Are Your Life And Ministry Choices More Than Just Because? …Go Forward!

Originally posted 2021-06-16 11:55:55.

Hi!

Do you agree that when people make decisions to do ministry or make life choices, their reasons are ‘More than just because?’ A friend and I had a conversation about my upcoming weekly Bible Study, “Walking Through the Word with Rochelle.” I mentioned that ‘Coming Soon,’ on the Bible Study Lesson/Blog Page and ‘Subscribe to Our Monthly Newsletter’ have been on my “Rochelle L Lampkin Ministries” website since 2018. Neither are spur of the moment ideas. Yet there are still no lessons and no newsletter writings.

The purpose behind both unfulfilled projects is, ‘More Than Just Because.’ They both were placed in my spirit by the Lord. So, what is the hold up? It is not from the lack of people encouraging me to go forward. What is it?

Four family members, my BFF, another friend, and my brother in the Lord; aka, ‘My Village,’ have pushed me this past year to do this thing. Some helped me decide on music for the intro. Others advised on how to make WWWR happen. One also pushed me to get on track for the PhD and publish the book (two different subjects, for another post, at another time). My entire ‘Village’ pushes me to confront fears and to stop being concerned about people’s opinions. One of them even said, “Rochelle, you don’t owe anyone an explanation! Just do it!”

In January 2021, while on Zoom with a few ladies in ministry, I cried as I told them about the impending WWWR Bible Study. I said, “I have approximately 200 unsaved family members of whom the Lord told me that they need to hear WWWR. But I am afraid of what people will say.” One of them frustratingly said, “ROCHELLE! 2021 IS NOT THE YEAR FOR YOU TO BE SCARED! YOU HAVE 200 FAMILY MEMBERS WHO NEED TO HEAR YOU LIFT UP JESUS!”

I immediately sat a launch date for the last week in March. The date came and went. Launch dates in April and May came and went. I set a new launch date for June 24, 2021. But, as the date draws near, I hear the spirits of fear and pride loudly saying, “Who do you think YOU are? No one knows YOU or will listen to YOU! Your voice is too soft. Just drop this!”

Pay Attention to Encouragements from God!

The Lord recently had one of my cousins who is living for the Lord to bless me with words of encouragement. She texted me a week or so after I spoke at my church’s 8:30 a.m. worship service from home via Streamyard, the morning before Memorial Day. Here is the conversation:

My cousin: “Girl …I just listened to your message from 8:30 service. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think I am going to listen again. Awesome word!!!”

Me:  “Ohhhh my!! Thank you so, so much. I haven’t listened. I got the text the Saturday evening before I had to speak. I was super tired. I prayed for God to bless His people.”

My cousin: “Well He did just that!

Then my cousin texted again:  “I promise you, I listened three times. God is definitey speaking to me in this word. Be blessed and know that God is yet opening doors for you as you have blessed us. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

Me: “Wow Lynn! You have really blessed me today! God is surely up to something! First, last night Lynn in St. Louis called and started speaking to me about what God wants to do in my life. Now today: Here God has you, Lynn in Southfield, texting me about God opening doors for me. That is two cousins in less than twenty-four hours, encouraging me. Lynn you just don’t know how much you have blessed me today. Thank you! Love you!!

My cousin:  She sent an emoji with a kiss of love.

Even with that super encouraging text conversation with my cousin, fear overrode the inspiring words of comfort. “I can’t do this” and “Who do you think you are” continued to ring in my ears.

But I also heard, “STOP IT ROCHELLE! That is ludicrous. You have an earned M.Div. You mentor several people. You have been blogging since 2015. You have been ghostwriting, developing ministerial curricula, writing ministerial lessons, and consulting, teaching and training ministry leaders for years. You love studying and teaching the Word of God. Your Pastor has called on you to teach Bible Study and speak during Sunday morning, Sunday evening worship services and Friday night evangelistic services for years. You coordinated your Jurisdictional Women’s Leadership Conferences for twenty years. You have taught in other cities, states, and denominations. Most of all YOU ARE ANOINTED BY GOD TO DO THIS. WWWR is an overdue extension of your functional call from God. Stop succumbing to the spirits of fear and pride’s taunts! Stop worrying about what people think. Girl, do what a confidante said to you, ‘Get out there!'” If anyone asks you, “Why or Why now?” tell them, “GOD SAYS TO DO THIS, NOW!” Tell yourself, “YOU’VE BEEN CALLED FOR A REASON! SOMEBODY IS WAITING TO HEAR ‘YOU’ LIFT UP JESUS AND EXPOUND ON THE WORD, NOW! GO TEACH, SPEAK, WRITE, AND KEEP IN MIND, YOUR REASON IS ‘MORE THAN JUST BECAUSE!’

But Fear Still Reigned!

Even after the encouragement from my cousin and the rebuke from the Lord, the spirit of fear still lingered. That frustrating squatter thought it had the upper hand. But, when you serve an awesome God, and your life is surrendered to God, He will decide when enough is enough.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He sets up opportunities to help us discover underlying strongholds driven by voices that hide in the corridors of our minds and spirits, sneak out periodically, throw darts and go back into hiding. Even so, I truly believe everything that happens in our lives is in God’s timing. This makes me think of Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

The other day, I called an evangelist in another city and left a message for her to contact me about a ministry project a team and I were working on. She called, and we had a long conversation that blessed me. I spoke to her about “Walking Through the Word with Rochelle;” how my voice is too soft, and how afraid I am to go forward with it. She said, “Rochelle, God gave you that voice. You already have a following (even though that does not matter to me). …People are stepping into arenas because of a lack of understanding. You are nobody’s joke. God’s hand is on your life.” She also told me about how she thinks my teaching, wisdom, knowledge of God’s Word, humility and God’s anointing blesses others. I listened, but fear overrode what she was saying.

But God!!!

Then our awesome God had the evangelist to say something that brought out the true culprit. She said, “Rochelle, let me ask you ONE QUESTION!” She uttered, “WHAT BESIDES THE FEAR IS BOTHERING YOU?”

I immediately started crying and said, “I was born with my head caved in. When I was a little girl, my daddy would say that I was ugly. I grew up thinking that I was ugly. I even felt that way about myself most of my adulthood. I thought I had gotten past that. I would quote Psalm 139:14 to myself, “I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Marvellous are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well.” Then as I apologized to my sister in the Lord for crying, I said, “But lately, when I look in the mirror, all I see is UGLY!” She said, “Rochelle, you are beautiful. Your spirit is beautiful too. God is sending you to feed the people. They are dying.”

Wow! I did not realize how the true culprit was lingering in my subconscience. I thank God for my sister in the Lord’s yolk breaking question.

It is such a blessing for the Lord to expose the sneaky strongholds in our lives that the enemy uses to bind us. I am so thankful to God for what He has done for me. He knows better than us what we need. It is time for me to obey God. The new launch date for “Walking Through The Word With Rochelle” is Thursday, July 8, 2021 @ 8:00 PM. ABSOLUTELY NO MORE CANCELLATIONS!

My friend, what has God told you to do that is ‘More Than Just Because?’ If it is in your heart, no more excuses. Even when you are attacked by a group of people who misunderstand you, go forward. Even when you do not believe it is in you, go forward. Dependance upon God is what we all need. You may be the one who others openly try to set up to fail. You may be the one who others falsely accuse because of the gifts that God has placed within you. Go forward! You may have multiple gifts. You may be an awesome administrator! You may be an intellectual! You may have multiple degrees! You may have the gift of helps! You may be a prayer warrior, a carpenter, a brick mason, an architect, a lyricist, a musician, a psalmist. Go forward! You may be an awesome cook! You may be a writer in hiding! You may be the ultimate encourager! You may be the confusion defuse agent! With whatever gifts and talents you have, you may be the one who people constantly try to outdo or prove you wrong, inadequate or a know it all. But my friend, go forward!

You do not have to let others know the reasons why you do what you do. You do not owe anyone an explanation. Just know what the Lord has told you to do, trust and depend upon God, and if you have a good, saved God-fearing Pastor, talk to your Pastor about what God has placed on your heart to do, and DO IT!  Because you and the Lord know your reasons for starting that business, launching that ministry, publishing that book, moving forward in your education, getting that certification; ladies: marrying the man God says is the one, men: marrying the woman God says is the one; buying that house or just buying new furniture during a pandemic. You know the great big omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God of Heaven who sent His only begotten Son so that we may be saved! You know the God whom you serve knows what you do is ‘More Than Just Because!’ You have prayed to God about that thing! So, my friend! Go forward and do it!

Thank you for joining me today. I will leave you with this. “Are your life and ministry choices more than just because? If anything is holding you back, stay before God in prayer, get past the hindrance, and go forward!”

I will talk with you soon!

Blessings!

 

Rochelle