BE EMPOWERED – Reflection
What a year it has been for me!! It’s had its ups and downs but God has always had a hand in the outcome and I have truly been blessed by His presence.
We can never do anything without Him being part of everything that we do or where we go. At times, we think we can just do things without His help but He always puts stops in our way and we need to think things through with Him. It only takes a little hiccup to make us stop and rethink the situation.
I have felt Him in Vanuatu when doing the training with the ladies. What an amazing time it was; we felt like a full sponge at the beginning of the day and at the end we were like an empty sponge. But the next morning we were empowered again to pass on more knowledge to these women some of whom had no idea of what GB was all about.
Always put your trust in our Lord and He will empower you, no matter what the situation.
BE EMPOWERED – Reflection
What does it mean to have power?? The dictionary of course says it is to give someone authority, to make someone stronger or more confident. Each of us has our own interpretation of Empowerment. But it seems that the term, empowered, nowadays comes more from within. We use it to talk about the journey of developing our inner-strength to act in ways that would best serve ourselves. Today, empowered means teaching the self to follow one’s inner voice and be true to her own true nature. Having power may mean self-determination, the ability to make choices that are truly free.
In the world today there is so much talk of empowerment of women, of the girl child. Therefore, to be empowered would mean, ‘having the personal ability to create the necessary courage and confidence to act and live one’s life in her own best interest. This definition seems to resound better with the idea that in real life we are looking to be empowered in order to succeed in life, follow the path that is laid out for us despite our fears and the obstacles that others throw up in our way. It’s about learning to conquer the self-doubt that we are not worthy or strong enough to stand up for ourselves.
This is so true in our Christian walk today. We need that “the Inner – Strength and the Inner Voice “that will enable us to go beyond our fears and all obstacles to accomplish God’s Mission. In Ephesians 3: 16 – 19, Paul prays that … “… He may strengthen you with Power through His Spirit in your Inner Being ….” The Power of the Holy Spirit is the divine energy God is willing to express in and through us and the divine authority needed to carry out the work God has called us to do. We experience God’s Power when we surrender to be used by him. Read Ephesians 3: 16 – 19. We have to allow Christ to dwell in our hearts!!! We have to be rooted and established in Him… “…. So that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God “ I love this .. God releases His power to us as we walk in obedience to him.
This makes me realise that God’s Power and ONLY God’s Power can enable us to exhibit Galatians 5:22, The Fruit of The Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our lives will reveal the character of Christ in us, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control!!!
Only God’s Power and ONLY his power can enable us to go make disciples!! May we be truly empowered , Zechariah 4:6 “ …..Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit; Says the Lord.”
BE EMPOWERED – Reflection
BE EMPOWERED
”Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” Psalm 20:7
Today I meditated on the song, ‘You’re the cleanser of my soul.’ Which was preceded by the testimony of a couple who lived extravagant carefree live styles, but were reluctantly brought to the throne of grace and that God still embraced them even when one of them chose to make a mockery of Christianity. He spoke about how after meeting Christ he and his live-in girlfriend immediately went home threw out everything that was illegal or immoral within their home, set their lives right, got married shortly thereafter and today he has never regretted his decision to choose Christ. You know, in today’s fast pace world where instant gratification seems to be the order of the day even among professed Christians – it is very empowering to be reminded that no matter how we begin our journey or how low we stumble along the journey ‘God is the refresher of our soul.’ God is the refresher, the one who empowers – not the accolades, treasurers, accomplishments or gifts we possess – it’s God who refreshes. The Message a very modern translation of the Bible puts Psalm 20:7-8 this way:
‘See those people polishing their chariots, and those others grooming their horses? But we’re making garlands for God our God. The chariots will rust, those horses pull up lame and we’ll be on our feet, standing tall.’
I don’t know about you, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, not our possessions, accomplishments or gifts, because as the word says those things all rust and wither away. Not only is our Lord everlasting, only He can refresh and empower us. Let us not spend our days simply polishing our abilities and treasures, which will neither stand the test of time or have the ability to pull us through difficulty or dry seasons, but instead make God our treasure the one who is ‘the refresher of our soul.’
2017 Theme: Be Empowered
As we approach the beginning of another year, GBI are pleased to confirm that the theme selected for 2017 is: ‘Be Empowered’
Scripture is full of stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. To help you get the best out of this theme we want to encourage you to “Be Empowered” in many different ways and for many different reasons.
To this end we are launching a new resource which includes questions for you to discuss, Bible passages to reflect on, prayer points for you to share and creative ideas to engage your young people. May God bless you as you are EMPOWERED by Him and for Him!
“But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me.” (Acts 1:8)
Prayer Calendar
To accompany the ‘Be Empowered’ resource, GBI are also providing you with a monthly prayer calendar. This will include ideas for ways in which you can pray for your Girls’ Brigade family across the world. Don’t forget to check here each month for the latest prayer calendar.
Reflections
By Renelle Neale
What a year it has been for me!! It’s had its ups and downs but God’s has always had a hand in the outcome and I have truly been blessed by His presence.
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By Hazelann Hannaway Boreland
BE EMPOWERED ”Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God” Psalm 20:7 Today I meditated on the song, ‘You’re the cleanser of my soul.’ Which was preceded by the testimony of a couple who lived extravagant carefree live styles, but were reluctantly brought toRead this news story
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By priscilla penny
What does it mean to have power?? The dictionary of course says it is to give someone authority, to make someone stronger or more confident. Each of us has our own interpretation of Empowerment.
Read more
Spotlight
Do you know:
Which country wears fushia polo shirts? Which country has over 800 languages? Which country has a section for ladies 55 years and over? In which country do members regularly attends the Queen’s Birthday Parade? Which country has more than 20,000 members?
…………….. Facts like these will be found in our SPOTLIGHT leaflets which you can download below. We hope they will enable you to begin to know your GB family.
GBI is a huge family. We have so much in common around the world and yet each of us is a little bit different. In our Spotlight Fact Sheets we are taking a look at the way GB works in different countries around the world. We have already published Spotlights on Hong Kong and The British Virgin Islands and here is the next one. We’d love to hear from other countries that would like to be involved. So, if you would like to produce a fact sheet to tell others about GB in your part of the world, ask your GB national office to talk to your Fellowship IVP and she will let you know how to go about it. Happy reading more to follow…. very soon!
Resources
Download the SPOTLIGHT resources here:
