I Believed The Devil’s Lies: Then God Moved

The devil is a liar. He knows that the only power he has over the children of God is in the whispers that we believe. But God is always in control, and He can get His message across in ways that don’t even require the use of words. Until just over a year ago, I would never have believed that God would have a ministry for me in blogging. In fact, the way it all played out, I have a feeling that if it were up to me, I would still be on the sidelines instead of right smack dab in the middle of where God called me to be. See, I had believed the devil’s lies that I couldn’t use my talent for God. But then God moved for me, just like He will move for you.

A Rough Start

It all happened before I really knew what was happening. One minute I was considering trying a blog, and the next minute, it was in it. I had put down my credit card payment, commissioned a logo from Fiver, and was clicking through themes on the WordPress site. My blogger friend Rachel I had met on Twitter had been telling me to start one for almost two years. But, every time, I had always just repeated back to her what I now believe were the enemy’s lies to me. “I wouldn’t keep up with a blog.” “It isn’t the right time for a blog,” and, “Anyway, no one would read my blog if I created one.” But on that day, it was as if my inhibitions were bypassed, and I made the leap. I was a blogger, but the technology part was harder than I thought.

As I started clicking around the WordPress site, in one short afternoon, I had made a big mess of things. I deleted my “Contact” button, picked a theme I hated but couldn’t seem to change, and turned the entire background a hideous red. I was beginning to realize that, at least where the website was concerned, I was in over my head. The whispers and doubts that had plagued me before started up at the back of my mind again.

That is, until I remembered my friend Rachel who had encouraged me all those times. I thought maybe she would have some advice for me, and she did. She was supportive and gave me a few tips that she wished she would have known when she started. When it came to the technical help, though, she would have to refer me to the person who got her started in blogging all those years ago in Michigan: her friend Renee. She gave me her number and set up the meet time for tech help over the phone.

Then God moved

That was when God showed up, big. As many doubts as I had about blogging before, and as frustrated as I was with my inability to work the website, they were all pretty much forgotten when I saw the phone number. Rachel’s friend Renee, who had helped her get started in Michigan all those years ago, no longer lived up north. She had, in fact, moved nearly 1,500 miles south to a city in Texas — that was about ten minutes away from my house! This HAD to be God. What would be the odds otherwise?

Within a few days, Renee and I met at Starbucks for a website tutorial. She recreated my “Contact” button, erased my ugly mistakes, and sat patiently with me to help me create the site I wanted. Not only that, but the picture I had “happened” to choose for my background before I figured out my theme became the picture I needed for my very first article: The Waves of God’s Judgement and the Child of God.

Just in the first few months of blogging, I saw God’s hand again and again. He was right there in the way I got the ideas and words I used. For example, for my blog called Born Again: All About That Butterfly Life, I got my first line when it popped into my head as an answer to a #Healthyfaith Twitter chat question. I forgot about it until a few days later when a Facebook friend posted a picture of the butterfly in her yard.

Inspired, I started writing. But, when I got about two paragraphs into the article, I was still not quite sure where to go with it. That is, until my You Version Bible app verse of the day popped up. It was exactly the verse I needed to finish the piece. This is just the story for one of my early blog posts, but each one had a unique trail from the beginning to the end encouraging me that God was in the mix of it. 

Since That Time

Since that time, I have grown a lot, both as a blogger and as a person. Now, each week I listen closely for what God would have me write and do my best to convey His message. In the process, I have learned lessons about patience and The Secret to Waiting on God. I have dug into places in the Bible I had never been before. And, I learned about separating myself from my ministry so that numbers and comments (or lack) don’t produce the pride (or rejection) they used to do.

Oh, the devil still tries his whispers. He tells me God is done with my blog and won’t help me anymore. He tells me that I’m not making a difference and that God isn’t using me for His purposes. At times, I’m ashamed to say, I have believed him. But God is so faithful. He shows up week after week and reminds me that my life – and this ministry — is in His hands. All I have to do is believe, and God will do the rest. A year and a half ago, I had no idea that I could do it, but then God moved.

God Will Move For You Too

Do you have a gift/talent that you aren’t using for God in some capacity? Have other Spirit-filled believers spoken to you multiple times about starting or joining a ministry? Does the devil keep whispering that you wouldn’t be good enough or no one would be helped or care if you did it? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, just know that I was right where you are. Even if that thing sounds scary, hard, or beyond your capability, none of those things matter when God calls you to do it. Just step out in faith and watch God move.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the mailing list on the upper right corner (or at the bottom on a phone). If you like “God wink” stories, check out Make God’s Will My Will: A New Way to Pray. An incident with a piece of coconut cake taught me to pray a different kind of prayer. Also, check out my YouTube Channel where I read my blogs out loud. I also have a separate playlist of hymns from my church’s talented, anointed 16-year-old-worship leader Hannah.