Dear Sister

I am reading the book entitled Dear Sister,: Letters of Hope and Encouragement

You can find the book at www.gfa.org

by Gisela Yohannan.

She is the wife of the founder of Gospel for Asia and will be the speaker at our women's retreat.(Click here for her bio: Jubilee Women's Conference)

The chapter I just read is "Do You Share God's Expectations for Your Life?"

Here is an excerpt:

. . . I planned to take a few hours off to reflect on the past year, pray,
and think about what I should specifically believe God for during the next 12
months. (Wow! That is what I have done every New Year's Eve/Day for about 25 years!). I wanted to write those things down and make them a matter of prayer, faith, and expectation.

This brings me to the question I wish to ask you:

Do you have any specific prayer requests and expectations for this
year? . . . what I want you to consider is your spiritual life: the
depth of your personal walk with the Lord, your growth as a Christian, the
progress you have made toward developing a Christlike character, and, most of
all, how real your relationship is with Jesus --if the things you proclaim can
be seen in your life.

Our time here on earth is so limited . . .it would be
tragic if we let them pass by carelessly and simply live each day without being
conscious of our purpose. . . The quality and depth of work we will be able to
accomplish largely depends on the quality and depth God is able to work into our
personal life and character. Our steadfastness, genuine love, and trust
in God's word -- and conversely, our shallowness, lack of faith and worldly
mind-set -- will be reproduced in our disciples.

Why should we have expectations for our life as a child of
God? Because God does! . . . He looks at each one of us, He sees
not only our potential through Christ but also the finished result, and He longs
to bring us there. (She then uses examples of what God saw in Moses, David,
Peter) . . .The highest expectation that God has for each of us surpasses that of a
deliverer, a king, or an apostle (referring to Moses, David, Peter). He wants us
to become like Jesus (Ephesians 4:13).

We need to agree with God, and with all humility, share
His expectations for our lives. . .there is no hindrance to
what God has in mind for you. . . He needs two things from your side:
your cooperation and your faith!. . .

At least once each year, we should take a serious look at our
spiritual life, keeping God's expectation in mind. How do we know if we
come a little closer to God's goal . . .? Look for signs like these:

• My tongue has become more hesitant to speak out, spread rumors, and judge
  others.
• I find myself more often praying and doing something about the needs of
  others than my own.
• My conscience seems to speak louder and alert me faster to confess sin,
  forgive others, and stay away from things that I would not have recognized as
  dangers to my spiritual life six months ago.
• Instead of depending on [others] to rescue me and comfort me each time in my struggles, I have become increasingly able to draw strength from the Lord on my
  own.

Evaluations like these don't make me more spiritual, but . . . are helpful in determining what I should pray and believe God for, search out in God's Word, work on and pursue for victory. . .take time off and learn where you are
in your walk with the Lord. Think of several areas where you struggle the most,
and make them your specific prayer requests for this year. Expect that God will
change you, and it will happen according to your faith.

GOTTA LOVE THAT!