SNEAK PEAK: Chapter One - Created for More than an Ordinary Life!
EVERY TIME I PACK UP MY SUITCASE, HIT THE ROAD, AND FORGET ABOUT schedules and the “busy life,” God takes the wheel to show me the wonders of His world in new and profound ways. This time I was headed to the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Wow, were they magnificent! No matter where I turned, there they were—so beautiful and full of power. A reminder of true strength. It was like the mountains were never ending as they soared up to kiss the heavens.
As I stared at the grace and strength before me, I knew my God was more than anything this world could offer. It was here that I realized God created me for more than an ordinary life. I cannot stop until I share this truth with you.
That day, God gave me a new approach to how I should live my life. He reminded me that my sole purpose is not really my purpose, but His purpose. He is the reason I get out of bed in the morning. He is the reason I take the risks. He is the reason I must go where I don’t really want to go. For God alone is my Father, my Saviour, my Refuge,and the King of my heart. He is how I embrace my true inner beauty to acquire all He has to offer me.
Have you ever felt so dirty and broken that you don’t believe you deserve to be called beautiful? Does this world ever make you feel so unworthy? Do you ever feel so lonely that you can’t find the strength to carry on? Or maybe you’re already a Christian, but you’re tired of just drifting through life. I’m guilty of all these feelings, but we don’t have to live like this. God created us for so much more. You and I have the chance to bring this world back to how God first intended it to be—a chance to worship God as if it were natural and free, a chance to love others first rather than ourselves, and a chance to forgive, because that is what Christ did for us.
This is your time to truly know and believe that we are made beautiful and whole in His sight. This only inspires me to keep on living. Ephesians 1:11 says:
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ … he had his eye on us, had designs on us for a glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.” Does this inspire you as much as it inspires me? You are created for so much more than an ordinary life.
No matter where you are today, no matter how you feel today, I encourage you to open up your mind and heart to the truth that God loves you. I hope and pray you start seeing yourself the way God sees you. This is not an easy, overnight, one-time decision. It’s going to take surrender, obedience, and faith. This is also going to mean taking the time to build your relationship with God. Don’t put the book down; as you keep reading, I’ll share with you how you can move into completeness in Christ. Hold on to your seats, girls … you are in for the best ride of your life.
It’s God’s evident plan from the beginning of time to make our purpose His purpose. When we forget about ourselves and focus on the One who is the source of all life, living this crazy, messed up,dark, unpredictable life starts to make sense, and we begin to realize why we are truly meant to be here. God sees your pain. He sees your sleepless nights. He sees when people laugh and judge you. He sees you sitting in the back of the classroom, wishing the anxieties and depressive thoughts would leave your mind. He sees you when you look in the mirror and dislike what you see. He knows you more than anyone ever will. He is here, and He calls you to His glorious purpose.
This is the secret to living.
I’m just an imperfect girl who loves a perfect God. I was just a scared and worried girl who became fearless in Christ. I was the girl who was empty and broken, but I found my worth and identity in my Lord and Saviour. I hope you’ll start this journey with me, for when you find this truth and grace, you’ll never want to stop living it out.
He is waiting for you. He is longing for you. He has chosen you. He adores you. I hope you’re feeling the sweet joy deep in your soul. I hope you feel a sensation unlike anything this world can offer you. Yes, you will still have your bad days. Yes, you will still feel pain, but with God, you will become unshakable.
God holds the whole universe in His hands. He formed you in your mother’s womb. He knew all your days before they even came to be. This is how big our Father and King is, and how much He adores and loves us. Throughout this book, I hope you start to realize the glorious grace and love God unleashes to us all.
You Are Golden As women, it can be hard to believe and understand that God created us for more than anything this world offers us. It can be hard to get past all the lies of the world. Here are some lies that get in the way of the knowledge that we are created for more than an ordinary life.
Lie: Physical beauty matters more than inner beauty. Truth: God tells us through His Word that inner beauty is far more important than outer beauty. Beauty lies within us: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly [our outer beauty] we are wasting away, yet inwardly [our inner beauty] we are being renewed day by day,” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Lie: Life is all about me. I can live it any way I want. Truth: Sure, you can do what you want, but that means you’re missing out on a life that’s all about God and His purpose for your life.
Lie: I’m not worth anything. Truth: Your value and worth are found in the way God views you, not in the world’s definition of beauty. We are worth more than gold.
Lie: God’s way cannot be my way. Truth: God’s ways are always best. God’s ways are always good. God holds you in the palm of His hand. Surrender to Him, and you will start to see His desires becoming yours.
Lie: I can’t change how messed up my life is right now. Truth: God can change you from the inside out.
God wants us to be women after His own heart. Dear sisters, you are worth so much more than settling for what this world calls beautiful. You deserve to know that you are adorned by the King, the Creator of the universe, the One who knew you before you were born. You are His daughter and forever cherished by Him. It’s time for you to believe that you are more precious than gold. Proverbs 31is a description of this:
Who can find a virtuous and capable woman? She is more precious than rubies [gold] … She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life … She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household … She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night … She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy … She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. (Proverbs 31:10, 12, 15, 17–18, 20, 25–26)
It is time to celebrate!
Do you want to discover the amazing grace that never ends? Through this journey, I will also share with you my own personal experiences and stories about how God has helped me embrace my inner beauty. I’m still a work in process, but I’m so grateful for where God has brought me. I hope I can inspire you today to start moving into greater completion in Christ. Psalm 46:5 says: “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.”
Before you read on, I must ask you to do something that is very important. Can you let go and let God take you into the unknown? Can you leave this world behind and run into the arms of Jesus? Being open to whatever the Lord may say or wherever He may take you is the best way to live. Embracing your inner beauty is all about the unknown. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a woman who trusts God, even when I don’t yet understand or know what is ahead.
Remember, God will go before you, and you will never be alone: “Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame,” (Psalm 34:5); “He has made everything beautiful in its time,” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a).
Do you know how precious you are? Do you realize what a gift you are to people around you? Do you know there is more to life than the world’s definition of beauty? Let God change you from the inside out.
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YOU ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD is now for sale! Come out Friday, May 26 at Woodstock Corps for a party and worship service launch party - doors open at 6pm! OR come to William St. Cafe in Chatham Saturday, May 27 from 1-4pm - open house!
YOU ARE MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD is now sold on Indigo:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/you-are-more-precious-than/9781486614042-item.html?ikwid=you+are+more+precious+than+gold&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0
Know you are LOVED <3