.sharon.wilbur.

I HAVE MOVED

sharon wilbur — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:54:23 +0000

Ok, so my new blogsite is:

www.sharonwilbur.blogspot.com

visit me there!

ever feel like this?

sharon wilbur — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 14:49:23 +0000

Do you ever feel like the call on your life is too heavy to handle? Do you ever feel like turning your back on it and settling for LESS than God’s best for you? Well, to be honest with you, I have felt this way all too often recently. I guess in some aspect, that’s how we’re supposed to feel, because if we thought we could do it all on our own then we wouldn’t need Him. But gosh, it’s not always comfortable, or easy, walking the path that God has for you.

My Rabbi mentioned this week how many times when you feel like you’re going through a storm, it’s because you are drawing close to a time of new beginnings… and, for me, this couldn’t be more true. Sometimes it takes that extra “push” to get me moving, I have hang out in the valley for a little while before I remember to look UP. I love how God works though… It’s only through Him that I can be who I am destined to become. I need His pruning, love, and guidance in order to truly grow. It’s not enough to LOVE good and seek after it, but I have to hate the evil that wars against it… so much so that when I see it tugging at me I allow the Lord to cut it right off. Complete surrender, and nothing less is what is required of me…

Examining myself is a scary thing sometimes… It seems I have such a long way to go, so much to learn, so much that needs to change in my own heart… but I really believe that in order to change the world, and impact the lives of others, one must first be transformed themself. One of my favorite authors said it this way:

“We need to put less stock in what the world is doing and more in getting right with the Lord. It takes God to change a heart. A changed heart means a changed life. Enough of them and then, maybe God willing, the world will change.” (Francine Rivers)

So I guess all this to say that right now the Lord is walking me through a new season. One i’m SO excited about and scared of all at the same time. It’s not always comfortable, but the end result…. the outcome…. will have an eternal reward. Praise God for that!

can i be like her when i grow up?

sharon wilbur — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:11:42 +0000

So, in my quest to study and learn all i can about Queen Esther (Hadassah)… i have come across a couple books. One of which i have read a few times (One Night with the King – Tommy Tenney), and the other i just began diving into a few nights ago. It’s called Chosen. While I am not as taken with this specific portrayal of Hadassah, there have been a few things stirring in my Spirit as i’ve read, and i thought i’d share them.

when i read the following passage… my first thoughts were “Lord, make me like that… THAT is the kind of person I strive to be!”

“When we risk letting down our guard and taking off our masks, we let others see our weaknesses and faults, we draw them to us. We send out a quiet signal that it’s safe to be real with us. Hadassah’s power, and ours, does not grow by comparing our beauty to another’s, or by insisting our strength is superior, but by setting all claims aside”

it sounds so simple when you read it… but what a difficult task this can be sometimes, especially when we live in a culture like ours… However, “we must not let our culture determine our behavior”. This is really crucial to becoming the person that the Lord created us to be. If we are comparing ourselves to everyone and everything around us, and trying to conform to it… then where does our UNIQUE self go? After all, the art of the world really is “only and art of pageantry – shadowplay with no source or substance”. Everything is made to seem so wonderful… but when the choice is made to follow after it – the result is emptiness. Not much has changed i guess… Eve struggled with this in the garden, Queen Esther struggled with this, and now I struggle with this. My hearts desire, however, is to follow in the footsteps of Hadassah – of Queen Esther. She understood what she was up against, but was unwavering. She didn’t always “understand the turns in her path, but was committed to the course.”

Throughout her entire life, the Lord was preparing her for such a time as this. And our situation is quite the same. “There seems to be a correlation between the preparation time and the magnitude of the task.” If we allow Him – the Lord will raise us up for a work mightier than we could imagine. I’m sure that Hadassah grew weary during her YEAR of preparation for ONE NIGHT with the king… but little did she know that the Lord was really preparing her to be the mother of a Nation; and not only that but to save her RACE! What an amazing call! The grace and favor of the Lord that was on Hadassah must have been incredible – as it was evident to all who came in contact with her – including the king.

As sons and daughters of the King of ALL kings, we are called to this same dedicated preparation. He will give us the grace and favor needed to accomplish HIS dreams THROUGH us. There is nothing Adonai prepares us for that is not worth the pain of preparation.

the scarlet thread

sharon wilbur — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:02:29 +0000

i’m really not much of a reader… however recently i’ve been getting drawn into every francine rivers book i pick up. The Scarlet Thread, my most recent read, basically took over my life for the two days i spent reading it. it’s an incredible story of [BIG] mistakes, redemption and restoration. towards the end, the author stated some things that really struck me to the core:

“[The Bible] states that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Yeshua is Lord. So the question is, do we relinquish everything to the Lord, or do we make him strip us bare before we understand He’s in control.”

“The things that happen in our lives are allowed to happen because the Lord wants to draw us to Him. We make decisions and do things, thinking we’re in control, but we never really are. God is. It’s arrogance and pride to think we rule our lives. It’s an illusion. We’re never able to orchestrate a thing. God is in control… We would never need Yeshua if we’d had any control at all.”

The first statement there is so awesome to me. At some point EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue confess, it’s just a matter of WHEN! Will we chose to surrender ourselves to the Lord’s lead – KNOWING that He has a better plan for our lives than we do? Or will we we wait till we’ve hit rock bottom to realize that we NEED Him, and that He’s been in control all along?

Personally, i would LOVE to be in that first category…