Friday in Focus ~ The Gift Within

By Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales 
 

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you ... 
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:6-7

What's that thing deep inside of you that you've put on a shelf because you don't have the time, money, or ability to pursue it? Or maybe you know you've got a talent, but you've shelved it because you don't believe you're good enough for it to matter.

Don't let your gifts lay dormant. God has given them to you for a purpose. Stir them up.

I recently read an interesting post by Seth Godin. Basically, he states it isn't the why or the how that trips us up from doing something we know we're supposed to do. It's the what. It's the fear that we don't know enough, aren't trained enough, don't have the perfect audience yet, don't have the finances yet, and any other fear-based excuse we can come up with that keeps us from stepping out in faith and allowing God to work in our weakness.

There's a gift inside of you that's meant to be given to others as the Holy Spirit prompts you to use it. What would happen if you didn't do so? Who would be missing out on the goodness of God because you are too afraid to open your mouth, write that novel, or serve at that homeless shelter?

Don't let fear stop you from doing what God has called you to do. Let God's power, love, and a sound mind (right-thinking) lead you as you step out in faith in your gifts.

Tweetable:

What is holding you back from using the gift God has given you? {Click to Tweet}

Is your talent laying on a shelf? Pick it up and use it! #NoFear {Click to Tweet}

Friday in Focus ~ The Narrow Path

by Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.
Proverbs 4:25-27

My husband and I love to hike. We will travel an hour or two to hit some of the "local" trails, we love it so much. Thankfully God has placed us in the vicinity of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, where trails, rivers, and waterfalls are plenty.

As I considered this verse this morning, I thought about how narrow the hiking trails we love tend to be. It's the narrow ones that are surrounded by

Friday in Focus ~ The Fallow Ground

by, Alycia Morales
@AlyciaMorales
 
Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor;

And for lack of justice there is waste.

Proverbs 13:23

For years, this verse has caused me to stop and think. Selah.

Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, but we tend to look at outward appearances and pass by. In our hurry or out of our fear, we neglect to take the time to stop and consider what lies beneath the surface. The filthy skin. The greasy or knotted hair. The torn clothing. The stench from lack of bathing. The things we don't want to touch. Don't want to deal with.

Friday in Focus ~ Life is Like a Box of Puzzle Pieces

by, Alycia W. Morales
@AlyciaMorales

Every year, as Christmas and the New Year roll around, I find myself longing to put together a puzzle. Or two. Or three. It was no different this year, and my husband was kind enough to bless me with two puzzles for Christmas.

I love 1,000-piece puzzles. I love the challenge of more pieces. Smaller pieces. And I love the amount of time it takes me to complete one. It's as if the gratification of finishing is greater.

Isn't that the way it is when God decides it's time to work on us again? When little by little, piece by piece, His master hand puts us together... When we're going through an assembling or reassembling and we're anticipating the final product... If we're patient enough to endure the process, what we experience in the completion is so very much worth the wait.