I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Believe God Can Use Me

The name of God is nowhere to be found in the book of Esther. It is as though He was absent. Instead, the narrative of Esther mimics our own experiences today—an era of dominance and oppression where power belongs to the elite. It was a time of opulence, where the who’s-who flaunted their wealth and influence, and where those in authority made reckless decrees without wisdom or justice. In our world today, we see something similar. Society elevates influencers who seem to have it all—wealth, status, and the admiration of millions. They hold positions of power, appearing wise and all-knowing while often using their influence to serve themselves rather than others. Many of us are left feeling insignificant in comparison, wondering if our lives truly matter. But then, there’s Esther. God used a lowly, orphaned girl to upend the most powerful empire of her day. She came from an oppressed people, living in exile, treated with contempt and abuse, considered unworthy and powerless. And yet, when the time came, she was the one God used to change history. She wasn’t royalty by birth, she wasn’t highly educated, and she certainly wasn’t the logical choice to stand before a king and

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I Choose Today to Build in Faith

A little while back, a pastor friend of mine wrote a sermon about the faith of Noah. He pointed out that Noah is listed in the “Hall of Fame” of Faith: “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.” — Hebrews 11:7a (NLT) Noah had great faith because he obeyed God—building something that had never been seen, built, or even imagined—simply because God said to. Noah obeyed and built the ark. What’s remarkable is that the ark’s design stood out from every other ancient boat. Unlike boats meant for navigation, the ark was built for survival, not direction—it had no rudder, no sails, no way to steer. It didn’t need them, because God was in control of its course. We don’t need to steer when God is leading. At that time, rain had never even fallen (Genesis 2:5-6 suggests the earth was watered by mist). Yet, Noah obeyed. He built a massive ship for a phenomenon he had never seen, purely on faith in what God spoke to him. Even when we don’t understand, obedience is our part—God

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I Choose Today to go at God’s pace

I am struggling though with God’s pace. I need to let go and allow Him to take the lead, rather than rushing ahead, which often leads to trouble. Paul understood the importance of letting the Lord set the pace and not getting ahead of God. He describes his experience after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus to the Galatian church by saying, “…Then it pleased Him [God] to reveal His Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being… Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. Then three years later I went to Jerusalem…” Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬b-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Three years after Paul’s encounter with Jesus he went to Jerusalem. Three years before he felt God calling him into his ministry. Paul was an enthusiastic guy! He was a doer. He was known for his ability to take action. He was well known by all as the one who made it his mission to eliminate Christianity from the world! Paul was a “take no prisoners” kind of guy. So three years of

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