S8.7 | Embracing God's Plan: Stepping into Purpose and Overcoming Comparison, Comfort, and Compromise
In this episode we delve into the pivotal topic of pursuing God's vision for our lives. Carla addresses the common hurdles of comfort, comparison, and compromise that hinder us from embracing the unique purpose and calling God has placed within us. Join us as we explore the transformative power of faith and obedience in walking out our divine destiny.
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Key Takeaways
Unveiling God's Vision:
Carla emphasizes the clarity of God's call, reminding us that our primary purpose is to love God, love others, and make disciples. Despite our unique circumstances, we are all part of God's grand design, and seeking His guidance unveils the specific steps He has ordained for each of us.
Overcoming Comfort:
Carla candidly discusses the trap of comfort even in discomfort, revealing how many individuals inadvertently settle for familiarity, hindering their personal growth and fulfilling God's purpose. Unpacking the rich young man's encounter with Jesus, she challenges listeners to step out of their comfort zones to fully embrace God's plan for their lives.
Defeating Comparison:
From her own vulnerable experiences, Carla shares the detrimental effects of comparison, which often lead to feelings of inadequacy and hinder one's alignment with God's purpose. Drawing parallels from the story of the Israelites and the promised land, she empowers listeners to shift their focus from comparison to celebrating their unique role in the Kingdom.
Discerning Compromise:
Through the story of Abraham and his compromise in seeking to fulfill God's promise through his own means, Carla emphasizes the significance of unwavering faith and obedience. She calls for a rejection of compromise and adoption of a steadfast commitment to God's vision, transcending worldly temptations and shortcuts.
Connect With Carla:
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> carlaagreswellness@gmail.com
Renewing Hope Course —-> https://www.carlaarges.com/renewing-hope
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
Check out the blog
Resources:
5 Steps to Building Resiliency
Affirming Truths Facebook Community
5 Tips for Overcoming a Negative Body Image
Who You Say I Am Biblical Affirmation Cards
TRANSCRIPT
Carla Arges [00:00:08]:
Hey friends, welcome to affirming truth. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. And it would mean the world to.
Carla Arges [00:00:28]:
Me if you would leave a review.
Carla Arges [00:00:30]:
I am so glad you're here. Let's get started. Hey friends, welcome to affirming truths.
Carla Arges [00:00:37]:
I am your host and your friend, Carla Arges. And I would love to be friends with you over on Instagram. So come find me on my new account, Carla Arges, and let's get to know one another. Okay? I had the opportunity recently to speak at a women's ministry event, and the topic and the theme of that event was all about pursuing vision. And I just thought some of the message that I shared with those women is relevant for you, is relevant for you, because I know, having been in your shoes, as someone that was struggling in their faith, someone that was struggling with their mental health, someone that was struggling through trauma, that it can feel like we don't have a vision, that we don't have purpose, and it can get really murky. Does that resonate with you? That you find it hard enough just to get through each day? You can't imagine something more. But can I tell you, God does have something more. He tells us in Jeremiah that he has a hope and a future for us.
Carla Arges [00:01:48]:
He tells us in the New Testament that we were planned with purpose to do good works. God has plan and purpose over your life, friend. Now, the thing is that we don't actually lack vision. That is not what the church lacks. Can I tell you that your calling is pretty straightforward. Your call is to love God, love others and make disciples. Now, how that looks for each one of us will be different, right? God uses our experience and what he's helped us overcome. He uses our natural gifts and talents and our spiritual gifts, and he takes our education into account.
Carla Arges [00:02:34]:
And he brings all these things together to bring about how uniquely we show up in this world for the kingdom. But what I've noticed what happens is not that we lack the vision, not that we lack the calling. Because if we ask, God will tell us. It says, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open for you. For whoever asks, receives. The one who seeks, finds.
Carla Arges [00:03:06]:
And to the one who knocks, the door is open. God does not want to be misunderstood in terms of what he's calling you to do. He is not murky. He is not confusing. Now, sometimes we think, I don't know what he's calling me to do because we don't see the 20 step plan like we want to see the plan from beginning to end. And God doesn't do that. He says, here's the first step. God is telling you what your call is with the next.
Carla Arges [00:03:35]:
Right? First step. We don't always recognize that because we're looking for the great picture, the whole strategy, the whole roadmap. But here's what ends up happening to us, that we don't move towards the purpose that God has for us because we're either too comfortable even in our discomfort. I have seen this with clients that have had to waken up, that they have been so comfortable even in the misery, that to do the work, to bring about purpose in their life, they're just not willing to do. They're just not willing to do. It's so hard. And I get it. I want to remind you of the rich young man that came to Jesus in Matthew.
Carla Arges [00:04:30]:
And he says, what do I need to do to get eternal life? He had a vision. He saw the call Jesus was giving to believe. And he asked, kind of expecting, well, I'm already doing all these things, right. I already go to church. I already obey my know. Some of us have a checklist of things that we do that are spiritual and we think, okay, we're good. But Jesus said to him, if you will be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Carla Arges [00:05:14]:
God was very clear on the call. He didn't leave room for confusion or misunderstanding. God was very clear on the call. Sell everything that you own and follow me and the man, rather than being excited about having that direction and that call, that invitation to follow Jesus was sorrowful because it meant getting uncomfortable. My question to you is, in your struggle with your mental health, in your struggle through healing with trauma, where have you gotten comfortable with it? So you're not moving forward to where God would lead you, because taking control of our healing and our well being is often uncomfortable. Healing from trauma means facing it and sitting with the pain and accepting it and grieving and going through forgiveness. And it's hard work. We have to learn to sit with tough emotions, and that's uncomfortable.
Carla Arges [00:06:24]:
So a lot of us don't do that. Instead, we stay stuck we stay stuck in our numbing out. We stay stuck in our disassociation. We stay stuck in our anxiety because we don't want to get uncomfortable. But God is calling you to something greater. God is calling you to surrender all and follow him. Are you willing to get uncomfortable so that you can see God's plans fully made manifest in your life? The other reason why we don't end up walking in our call is because of comparison. And man, has this one been a thorn in my side for a lot of my life.
Carla Arges [00:07:16]:
For a lot of my life, I compared how everyone else was doing things well, and everything was a struggle for me. And people seemed happy and healthy and whole, and I wasn't. And people's houses seemed neater, and they just seemed to have more capacity. That's really what it was. I would compare people in their capacity who weren't dealing with trauma, who didn't have bipolar or BPD, who didn't have these other things, and I would compare, and in my comparison, I would feel like I was not good enough. And so I wouldn't do anything. And even now, as a podcaster, even now that I'm so far in my healing, even now, as I try to encourage women in my ministry on social media or have this podcast, it is tempting to compare other women in ministry in this space and be like, wow, her instagram account is growing quicker. Or, wow, she seems to have more downloads on her podcast.
Carla Arges [00:08:22]:
Or, wow, doors are opening for her. Maybe I'm not really cut out for this. Right? The problem with comparison is that we discount our gifts, we discount our blessing, we discount the unique role God wants us to play in the kingdom. You see, we get our eyes off of Jesus and onto other things, when really we should be celebrating what is happening in the kingdom through other people. We let it make us feel small and unimportant, or we compare ourselves to the world. Like, social media has made this so rampant. It reminds me of the story of the Israelites who are promised the promised land. This was the vision.
Carla Arges [00:09:14]:
This was their call to go and take the land. Moses sends in twelve spies to the land, and they see that it's good. It's full of milk and honey. They bring back produce. It takes two men to carry it back. It's so big. God's vision was good. Where God was calling them was good.
Carla Arges [00:09:36]:
But what happened? Ten of the spies said, forget it, we can't do this. They looked at the inhabitants, they compared themselves to the people dwelling there and discounted themselves. Because the other people looked bigger and stronger. They were looking at their own abilities rather than what God wanted to do in and through them. And because of that comparison, it kept them out of the promised land. They did not get to see the promised land. They did not get to fulfill God's call because they doubted, because they were comparing and said, well, then we can't do it. Is that what you're doing in your own life? You don't need to compare yourself to anyone else.
Carla Arges [00:10:25]:
God sees you where you are and he will equip you with each step of faith. He will equip you with each step of faith. Who cares if Susie J's house is cleaner? Invite people over for a Bible study at your house. Who cares if someone has a more eloquent prayer language? Volunteer to pray for someone who cares if someone else seems to be able to work a full time job and be a mom and do everything great. You do what God is calling you to do. Eyes on your own lane, eyes fixed on Jesus. The other reason why we don't end up doing or walking in our call is we compromise. This is a big one.
Carla Arges [00:11:18]:
We compromise. We see God's call and we want to add our own spice to it, or we don't exactly like where he's leading us because going back to the comfort, it makes us uncomfortable because it costs us something. And so we say, well, I don't want all these people to not like me, so I'll do a little bit of what you say, God, but I'm going to also hold back a bit. Right? We compromise. Or God gives us a promise. And rather than waiting for God to fulfill it at the perfect timing, we get our hands in the middle and we try to mess it up and make it happen on our own. And we compromise our steadfast faith into trying to make it happen in our own way. You know, Abraham compromised.
Carla Arges [00:12:13]:
He had a vision from God, a covenant with God that he would be the father of nations. But he didn't wait for God's perfect fulfillment. He compromised. He slept with Hagar to bring Ishmael into the world. But that was not God's intention. God wanted him to be with his wife. God had better plans. But Abraham compromised on his values, compromised on his commitment in order to bring about God's promise.
Carla Arges [00:12:51]:
Now, it may have been acceptable in the world to do what Abraham had done, but God was calling Abraham to be set apart, just like he's calling you and I to be set apart. Are you compromising? Listen, God has plan and purpose over you. Your trauma cannot rob God, cannot rob you of God's plan. Your mental illness cannot rob you of God's plan. Your struggle cannot rob you of God's plan. God has promised you a future and the hope. The only thing that will get in the way of it is you. Your unwillingness to get uncomfortable, your lack of keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, your tendency to compromise and want to still be like the world in the midst of the kingdom.
Carla Arges [00:13:53]:
This ultimately is an issue of obedience, and we don't like to say that. Won't you be obedient to God today? Won't you surrender to God today? Won't you recommit to where he's calling you and the purpose over your life and take that first step forward? In faith, God will equip you. Doesn't mean he'll spare you the difficulties. We're promised trials, but we never walk them alone. God's given you a vision. God's given you a call. Won't you answer it? Won't you put aside everything else and trust God's vision for you and take that next step of faith? My affirming truth for you today is I will pursue Christ with all my heart, and I'm taking us to Matthew 633. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
Carla Arges [00:14:53]:
All these things. All these things that God knows that you need. You don't have to strive for them. God knows that you need them, and he will provide them for you as you seek him first, as you step into your call, as you walk out your purpose, as you have your eyes and your heart fixed on him, I will pursue Christ with all my heart. I'll talk to you next time.
Carla Arges [00:15:26]:
Thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social media, but if we're not, come find me on Instagram at Carla Arges or at affirming truth. Can't wait to see you back here next week.
Carla Arges [00:15:39]:
Bye, friends.