I give up on the dreams and passions God has placed in my heat, then I am letting Satan win. If I doubt, or give into discouragement, diversion, defeat or delay, then I am giving up on the one true hope and future in my life.
I’m not saying that it’s going to be a walk in the park from here on out. Temptation to give into the 5 D’s is a daily struggle. But, I think that if it were easy all the time, and we never had any setbacks or struggles, those dreams God places in our hearts wouldn’t be worth fighting for, and ultimately wouldn’t be worth doing. God never promised us that it would be easy, but He did promise to always be with us, and help us along the way whenever we need it.
Whatever it is that you are struggling with, give it to God. Whatever God has placed on your heart to do—do it. Don’t put it off. If God is speaking to you about something, don’t doubt His voice. Don’t let yourself become diverted or delayed in following His plan. Do what He is speaking to your heart—no matter how crazy it may seem, or how often people tell you that you can’t do it. What do they know about it anyways? Your calling is between you and God—don’t become distracted by what others around you may be telling you—they don’t know the full story. Do what God is placing on your heart.
Don’t become discouraged if everything doesn’t always go according to plan. And when discouraging things do happen, because they will—we live in a fallen world, and Satan will do anything to prevent you from reaching your full potential—don’t doubt God’s goodness or His plan for your life. After all, He’s the one in ultimate control, not Satan, and He will never give us more than we can handle. Remember, the testing of our faith develops perseverance, and perseverance, when all is said and done, enables us to be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:4). And whatever you do, don’t fall into defeat. If you feel defeated, as I have felt lately, remember that no matter what happens God will always win in the end. Admitting defeat causes us to feel like failures, and God doesn’t want us to feel like failures. He wants us to be successful and whole in Him. Failures don’t keep trying, which is exactly what Satan wants, because if we don’t try then we won’t get anywhere.
 This is exactly how I have been feeling lately with my writing. I don’t know what to write about. I don’t have a plan. It’s too hard. I don’t feel creative. I can’t focus. No motivation. GAH! Those are all excuses associated with a failure mentality. I am choosing to snap out of this mentality, and choose success. I am done admitting defeat and letting Satan win. No more! I am a strong, successful, and passionate follower of God, and I choose to follow His plan for my life. I will not choose defeat, but will choose to do whatever God is speaking to my heart. I will not delay any longer, but will start doing, and start living how He wants. I will be FOCUSED on God’s calling in my life, and will not longer be distracted by the good and exciting things that others are doing for His Kingdom. Their call is not my call, and I will not be distracted by comparing myself to others any longer. My calling is not less important than theirs. We all have a part to play in furthering the kingdom of God here on Earth. If I am always trying to be someone else, then who will be me? Exactly. God has put me here for a reason, and it’s my job to live out that reason—that calling.
I will not doubt or become discouraged. I choose to be encouraged, and keep a positive attitude. I choose life through Christ, and I will not doubt God’s goodness in my life any longer, because living in doubt is not really living at all.  It’s time for me to realize what I’ve been missing. It’s time to live a life full of purpose and passion, positive attitude and proactivity. I’m ready, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. How about you? Are you ready to let go of those things that are holding you back from reaching your full potential? I am.

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