II Timothy 1:7 - "Burn The Ships"

During the night I prayed multiple times for pastors. It seems like most Saturday nights the Lord directs my prayers for pastors to preach the Word He has given them. Last night He also had me pray for pastors to preach as He "directed and not in their own way." That one made me stop and think. When I am preparing a sermon, do I ask God what He desires to be said? Do I ask Him how He wants it delivered? I know I always pray for His direction and desire but I'm not sure that I ever thought about how He wants it delivered. When I was in my Preaching classes, the professors told me how they wanted sermons prepared and delivered. There were a couple times I struggled with that. Doc reminded me I was preaching for a grade but I still struggled. One time when I was struggling because I felt God wanted something a little different the Holy Spirit directed me to embellish on an area of the sermon. He took care of keeping me in the time frame the professor desired and got His point across. Even though it was not in the sermon manuscript the professor did not count it against me. Once again, God took care of every aspect of the situation. I often wonder what would have happened if I would have said 'no' to Him but thankful I was obedient. As I prayed during the night, I asked God if the sermon I had prepared was what He wanted of me. I told Him if it was not, to please give me a new one this morning. I sit here and pray some more over it. His reply is, "Yes, Daughter. There is a message in it that needs heard by many of My children." Alrighty then! I'm grateful for this answer. There have been times in the past when He changed what I was to preach at the last minute but I'm grateful this is not one of them. I love being in relationship with Him where I not only hear His voice but I walk in obedience to it. I love being faithful to the call He has on my life. I love He is using me to make a difference in people's lives. Plain and simple. I love Him! Throughout the night every time I was awake to pray He had the song King & Country sings Burn The Ships going through my mind.

Step into a new day
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon the heartache, yeah
So light a match
Leave the past
Burn the ships 

And don't ya look back

This song was written during a tough time in one of the brothers life when his wife became dependent on prescription drugs. It got to the point where she knew she needed to take a drastic step in the ordeal so she flushed all of the pills down the toilet. He wrote:

One day I went home and she said, “Luke, I’ve got to symbolize something, I’ve got to flush these pills down the toilet. I’m done. I’m done with the guilt and the shame. I’ve got to move into a new way. A new life.”  When she was flushing those pills, the analogy of burning the ships came to me: the story of the sailors not wanting to explore the new world, wanting the comforts of their boats. Their leader calls them out and says, “We’ve got to burn the ships. This is a new world.” 

I realized this morning the reason God gave me this song was to remind me there are things we all hold onto for comfort that need gone. We need to trust God with every aspect of our life so He can work in and through us as He desires. It takes repenting of anything that is between Him and us so He can cleanse us. Then it takes asking the Holy Spirit to take over. I stand upon II Timothy 1:7 every day in His love and empowerment. One of the 'perks' of living such a life is that I do not have to fear anything. No decision I make; no wondering what I am to do, where I am to go, what I am to say; no fear of the future; etc. is part of my life. Praise His Holy Name! What a blessed life I live in His peace!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for my time during the night of praying for pastors! I pray You will be with my pastor/husband Doc as he continues this journey with the cancer in his pancreas. I pray for a supernatural healing for him so he will continue life on this earth. Father, I know that may be selfish of me and I don't want anything but Your will. I pray Your will is for him to receive life in abundance from You. Thank You for the safe travel for Tim and Amy! Lord, I also pray for: my friend Pastor David as he has time with his children; Pastors Thomas and Audrey as they are installed at the Grace Church of the Nazarene this morning; all pastors to preach what God desires in the manner He desires; myself as I bring the message this morning; the pastors on the District board that were away for the interviews this weekend; Pastor Sam as he leads our District; pastors who are in transition, some with a new church and others waiting for You to direct them; my friend Pastor Michael and other pastors who are regathering this morning for the first time since the coronavirus hit; pastors who continue with on-line services only; and pastors who are feeling down to remember they are loved. Thank You again for the opportunity to love people through You, especially fellow pastors! Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You shine brightly through me today. May Your love ooze out of me in a new, different way. Thank You Jesus for being My New Day! Amen.