Sub-Total: $0.00
![YLSC.GraphicWeek6[2]](https://traciemiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/YLSC.GraphicWeek62-1024x702.jpg)
Today’s Wonderful Wednesday post is written by my precious, long time friend and Proverbs 31 sister, Leah DiPascal – who just also happens to be a member of the YLSC Contributor Team (Chapter 17, Her Story section). She has a powerful word to share with you today about learning to trust God’s plans and will for each of our lives, and walk through doors that He opens!
__________________________
Hi Friends!
I’m thrilled to be joining you today on Tracie’s blog! I don’t know about you, but the past 5 1/2 weeks have flown by!
We’ve come so far in such a short amount of time and it’s been wonderful for me to have this opportunity to journey alongside you and Tracie as we’ve put pen to paper and made some real progress through this amazing study.
We’re on the home stretch now and there’s no time to slow down. So pace yourself and keep moving forward until we wrap up this study on May 1st. God’s with us every step of the way!
I hope you’re taking plenty of notes and highlighting the key verses and awesome quotable statements in your book. Tracie has outdone herself and there are plenty of ah-ha statements and Bible verses to ponder and put to memory.
A bright future is up ahead and I’m planning to cross the YLSC finish line with each of you!
I have a confession to make though. Can I share it with you?
There have been times in my past when I felt as if God was getting in the way of my plans. Maybe you’re feeling that way right now. As you step out of your comfort zone and move forward in your calling, you might be tempted to hurry things along like I did.
More often than not, I would admire my friends and notice how there were able to hand over their past mistakes and heartaches to the Lord quicker than I could. They seemed to be on the fast track towards succeeding in life and pursuing their unique calling.
I had goals I wanted to accomplish, dreams to pursue and a calling I longed to fulfill. So, why did it seem like they were making great progress and I wasn’t?
Here’s where I went wrong … I was determined to make things happen in my own time frame instead of waiting on God. The achiever in me insisted on bulldozing forward with my big expectations and my own plans. I thought, If I just work harder and stay focused, everything will go according to my plan.
I longed for God to stamp ‘yes’ stickers on all my prayer requests and open every door of opportunity that I thought would be the perfect fit for me. But that didn’t happen.
When a door didn’t open I’d sometimes push through it, which got me in a whole lot of trouble. It was as if I’d take one step forward and three steps backwards. Instead of waiting on God’s timing and plans, I convinced myself that my plans were better. The result: More roadblocks and less open doors.
My self-made highway towards all those dreams started to look like a dirt road covered with potholes of discouragement and puddles of frustration. So, I prayed harder, sought God more and asked why He wasn’t taking all of my great ideas into consideration.
I wanted to be optimistic and full of faith, but the more I pondered and asked questions, the more I started to second-guess my calling.
If God has gifted and called me to this, shouldn’t it be easier?
If I’m trying to do God’s will, why does it seem like He’s saying no to my prayer requests. Surely, He knows this is important to me?
Look at this great opportunity. It’s exactly what I’ve been asking for! Why do I keep getting overlooked?
Then one morning as I was reading my Bible and journaling, I came across today’s key verse:
Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Then this thought came to me: If God’s plans for my life are good and full of hope, why am I so determined to create my own plans and pursue them instead? God already has the very best waiting for me!
It was as if a light bulb went off in my head. I suddenly saw things from a new perspective! God’s perspective.
Not all of the answers came right away, but I refused to give up. I kept reading my Bible and asking God to show me His plans so that I wouldn’t be tempted to refocus on mine. I continued to trust God and follow His lead, even when things didn’t make sense. I laid down my own plans and even began to look at closed doors in my life from a new perspective.
I no longer believed the lie that a closed door was God’s rejection of me. Instead, I realized it was God’s protection over me. A way of guiding me towards His best plans for my life.
God loves us too much and knows us too well to give us everything we ask for. His protection for us will always override our earthy wants and desires. Even when we have the best intentions in mind, His plan will always be better than ours.
The gifts God has given you and the calling He’s placed on your life are irrevocable. Whatever door God opens on your behalf cannot be closed by anyone. God’s plans for you will succeed and His promises stand firm forever.
As we continue to follow our dreams, lets be sure to wait on God’s best plan instead of chasing after our own. Let’s not only thank God for the doors He’s opening, but also for the doors He’s closing in our lives. Doors that could potentially lead us to harm, dare we get our own way. Let’s be sure to remember: God is not getting in our way – He is the only way to fulfilling our purpose and complete victory!
Dear Lord, thank you for the gifts and calling You’ve placed on our lives. Help us to trust You when things don’t go according to our plans and desires. Let us see the potential of a closed door as a divine detour that will lead us closer to You, as we wait for Your best in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Next Step:
In your journal or study guide, write down the last time you encountered a “closed door” situation. Include details of how you initially responded to it. Reflect back on that situation you felt, and answer these questions in your journal:
* Can you now see how God might have been protecting you from something or someone?
* How did He redirect your path in the midst of those circumstances and move you towards His best plans instead?
* What good came out of that situation?
* Hows does thinking back about how God’s plans were actually best, help you to trust Him with future plans He might have for you?
Today’s Giveaway:
Who doesn’t like a fresh cup of hot coffee or tea in the mornings as they spend quiet time with God? Today’s YLSC coffee mug giveaway will come in handy and serve as a reminder that God always has a plan and purpose for your life.
To enter to win this YLSC Bible Study keepsake coffee mug, leave a question (either personal, fun or ministry related) that you would like for me, Leah DiPascal or Bonnie Wallace to answer on next week’s Live YLSC Webcast! (Don’t worry about repeating a question you see in the comments, because we’ll answer the more popular ones asked.)
So leave your question in the comment section and enter to win this special mug, then make plans to log on to the webcast next Monday night, April 27th, at 8:00pm EST! Click here for the webcast page – and on Monday night, you’ll also be able to ask questions live in real time!
_______________
If you’d like to connect with Leah on her blog or social media, visit the links below:
Blog: https://leahdipascal.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LeahDiPascal.community
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahDiPascal
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/LeahDiPascal
31 Comments
Tracie Miles is a bestselling author and the Director of COMPEL Training with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She helps women grow stronger in their faith, pursue the life of purpose God designed them for and live a life of peace, joy and happiness despite their circumstances.
Subscribe to Tracie’s Blog
Receive the Living Unbroken Battle Plan Workbook for free if you subscribe to Tracie’s blog today!
Tracie's Books
How did you come to realize your calling was to write, to encourage women?
How do you know it’s God’s plan out your own pushing ahead?
I don’t really have a question, just gratitude for this study. I have grown so much through it by reading the book and following along with the study *and* reading the comments on the blog here. I feel like my burden/sin of a past abortion is being lifted and I thank you for that, Tracie!!
It has been through your study and my churches Forgiven and Set free study that after 28 years I feel the guilt lifting slowly. One of my friends at church sharted her testimony and I read into something she said. I assumed she also made the poor choice I did years ago. She didn’t make that choice, but she told me she was going to be leading a “Forgiven and Set free” study and asked me to attend. I didn’t want to attend the church study and thought I could do it all on my own as a home study and through YLSC study. I am so glad my friend talked to me into it- with love. Hearing from the other ladies stories has truly helped my healing and it’s been such a growing experience.
I urge anyone who has struggled with a past abortion that is still hurting/ feeling unworthy of forgiveness to PLEASE find a church/ pro-life pregnancy center group to get to the next step. It’s such a wonderful feeling. I’m not 100% there yet, but the process has been a true blessing!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story and growth with us!
When doors appear in the flesh to be closed, how do you know if it’s God telling you to wait for His perfect timing…or if He’s waiting on you to take the step out in faith to do what He’s asking you to do?
Did any of you hear God’s calling and begin to follow it but found at a later time that your calling changed or wasn’t what you initially thought it was supposed to be?
For those of us who are not called to work in ministry, how do we find a work/life balance? I want to spend more time in God’s word, but I’ve just been called to a new job that I think will be very time intensive. I want to do my job in a way that honors God, but I don’t see how to do that and still have time for devotions, meditation, chores, exercise…
How do you know for sure that where you are in life right now is where you are suppose to be and is God’s will for your life?
What tips do you have for determining God’s calling/purpose for our lives? Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by and caught up in all the necessary pieces of my life (wife, mom, worker). How can I determine my purpose outside of these roles? I get that in this time and season they are probably part of my purpose, so maybe a better question is: how do I know I’m fulfilling that purpose to the best of my ability?
Deciphering the will of God and the will of my heart is a daunting task when the line becomes blurred. How do we trust the voice within to be from a spiritual guidanced and not a carnal one?
Question…. What is a good response to someone who says to me, “Oh, so you don’t have a job?” I do volunteer in my community and serve at church. There are times when someone says that to me and I feel like I need to defend myself. There were many years I worked outside of the home. Now, I am able to volunteer. But, I would like to be able to respond with a calm, Christ centered answer. 🙂
Hi Friends! I’ve enjoyed reading your comments this morning and must say, you all have some great questions!! I see a beautiful theme forming and love how God is nudging you to move forward in the calling He has chosen for each of you.
I can’t wait to answer some of these questions during our live webinar and I know Tracie and Bonnie are excited about bringing there own insights and fresh perspectives too.
Tracie, thank you inviting me to share on your blog today. I’m forever grateful for your sweet friendship and sisterhood in the ministry! Love ya much. 🙂
Ok…just wondering…do I get bonus points since my maiden name is WALLIS(spelled differently than Bonnie’s but sounds the same! 🙂 LOL! Can you blame a girl who’s life verse is on that coffee cup? I’ll try to put a long story/question in a short comment about what God has revealed to me through YLSC and so many other studies and Prov. 31 ladies.
Jan. 11 to present: started fasting, praying more, journaling more, ramping up time w/the Lord, diving into several diff bible studies, talked to my husband and friends regarding my calling, prayed some more, cried some too from a couple of attacks from the enemy re: doubt, past depression crept in, etc…, but God is greater, husband & I made appt. to discuss my calling with one of our Pastors where we are very involved at church, in the process of researching/praying over my next steps to become a Christian Life Coach and Speaker and eventually maybe some writing/poems/Christian cards for DaySpring(sent off a Mother’s Day Poem last week and praying for publishing one day), working on a Mentoring Ministry for our church… then the next step came the other day. A friend invited me to a meeting regarding sex trafficking where the founder of The Well House, Tajuan McCarty, was speaking. I would not have known about it if she had not asked me to go. It will break your heart! They need Social Coaches, Life Skills, and Exercise Coaches, etc.. Do I wonder if that’s a door from God? Afraid of being wrong, not following through, or failure AGAIN? Not this time, but the enemy tried to hold me back right before the meeting because he knew I was ALL IN helping these precious ladies/children who have been caught up in this epidemic of sex trafficking. Is this the end? Absolutely not…it’s only the beginning!!! I emailed the Pastor yesterday to give him an update and hopefully report back to him in May of all my homework:) I asked the Pastor in my email to please continue to pray for me as I’m holding onto Phil. 1:6 & Jer. 29:11 ever so tightly because I know God isn’t finished with me yet! My sweet husband went up to the altar this Sunday and prayed for me…for God’s clarity. If I heard God wrong…I will have grown as a Christian regardless. That’s something to cherish. So if you’re searching for your calling, purpose in life that God has already established for you, how you can overcome all the doubt/lies the enemy throws at you, then please surround yourself with others and folks at your church to pray for you. Don’t do it alone, which I’m so guilty of and it is hard that way. I’ve been through lots of heartache, but I’m not letting it go to waste. If sharing my struggles/overcoming fear can help one of these ladies at The Well House, and encourage me as well to keep my eyes on God’s goals, sign me up! I will be more than thrilled to let the door slam the enemy’s tail as he leaves. GOD IS GREATER!
When doors close and other doors open, how do you really, really know that it was from God? This has always puzzled me!
How do you know for certain that all that I am doing right now in my life is God’s Will and His Plan for me?
Tracie I am so sad to see that this Bible Study is almost over. This has been an amazing study. Thank you, Thank you for writing your story. Blessings.
I am still struggling with knowing what exactly God wants me to do with my story. I have multiple past hurts and sins: sexual abuse, having an affair, promiscuity, suffering from emotional abuse, victim of someone else’s pornography use, depression, two divorces. Surely God can use something!! Right now I’m in a waiting phase, studying God’s Word daily, and holding my purpose up to Him. How did you know when to begin moving forward? I keep waiting for someone to come to me who needs help in these areas. Should I be more proactive? How do I know when I’m ready to step out and begin my purpose?
A friend once described this process of ‘waiting on God’ as learning when to WHOA & when to GO
Does God’s purpose for our life’s inclued writing, speaking or ministering of our past, as a means to our purpose or can our purpose be something we do in day to day in life, without acknowledgement from the outside world?
How do you “hear” God’s calling? I ask Him to show me, to tell me, that I am willing to stay here or to move on. But I don’t “hear” any answer. I sometimes think that that means I am where I should be, but then something bad happens and I wonder if that means I need to move on. But what if that is the evil one testing my trust in my God? I try to be obedient in what I am given each day. But I keep calling out to God to tell me his will and purpose for my life. I want to fulfill Go’s purpose in my life, but I don’t know how to tell what it is.
This really hits home for me. I have such a hard time discerning what God is asking of me. Many times in my life I have hit closed doors, and thinking that I needed to push through I tried, only to end up hurting myself. How do you know when God is really closing the door and discern what His plans are for ourselves?
I would like to know a little about setting up a blog. Did you and do those at P31 create and maintain your/their own blogs or is it done for you? How do start in getting people to visit your blog?
How did you know for sure that what you were feeling was God’s will for your life really was His will, and not your own that you had justified through using scripture from the Bible?
Love this study and I’m sad to see it coming to an end. I pray each morning and night for the doors that surround me to open but I know in time when I am ready He will show me in what direction I will step. My question is what are some ways to be supportive to others who are also struggling alongside with you, who have been touched by tragedy and who do not feel the Lord is there to help and to listen. I have scriptures around my home from all of the studies I have been in that have helped me to climb out of the pit of loneliness and son but my children are still down there. How can I help them to see that He is there and the pain that was caused to them was not their faults? Thank you.
What wonderful timing! I am constantly finding that I am wanting things to go on my timing rather than God’s. Today is one of those days. I fear that I won’t have time otherwise with my health issues. I was just talking to a friend about this today. After our chat, I felt better, felt more trusting of God, but still scared out of my mind.
My question is not necessarily about YLSC but could piggy back on it. It is… When it comes to surrendering your independence to your spouse and/or God, is there anything that I can do to help it along? A little back story to put this into context.. I was born with a missing bone in my ankles. It causes fallen arches. I’m slowly losing my ability to walk and stand for long periods of time. I have to rely on others especially my boyfriend who pays for my car maintenance because I can’t afford it since I am limited to having only one job (office work) because of my physical problems. I don’t like relying on others especially financially, but I am forced to surrender my independence to my boyfriend who says he has no problem caring and providing for me (we are in the planning stages of getting married).
So I guess I am asking if there are any suggestions of steps on surrendering your independence?
After you stepped out in the calling God has for your life, have you ever started to question if that is really God’s call on your life? If so, how did you get back to that place of knowing that you are doing what He wants you to do?
How did your call to ministry play out?
I keep asking God to close the door if it is not the right one, yet even though He has not closed it He has not made me certain that I am heading the right way. My minister says pray and ask God to show me what He wants, but I do not know how to know if it is God answering or me just wishing….
I really feel this call over and over that I should write. More and more I feel I should center this writing on my family life and how through God’s grace and mercy I have been able to remain faithful and move forward. However, the one thing that always holds me back is fear of my family’s reaction on seeing the pain and hurt that they have in some instance not known about or in some have caused in my life. How did you handle these potentially hurtful events in preparing to write?
Thank you
Truly enjoyed your post, Holly. Especially enjoyed your analogy of your life looking like a muddy road filled with potholes when you forged ahead on your own path. I can certainly relate. Most of the time, when my life looks murky, I find my perspective is flawed and my focus has slipped from Jesus to my circumstances. What advice would you give to those of us who feel called to share God’s message through blogging regarding how to stay in God’s timing and keep our content tuned to God’s heart? I am reminded of Amy Grant’s song “Don’t Try So Hard” as I write this. I draw comfort and encouragement from your flip calendar “You’re Already Amazing.” This study has helped me realize more fully that God truly is writing my story, that it is actually His story. I take great comfort in the fact that there is purpose in every aspect of pain and distress I experience. Looking forward to the webcast. To God be the glory!
LEAH DiPaschal, please forgive me for crediting this post to Holly. I know we had a guest post from her. Sorry I confused it with this one. I thought your post was outstanding and all credit passes to you. Thank you so much for sharing such great insights with us.
I have been thinking about moving to another state (getting out of my comfort zone) and been praying for clarity about this situation. There are times when I believe I hear God’s voice but am unsure if I have or not. My question is, how can I discern God’s voice and begin to step out in Faith?