Chosen Women

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends. In the coming year the Chosen Women Website will move more towards becoming a platform to share what you have to say to minister to and to encourage others. I welcome your submissions for weekly posting. Please begin to send them. If we select you for a weekly posting we will contact you for a picture and your ministry/organization information.

 
In Service for the Master,

Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell
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Now, to the blog:

This week I had occasion to share the same story twice to two different people. I had not thought about the story content in years. I do not think I had ever really shared it with anyone before. With age I find even greater ease with transparency and realness. I have always been that way -- now it's ridiculous! (LOL) In retrospect I find so much significance in what I experienced. It came to me this evening to share it with you.

 

I spoke of a time early in my saved life where I became acquainted with a young lady whose name I will change to Darla. I knew about her because she and I had dated the same guy at different times as young college freshmen. She was a friend of a friend, and I had actually heard good things about her. The guy whom we both dated was a tall, fine chocolate basketball player who turned out to be quite the idiot. Neither of us was seeing him anymore.

 

As God would have it Darla started dating my stylist at one point. Yikes! This required me to encounter her on more occasions than I desired. You see quietly, not outwardly, just within my heart I hated Darla. I could not immediately tell you why. I have never been a hater. I was not jealous-hearted – never have been. Yet in my heart, even with all of my Holy Ghost, I hated Darla.

 

I did not perceive my feelings as hatred at that time. This revelation came in retrospect. What I felt at that time was that I just “could not stand her.” I reasoned that there was “just something about her” that I did not like. Yet I could find no fault in her. In fact, she was overwhelmingly kind. At one point I asked our mutual friend if she was really that kind. They both let me know that it was real. She was just ‘good.’

 

I found Darla to be pleasant, kind, warm, not a gossiper, giving, with a ready compliment or willingness to help. Her smile was so broad and sincere. It was a though Disney birds should come out singing when she entered the room. And for some reason she really liked me. After some time she became engaged to my hairdresser and I was invited to their wedding. Yet the feeling in my heart towards her remained. What was it?

 

I attended the wedding and watched God seemingly parade this woman through my life. All this attention and energy seemed to be towards her. I could not get away from Darla! There came a point that my hatred towards Darla seemed to come to the surface. I had been able to dismiss my feelings as having to do with her. But the Holy Ghost confronted me one day in prayer. He let me see that the feeling that I had towards Darla were because her Godly character challenged me. She was so good! I realize that her presence was challenging me to be better. When the Lord showed me the purpose of her presence and the error of my response I had a decision to make.

 

I could either go on as I had been with this evilness in my heart pretending that the Lord had not revealed it to me. Or I could embrace the challenge and become more like Darla. She had been sent as an example. I might have been able to pretend I was okay just as I was. That is if I not been given a living, breathing example. She was not sent to cause me to imitate; but rather to show me how I literally needed to change.

 

What I chose to do was to accept the challenge of Darla’s presence in my life. I chose to come up higher. I chose to be better. I chose to increase in my own Godly character. Instead of being a hater I chose to get like her. I was able to become a true friend and really love and appreciate Darla.More than that my life changed for the better . . . I was headed in a direction that God had ordained for my life.

 

We all get a Darla at some point in our lives. She or he is the one that challenges us by some area of his or her life. It could be their;

 

~ Commitment

~ Presence

~ Diligence

~ Faithfulness

~ Stand

~ Righteousness

~ Drive

~ Humility

~ Anointing

~ Prayer life

~ Word life

~ Consecration

~ Study habits

~ Exercise regimen

~ Eating habits

~ Affection for their spouse/family

~ Strength

~ Perseverance

~ Faith

 

Instead of making a decision to reject, to destroy, to kick out, to excommunicate, to fire, to be mean to or pretend that you are not affected by your Darla just go ahead and take the challenge. Go ahead and rightly respond to the example that God has sent to your life.

 

The greatest example of this was, of course, Jesus Christ. Many of the religious leaders and people of his day could not handle the conviction created by Jesus’ life and stand. So, they conspired, lied and connived to ensure his unwarranted conviction and death. Yet he was without blame. Make sure that you do not ‘crucify’ the one sent to help you change your life. They cannot help how they make your flesh feel – God sent them. Instead of crucifying Darla, crucify your flesh and change.

This week Evangelist Lisa is preparing for the Word of Life "Get Rededicated, Revived and Ready" Women's Retreat in Ventura, CA where she is a guest minister. This event is hosted by Word of Life First Lady Alice Ross. Evangelist Lisa solicits your prayers; and will be back to the blog next week, should the Lord tarry. Have a blessed week in Him!