Your Gift, Your Calling

In this blog post I wanted to share with you some ways you can become good stewards of the calling God has placed on your life.  There are specific steps which every successful leader has taken in their lives which will help propel you into the place God has prepared for your life.

"How can I progress or move forward in God’s plan for my life?"   That's a question I get a lot.  Hopefully through this blog we can discover some truth's which will help you move towards your goals of walking in the calling God has given you.

First of all, you need an on going communicating relationship with God.  The kind where it’s a part of your everyday life. Where you are looking for and expecting His guidance and leading in everyday situations. Nobody gets to the place of hearing God on the big things without first developing a relationship with Him and learning to hear his leading for the smaller things in life.  When you move along with your day ask The Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in everything you do.

Secondly, you can’t be afraid you will fail. This will keep you immobilized every time.
If it's time to take some steps forward then pray and get direction. Talk about it with a couple trusted mentors or leaders in your life and get their feedback and then once you have taken these steps all that is left is to take action.  Remember, if you're operating in God's will and direction for your life than there is no possible way you can fail!

Thirdly, get around people that are successfully walking out God’s purpose for their life and observe how they do what they do. You can learn so much just by simply being around the right people. On the flip side you can lose a lot of ground if you are still hanging around people who have no direction.  Remember the word of God says "Where there is no vision the people perish."  Surround yourself with people who have a vision for their lives.

The last thing I always tell people looking for their purpose is this. Start where you are.
Get involved where you are and if you are seeking God He is going to steer you right over to where you need to be.

Remember that God’s promise to you is that He would be the author and the finisher of your faith. He is in this for the long haul.  Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

I believe these will be some key steps which will help you discover the vision and help you steward the calling and gifting's God has given you.

Believing the best of you and for you today,

Jen Tringale

Anchored in Trials

 "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]." (Philippians 4:13 AMP)
Paul was locked away in prison while he wrote this letter.  If we look back through the book of Acts we read about Paul in Jerusalem being persecuted by the Pharisee's.  The Pharisee's didn’t accept Paul’s ministry or his message and were threatened by the gospel of Jesus. Really they were opposed to anyone preaching Jesus as the Son of God in that day.

 So Paul goes to Jerusalem and meets with the Church.  One day as Paul is walking into the temple, he is taken captive by the local Pharisee's claiming he has broken the law by preaching against the law of Moses and bringing gentiles into the temple.  There is such a riot over this issue that the Roman soldiers are called in to figure out what's going on and bring some sort of resolution.  We could spend weeks going through the story of how Paul ended up in jail by the Roman government and the significance of everything involving the story.  However, in this post we simply need to understand that Paul was imprisoned while he penned these letters.

Even though Paul was imprisoned at this time of his life he still takes every advantage available to witness and minster to those around him.  During Paul's journey to Rome where he would appeal to Caesar, he ministered to and preached Jesus to countless high profile government officials.  He didn't allow his physical circumstances to get in the way of him fulfilling the call of God on his life.  Mere chains were not enough to drag Paul down and prevent him from influencing government and culture.

There is a verse found in the book of Jeremiah, if you've spent any amount of time in church you've heard this verse before.  It says, "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts  and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)
The word says, "Before you were in your mother's womb, I knew you."  God knows you!  Let that sink in for a moment, reread it a few times.  God knows you!  Not only does God know you, He has a plan and purpose for you, plans for good and not for evil.  He has chosen you for success.  God has set a plan for your life that only you can fulfill with His strength because He created you specifically for this purpose.  What is that purpose?  Seek Him and He will reveal His plans to you.  Jesus told us to "knock and keep on knocking..."  He said "Those who seek me will find me..."
Today I want you to be encouraged.  No matter where life has taken you, no matter what unfortunate circumstances have come your way, know that God knows you, He has a plan and purpose for your life, and through the strength of Jesus Christ you can overcome any and all situations, persecutions, and circumstances that stand in your way and try to prevent you from fulfilling your God given destiny.

I call you blessed,

        - Jen.

Focus on Eternity

You know, I learned a long time ago that it's best not to focus on the physical things in my life but to keep my focus on heaven and on what God has promised me.
2 Corinthians puts it this way, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV)

It says in verse 16 "...though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day."  We can experience setbacks in our lives and yet remain confident and strong that we're being built up in our spirit man.  When we decide to stand in the face of defeat and say " I place my faith in God that He is performing a good work in my life and He turns all things, even adverse circumstances, to my good", we are becoming stronger and stronger in our spirit, the core, and the center of who we really are.

Verse 18 says to place our focus on eternity.  You see, God has a set plan for your life. In other words, He has prepared for you the realm of influence you will have, authority and even a geographical place for you to carry out His purposes.  He's set you aside for such a time as this, to be the deliverer of His answer to the world's problems.  When you have a plan for your life like that, you can't fail.  When you have a plan for your life like that, you don't look at the chaos in the natural.  No. You look at the success in heaven.  Has God called you to start a church in your community?  Then turn your gaze to heaven and see the people of your community in heaven.  Turn your eyes to heaven and see the success that your church will have.

When we take our focus off eternity, off heaven, we are giving our worries and fears in the natural too much credit.  We know that they deserve no credit because we operate from a higher place than just what you can see, feel and hear. This is why we are victorious in what we set out to do for His kingdom.

So place your focus on Eternity.  See His plans for your life walked out in victory.  See the answer to your prayers that have already been received and answered in heaven.  

Dreaming

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever shall believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

We all know this verse by heart.  Actually John 3:16 is the most well-known verse in the entire bible by Christians and non-Christians alike.  The verse is pretty straight forward.  God gave us Jesus. But what if we could take this verse and the understanding of what Jesus accomplished through His life, death and resurrection and apply it to our lives in order for us to live extraordinarily today?

Jesus accomplished everything for humanity when He rose from the dead after His crucifixion.  That's why when He was hanging on the cross He said "It is finished."  He has finished His part of securing everything for us.  Now, you and I get to uphold our end of the bargain and we get to use the power He released to us through His name to bring restoration to the world.

The book of Acts quotes the prophet Joel when it says,
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy....  (Acts 2:17-19 NLT)

So how do we live an extraordinary life?

We allow the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself thru our lives. We develop a partnership of moving in step with what He shows us. We allow Him to speak through our lives to others.

What I've always loved about this verse is the part about dreaming.  It says "Your old men will dream dreams..."  I believe that dreaming dreams is not something only reserved for a specific age group but that God is inspiring all of us as believers to dream dreams. Dreams are not meant to stay dreams. Dreams are meant for coming true and then starting over with newly inspired dreams and walking those out too!

So I'll ask you a question, “what are you dreaming about? God is calling us to live extraordinary, to dream big dreams and set out on adventures in partnership with Him!

Spend time with God. Ask Him to reveal the dreams He has placed within you. Get ready for some amazing adventures with Him as you walk it out one step at a time!

Remember, Jesus accomplished everything for your life on the cross. Because of Jesus we can dare to live out our dreams and see them become a reality!

I call you blessed,

Jen Tringale
www.jentringale.com

God's New Years Resolution For You

Today is New Years Day. The close of 2012  has come and a new year has begun. Today countless people around the world will begin their annual ritual of creating their new years resolutions. People will take a little time to reflect on their lives and make determinations on what they'd like to change or accomplish. The process is different for everybody, some take it very seriously while others take a more laid back, wishful approach.

Statistics show an overwhelming majority of the people making their new years resolutions will not follow through in completing them. The majority will not see the complete change they envisioned when their goal setting began and will give up within the first 2 weeks. Yikes! Not very encouraging is it?! Still, it is the opportunity of a fresh new year to set the proverbial reset button so to speak and start afresh that entices even the most complacent individual to become a dreamy goal-setter!

Something I learned long ago was the importance of getting myself before God and allowing Him to impart His vision for my next season. I could spend time plotting out my own resolutions, projects and plans, but since God in His infinite wisdom has 'pre-pared' some things for me for 2013, I'm much
better off asking Him and letting Him download those things to my heart. You see God would actually like to plot out your new year with you!

Proverbs 29:18 says "Where there is no vision, the people perish..."
When you don't know where you're going you'll never go anywhere.  If you don't have a vision for your life you won't really complete much of anything.  But when you do have that vision from heaven, you can then see your path and move out. With a charted course, you have a destination of arrival, without it a lot of time is wasted wandering aimlessly.

Having a vision for your life is incredibly significant and important. When you get before God and allow His vision to permeate your decision making, you'll be able to complete any task set before you.  When obstacles or hindrances come you'll have an extreme vigor and tenacity about you because of the vision God has placed in your heart.

When I get before God, hear His vision for my life, and accept that vision as my own I am positioned for success.  I believe that's where passages like Psalm 91 truly take hold.  When we walk down that road that God has set before us we are unstoppable!

As we move forward in this New Year I encourage you to get alone with God and ask Him afresh for His vision for your life for 2013.  Once you have that vision, don't take it for granted. That plan is specifically created for you. You are chosen and set apart for His specific purpose to use your life to help and bless others in a unique way.

Walk in that strength and remember, that you don’t have to see the whole picture just take the step that’s in front of you and keep going!

Thank you for taking time to read this blog. I pray you're encouraged and inspired to press for the best!

I call you blessed,

~ Jen

A Christmas Risk

So much to do and so little time! Have you felt like this lately? The busyness of the holiday season is upon us as we move closer and closer to Christmas day.  December 25th,  it's the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. 

The point of this entire holiday is to pause and celebrate the Savior of the world being born. Born in a stable and wrapped in swaddling clothes. The humility of Jesus is so inspiring. Here we find the King of all kings. The One creation had been waiting for. The One who deserved to be born in a palace with the finest doctors and nurses taking care of Him, with the finest linens and the most luxurious baby bed, was instead born in a barn.   

But I want to take a moment to look at the people like you and me who had to respond to God’s directives and seemingly risk it all in order for Jesus to come. Maybe you have heard this story a hundred times but I encourage you to take just a moment to read on and consider this scenario afresh. You may just find the inspiration you need to take that next step of faith that is waiting on you! 

Mary proves as a real-life example of what a strong godly, faith woman looks like. Just a  teenager when she became pregnant with Jesus, she was engaged to be married to Joseph, a local carpenter in their village.

One night as she was sleeping, Mary experienced a visitation from Gabriel, the angel.  Gabriel is an arch angel and he is used as God's messenger at various times throughout the bible.  In this visitation, Gabriel told Mary that she would become pregnant with a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit and that this child would be the Savior of the world.  It is Mary's response to all this that gives such inspiration.  Luke 1:38 says" And Mary responded, 'I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever He wants.  May everything you have said come true." What a response of faith and real gut-level trust! 

When God promises something it doesn't matter what the risks are. When you know Him, you know everything will come out better than before!

You see, when God directs us to do something, no matter what the potential risks are, we really aren't taking any risks at all.  We can be assured that when He tells us what to do, it will be the best possible thing for our lives.

Consider the blessing that Jesus was to Mary.  This humble virgin, a God- honoring teenager, who's engaged to be married, risked everything she had.  Mary risked her entire life to trust and listen to God's promise for her.  Her reward?  She gave birth to Jesus, the Savior of the world, the Prince of peace, the King of kings, Immanuel. What a beautiful picture.   

Joseph was a strong father and man of God himself and he stuck by Mary's side through it all. But Mary had to take that first step. She was a strong woman of God who was trusting, strong, courageous, brave and fearless of what people might think of her. This is the woman that gave birth to Jesus and raised Him and gives us such a great example. Both man and woman are made in the image of God according to the book of Genesis. Through our ferocious ability to trust and follow God, we have the power to change history for His glory. 

We have the ability to be THIS generation's Ruths, Marys, Elizabeths and Esthers!!

I encourage you this Christmas season to embrace God's promises for your life and walk in those promises, knowing that what He said He will do, and though it may not be what you expected, it will always be better than you could have ever dreamed! 

I call you blessed,

Jen ~ 

Never Give a Crisis Your Respect

I learned a long time ago that if you give a crisis your respect you'll become a slave to it. That crisis will control everything including you!

"Your immediate reaction to circumstances will make a big in determining the outcome."  

Bad news always makes a play for your emotions and attempts to knock the wind out of you. Whether those emotions be sadness, anger, disappointment, or anxiety, all of it has the potential to take the wind out of your sails and knock you off course.

So what do I mean by not giving a crisis your respect? Simply put - don't respect it with your response! Your best defense against a crisis is to not allow your emotions to go haywire.  Not always easy granted, it takes a steel core on the inside, but remember that as a believer, circumstances don't have the last word, you have do. 

I can either agree with the how it looks/sounds and resign myself to that outcome or I can hold myself in a place of trust in God and His Word that I have hid in my heart feed what my response will be. Why is this so important?  Because when you speak the Word of God and hold yourself in a place of faith, it releases the power of His Word to go to work for you!

"When you speak the Word of God and hold yourself in a place of faith it releases the power of His Word to go to work for you." 

Let your response to crisis be a wise response. Yes, bad news may present itself abruptly but it has no more authority over you than the authority you relinquish to it.  This is why the Word says, ".... and let the peace of God rule your heart and mind."  Col 3:15. Let the peace of God call the shots in your life.

I could tell you countless stories in my own life where this principle has brought nothing short of miraculous results in the face of certain devastation. I chose instead to take God at His Word and spoke it in faith and that Word went to work for me. 

We all remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They were standing in the kings court and he gave them an ultimatum with life or death consequences....   Daniel 3:15 (NIV) 

"If you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

These men replied exactly the way I am talking to you about. Their answer was one of confidence and faith that God would without a doubt bring them out of their trouble.

Verse 16 - 18 says... 

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  "If it be so..."  wait lets stop right there! If what be so?  Well, they are answering the king's ultimatum of, 'if you do not worship you will be thrown in the fiery furnace', so  obviously they are replying to his threat of throwing them in that fire. 

"If it be so, ( if you do throw us in that fire) our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, ( even if you don't throw us in that fire) be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

You see obviously it makes no sense to tell someone, "if you throw me in a fiery furnace I am STILL not going to bow to your idol" ... Well duh... you'd be dead!  

No, they were saying of a surety they knew God would deliver them, but if the king chose not to throw them in that furnace, be it known to you o king,  we are still not going to bow and worship that idol! Their faith in God was rock-solid. These men knew their God. They knew He was faithful and He always came through and they were not giving that crisis, not even a blazing fiery furnace, their respect. They were giving God and His track record their respect instead.

So, next time you are up against a wall, remember this is not your time to play the martyr.  You rise up and react from peace and come through with grace and with courage, knowing that God has your back and He is a pro at crisis-management!

I call you blessed, 

                - Jen