God WILL use your pain!

Hi everyone!!!!! I hope and pray you are having wonderful day filled with God's blessings and favor!! Did you know that God wants to use your pain for HIS gain!! I have been involved in ministry on and off the past several years or so. The one common factor that I have seen God use to minister to others, has been my testimony! Where I came from, how I got to be the person I am today. I have had some painful things happen, but those issues no longer control me!!! However......God has used those experiences to draw others closer to him!! How?? Because over the years God has done a lot of emotional healing in my life and God uses this to help others, to lead others closer to him. To show them that there is hope for a bright future, that your past doesn't have to control you and that you CAN become the person God has destined you to be!! Praise God!! In Hebrews 5:8,9 it reads "Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered and, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him," (Amp. Bible). In this verse God was saying that Jesus learned through His suffering AND this experience equipped him to become the source of our salvation!!! So not only do we gain knowledge from our past, but we become equipped to do what God wants because of it!!! Personally, I know my battle with my weight really started as a result of my past, my way of coping with the pain. Unfortunately, this continued on for years and took deep root in my life. I know this really is a side effect of my past and once this is under control, I will be able to do more in the minstry!! WooHooo!!!! Thats exciting to me!! We all need to see the possibilities of minsitry from the result of this surgery!! If you are already at goal, praise God!! Look at the all the ministry opportunities right in front of you!! I want you all to know that no matter what you have been through, what has caused your weight issues, God will use this to help others!! Only if you let him!! I encourage you to allow God to heal you, deliver you and set you free from that which has caused so much pain!! If given the opportunity, God will use your past to help others and lead others to him!! God Bless all of you! Hugs, Lucy

Amen Lucy! I know that before weight loss surgery I was embarrassed to stand before large groups of women and tell fo the power of God to set us free...I would imagine the women sitting there saying...why is she still heavy? Maybe they did maybe they didn't but it sure limited me from relaxing and truly sharing all the Lord had for me to share. Even though He used me during that time to teach retreats, Women's Bible Studies, teas and luncheons. I am so grateful that after years of suffering since I fell in 1985 and had major leg and ankle damage which led to my weight gain, the Lord heard my cry and helped me to regain my life through this surgery. I had prayed for a healing and had hoped the Lord would do it supernaturally but His ways are higher than my ways and I have been put in the paths of so many more people that I would never have met w/o this surgery. So I thank Him so much for answering His way and not mine. For those waiting for approval and those post...never give up...God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or think as Ephesians 3:20 says. In His never ending grace and mercy, Joan M

This is so true! If we would only stop for a second and realize that our loving God would never cause us to suffer for no reason. I too have been thru a barrage of physical problems the last 5 years or so. First COPD (emphasema), then hip replacement because I was grinding bone on bone, then just when I thought I was on the mend I broke my foot and leg, that healed and I found out I had breast cancer. I threw myself a few pity parties but deep down I knew God had a reason for all these things. I was able to witness to lots of people just by showing my faith that God had it all in control so I didn't have to stress about it. Now He is keeping me healthy for my upcoming surgery. I just try to remember thru those times "that this too shall pass", but it is a challenge to deal with. I can't imagine going thru all that without God. He is a truely awesome God!