Mope No More

When my daughter went off to college two years ago, I found myself moping through life. I knew the Father’s plans for me were broader than my role as a mom, but I didn’t know what to do with myself so I did much of nothing.

I guess I thought all those prophecies about doing great exploits for God would come to pass the moment she graduated high school. But when nothing happened, I got discouraged.

I wasn't alone.

There are a lot of women who waste time going through the motions. They go to church, attend Sunday school and even sing in the choir, but deep inside they are empty and unfulfilled. That's because religious routine can never replace the satisfaction that comes from an intimate relationship with Christ and walking in divine calling.

Are you one of these women? If so, don't continue to drag through life doing just enough to make it into heaven. God wants to wake up the passion He's placed in you for the area of ministry He has assigned you to.

Today I'm involved in areas of ministry I would have never imagined. I mentor teenage girls, work in media ministry, minister the gospel at different churches, and I’m involved in women’s ministry at my local church. But I remained in a dry spiritual place until I pressed into God and found out His plans for me.

Seasons of life come and go, but you must be willing to seek the Father for direction, purpose and inspiration. He has plans for you, according to Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" (NKJV). But you must be willing to get in His presence to find out what He has in store for you.

So go ahead and talk to God. He has much for you to do.

Walking in Purpose

When I was a child, I talked a lot. I mean a whole lot. I would lock myself in the bathroom and render award-winning speeches to a make believe audience. When my mother would get tired of me running my mouth, she would say, "Valerie, you had better be quiet or else!"

In time, God revealed to her that my natural ability to communicate was His design. So she did whatever she could do to open doors of opportunity for me.

When I was a teenager, my parents landed a spot for my twin sister and me on a Christian TV show for kids. I don't know how they managed to get us on the show for a month, but I do know they were determined to help us fulfill our divine purpose.

My parents realized they were responsible for investing in their children the love, guidance and spiritual training that could one day produce lives committed to the work of the Lord and the advancement of His kingdom.

As I reminisce about my television debut many years ago, I must admit it left something to be desired. But it did not stop my parents from thrusting me into a huge arena of opportunity.

Today as an editor/writer with Charisma magazine and SpiritLed Woman, I am using my God-given ability to communicate to help fulfill the mission statement of the company: "To proclaim the name and fame of Jesus to the world."

Do you have a child or grandchild who seems to have a natural bent for something? If so, get busy and train him "in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6, NKJV). You have a responsibility to help your child be all he can be!

By the way, I have a 20-year-old daughter who talked a lot when she was a young girl. Today she is in college studying law and journalism, raring to use her God-given skills and abilities to fulfill His call on her life.

So the next time your child locks the bathroom door to rehearse a prize-winning speech, don't hush her—help her. Only God knows what's in the making.

A Message to Single Women

If another person asks me why I am not married before they ask me my name, I'm going to pull my hair out! I'm just kidding. I'm actually used to people asking me about the "M-word."

But for many women, it’s difficult to accept the fact that they are single. For too long, single women (and some men) have bought into the lie that they are somehow incomplete because they’re not married. Unfortunately, the church perpetuates this sort of thinking, but it’s both untrue and unbiblical.

As a result, some women waste untold amounts of time going back and forth with God trying to cut a deal with Him: “Lord, if You give me a husband, I’ll serve you for the rest of my life! If I were married, God, my husband and I could do unbelievable ministry for You!”

I used to pray similar prayers, but one day I stopped complaining long enough to hear God speak. His word to me is my encouragement to you: Learn to be content in Christ as He unfolds His plans and purposes for your life—but by all means, have a life!

First Timothy 6:6 tells us "godliness with contentment is great gain," and it is. But contentment doesn't mean single women should mope around waiting for a husband.

There are countless opportunities for unmarried women to make an impact on the world. As single women, we can use creative ministry to influence our communities, carry out the gospel in the marketplace and raise our children to live for Him. There’s much work to be done and millions of single women to do it.

So don't spend all your time negotiating with God about sending you a tall, dark and handsome man; use your time to advance the kingdom because His message of covenant love isn’t directed at just married people. It’s for every single one of us.

I Believe God

Last Sunday my pastor preached a powerful message on faith. His sermon was inspiring to say the least, but it also reigniting in me a challenge to stick to the basics in my walk with God.

He didn't talk about the normal stuff; naming and claiming everything we could imagine in the name of faith, from a co-worker's position at work (last I checked, that is called coveting) to a Mercedes Benz or a new home. It kills me how we treat God like He’s our personal Santa Claus, ready to give us everything we want. I believe that’s shallow faith.

No, pastor’s message was simple: Believe God. He told us our lives should be characterized by total belief and trust in the Father. He said that if our faith is motivated by any other reason, we would be disappointed.

Nowhere else has the concept of faith been more real to me than in my own life.
More than 20 years ago I was a semester away from graduating college. I thought I had it altogether until I discovered I was several weeks pregnant. I couldn’t believe it!

I had recently accepted Jesus as my Savior, was optimistic about getting a good- paying job and was raring to take my destiny by storm.

After pacing back and forth in my mind with worry, I collapsed in prayer.

I can remember what I said: “Lord, I’m sorry. I’m a single woman and I don’t know what to do.

What about my parents? My church? What should I do?”

His response to me is what governs my life today. He said, “You’re going to have a little girl, you’re going to name her Faith, and that’s what you will live by.”

Today, I believe God.

My daughter is a godly young woman pursuing a college education, and she is looking to the future with a foundation built on faith.

Though it was difficult raising her as a single mother, God provided many father figures who stepped into her life to fulfill His Word, “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Ps. 68:5, NKJV).

No matter what comes my way, I always conclude that my life is in His hands. I know for a fact that He can do all that I could ever ask, but I don’t wield my faith to make Him do as I say. Faith is a lifestyle for me.

I encourage you to continue to live by faith no matter what unforeseen situations arise in your life. But don’t just trust Him for the moment; believe Him for a lifetime.

Valerie G. Lowe is editor of spiritledwoman.com.