There are a few points I’d like to address, the first being: why would you listen to the lies that our minds and our adversary feed to us? Lies like “I’m not usable” or “I’m not smart enough” start this train of thought. Those lies are made to stop us and cheat us out of the ministry that God has planned for us there. We have to get beyond ourselves and in a way “just do it”. God has made us for such a time as this and equipped us to be able to speak into situations even without realizing it. You can be effective and make a difference in someone else’s life, and even without consciously doing it for your benefit you are benefiting yourself. You are becoming more involved and making your life available as a way for God to flow through you — which brings me to my second point: How is God going to flow through you and to speak to others if you never open your mouth?

For a long time I thought I had to be directly inspired and have every word planned out, all the while feeling this tingling sensation creep up and down my spine to say something anointed and effective. I really like how one of my friends put it; he said that “we start with a simple truth to get going and then God can anoint us and direct us from there.” We have to open our mouths in order for God to speak through us. He won’t force us to open our mouths, so we must put forth that effort. By not following this simple advice, I’ve cheated myself out of many times where I would be able to say “a word fitly spoken” (Proverbs 25:11) which could have helped someone I knew through a hard time, or even spoken truth about a topic or a standard, revealing to others and solidifying in me the convictions that I hold onto. You see, when we speak and let God flow through us it is not only beneficial to the person that we speak to, but also to ourselves as it makes us more sure of what we believe on that topic.

So when God gives you something to speak, speak it. It’s a simple and effective truth. As I continue to learn to allow God to speak through me, I pray you will do the same.

“You want me to do . . . what?” I can imagine that reaction flowing out of young Esther’s mouth when her older cousin told her what he wanted her to do. I can imagine her face, maybe mixed with a little horror as her cousin explained to her not to make known her kindred, and maybe mixed with a little fear as she realized the giant leap she was about to take. However, she respected Mordecai. He was her elder; he brought her up when her parents died; he had never failed her . . . so she leaped without complaint. She did not yet know how respecting that elder put into action a plan that God was ordaining already. Something as simple and ordinary as obedience made a change in this world. God had her save her people. All she did was take a leap of faith that day and she changed history.

When I look at the story of Esther, I can’t help but notice her character, the way she reacts to situations, and most importantly, how evidently God was orchestrating her life. One statement that sticks out to me most prominently in this book is “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” It is evident through her life that it was true! I can’t tell of how many times that thought has come back to me as I trudge through the day: who knows whether that day I was called to be something, to put into action a plan that God has already set in my life? That day was probably the same old, same old for Esther. All she did was go through another day, doing everything exactly the way she would have normally. Except, maybe instead of Mordecai asking her to go get a pitcher of water, he asked her to go to the king. They both took a leap of faith that day, but because of their faith and her obedience, it turned into something greater.

The people of God should have that same faith, and take the leaps that God might show them to take. We have to have that same kind of trust that Esther had in Mordecai, in God. Every day is preparing us for something much greater than we can even grasp. Maybe you are going through school, you have to teach another Sunday school lesson, or maybe you are going into work feeling as if you’re not accomplishing anything. It may feel like nothing is changing. You are just doing the “same old, same old” day to day. But by doing our routine, by grasping the simple character builders God is placing in our lives, will lead to that one day when it may seem “normal”, but in fact, it will be a foundation in our life to take that leap. Who knows whether that day we are called into the kingdom for such a time as this. Keep doing what you are doing, obeying God, the little things, and God will be able accomplish His plan in your life because you obeyed Him.

Sound familiar? What would happen if Monday mornings weren’t like that? What if we treated every morning as what it is: a gift from God? What do you expect every day when you get up, when you go to work or school, and when you interact with those around you? Do you expect great things, or do you expect the ordinary and mediocre? Do you have faith that even if the day is horrible, God is still good and in control?

The story of Ruth is too often overlooked as carnal or unimportant. But if we take a closer look at Ruth’s life, we see that Ruth was not an average woman. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, was an Israelite widow. Her sons had taken Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth, but ten years later these women were widowed as well. Naomi began the journey to her home country with Orpah and Ruth, but she reasoned with her daughters-in-law to return to the houses of their mothers and find husbands again. Orpah was convinced to return home, but the Bible says Ruth “clave unto [Naomi].”

“And she said, Behold, they sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”  – Ruth 1:15-16

The remaining chapters of Ruth show that she was obedient to all of Naomi’s instructions. She went out and worked to provide for Naomi and herself. It would have been easy for Ruth just to go home to her house where she would have been treated well, but she stayed with Naomi. Even in the midst of adversity, Ruth expected great things of the Lord. She had no reason to stay with Naomi after the death of her husband. She had no reason to go to a new land where she would not be honored as a foreigner. Ruth didn’t have much; she could have whined and complained about the responsibility. But she expected great things of God. She continued to press through, to work diligently, and to remain obedient and respectful to Naomi. Webster’s dictionary defines expectant as: “being marked with expectation.” All who saw her knew that she was a “virtuous woman.” Ruth did more than just act the part. She was identified as a virtuous woman.

“And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,”  – Romans 8:28

Sometimes it is hard to remain optimistic in hard times, or to stand up for yourself when people question your faith. But if you pray for faith, God will not only give you faith, but also the opportunity to exercise it. One way to do that is to expect great things of God. That doesn’t mean that everything will happen the way we think it should; Ruth must have been devastated when she lost her husband, but God had a greater plan. Later in the book, she marries a man named Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi’s family, and eventually carries the line of David and Jesus. If she hadn’t trusted in God, she wouldn’t have married Boaz or been the great-grandmother of King David. If you think about your life, do you waste your energy worrying about things you can’t control, or do you use that effort believing that God can pull through?

God is ready to do great things in all of our lives. Do you believe and expect that He will?