The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes that life is made up of seasons:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build ; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

What season do you find yourself in now?

What season are you looking forward to? I wanted to write this article to encourage you to be present in the season that you are in and allow God to use you today. Today is all we have and all we are guaranteed. Often, though, we spend our time waiting for the next thing; we put our lives on pause until: we finish college, find a spouse, have a child, climb the career ladder, gain more financial security or whatever it is you are waiting for.

A French philosopher called Blaise Pascal, who lived in the 1600s, wrote the following quote:

“Let each of us examine his thoughts; he will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future. The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means, the future alone our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.” – Blaise Pascal.

This quote is like a slap in the face to me. I shudder to think that I might be always waiting to live my life and never actually living it. Pascal goes on to suggest that the reason we only focus on the past or the future is to escape our present, as our present is too unsatisfying to think about. I understand this sentiment. I am just emerging from a season of having three tiny babies all at once.

I had my first son in 2014, and becoming a mum was the biggest emotional explosion of my life. I loved my son so much, but I was exhausted and overwhelmed; and I found the newborn season hard. Then, when he was only nine months old, I found out I was pregnant again, this time with twins. Having three tiny babies was more than I thought I could cope with. Sleep was a thing of the past; silence was a thing of the past. The present was bone painful exhaustion, the almost constant sound of a baby crying, and the absolute knowledge that I was inadequate for the task, simply because I didn’t have enough arms to comfort all three of my babies in a way that was good enough for them at the same time. Honestly, I shudder to remember the exhaustion of those days.

But it was a season. My oldest son, Levi, is four now, and my twins, Emmanuel and Gracie, are almost three; and life is so much easier. My house is filled more often with laughter than crying (although there is still some crying). And yes, there is no doubt this season feels better than the one where they were all tiny babies, but the point is, I could not have gotten here if I had not lived through that newborn season. God wants to work in us and use us in every season of our lives.

So, take your life off pause!

Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). Offer up the season you’re living in to the Lord and see Him move in you and through you this very day.

I think we each have in our minds an “end-game.” That thing that when we get it, we will finally be happy. Then we can finally post it on social media and move on with our lives. What is your end game? A degree? A baby? A spouse? A missionary posting? A desired job? All of these things are good, but they are not your “end-game;” however, you will only discover that when you finally get it.

The reason for this is that purpose and happiness are not found in a change of situation, no, they are found in Jesus Christ.

Married or single, in a loud, busy life or a quiet and solitary one, the only one who is always present and always faithful and who never lets us down is Jesus.

Remember, Jesus said He came to give us life abundant (John 10:10).

That “life abundant” for you is found in Jesus today. Not in some future nebulous dream, but today, now, as your breath goes in and out, as you read these words, Jesus is present in the present. Speak to Him, commit this day and this season to Him and see what great things He does during a season of your life that you were tempted to just write off. God is with you, and He is moving. Be used by God today; this is the one thing we all have in common, no matter what season we find ourselves in, no matter what age you are or what situation you find yourself in; God is willing to use you and desires to use you.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God today; He cares for you and has a plan for you in this season. Open your heart to see God working in your life today and become excited about what God is doing in your present season. The past is gone; the future is not guaranteed. All we have is the present, so let’s offer each day to the Lord and live each moment of our life in the fullness that Jesus won for us.

The story of David and Goliath is a familiar one to us all. But could it be that in the familiar, we miss the important? Three principles about conquering giant problems in our own lives are taught through the story of this one young man.

Imagine the story. The scene is tense. As they had done for 40 days, the Israeli army has gone down into the valley to face off. The giant came down and mocked them. In the midst of this drama, David shows up. Having been sent on a mission by his father to deliver the cheese and bread and check on the status of the battle, he goes right out into the valley to find his brothers.

When he hears Goliath’s taunts, he starts asking questions, and then it happens. An attack he wasn’t expecting! His oldest brother criticizes him. It’s as if the attack came out of nowhere. Eliab says in 1 Samuel 17:28, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

It happens to us all the time, doesn’t it? You’re just trying to get things done, do the right thing and solve problems, and someone, maybe even someone in your own family, goes on the attack. They criticize. They judge. You feel misunderstood. Your immediate impulse is to defend, justify or even attack back. And it’s right here in the story where we get our first very important lesson about conquering giant problems in our lives. Notice what David does in verse 30. “He then turned away…” He didn’t get sucked in. He didn’t defend himself. He just turned away. Why? Because that wasn’t the most important battle to fight.

Oh, if we could learn that one lesson, how much more could we accomplish? We wouldn’t get sidetracked by petty arguments. We’d be able to focus on the important issues at hand.

Lesson 1: Choose the Right Battles

That’s just the first lesson… We have two more to learn.

As David watches the giant rant, his passions are stirred, and he goes to King Saul and offers his services. Notice Saul’s response, because in it is the second attack we often experience in our own lives. Saul says in verse 33, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man…”

Did you see it? “You are not able…” ”You are only….” Those are the words of the enemy, and sometimes they come from those who are supposed to be on our side. Sometimes they come from our own heart as the evil one attacks us with doubts. “You’re only a mom without a real job.” “You’re only unemployed.” “You aren’t able to do this. You’re not strong enough, organized enough or confident enough.” Those are lies of the enemy, the accuser, who wants to limit you and me.

David wasn’t deterred. He saw the enemy. He knew God would deliver. He wouldn’t even wear the king’s armor. Why? Because David thought differently about the battle. He knew that God was more powerful than this giant, and he was ready to go out and take him down. Two lessons so far:

Lesson 1: Choose the Right Battles

Lesson 2: With the Right Thinking

And there’s one more lesson we can’t miss. As David goes down to fight Goliath, the giant tries to provoke him to fight his way. Goliath says in verse 43-44, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks…Come here and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

And Goliath was right! If David would’ve come close to Goliath he would have lost the battle. David won this battle because he refused to fight with the same weapons as Goliath. David use weapons of the air. He was a slinger, not a swordsman. A slinger beats a swordsman any day.

How often are you provoked to fight a battle with your spouse and end up in a yelling match? Or when kids argue, why argue with them? We are different. We don’t fight the battle the same way. We don’t fight with people who fight, argue with people who argue, or yell with people who like to yell.

2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

We all have giant battles to conquer. God wants to do amazing things in and through us. He wants to empower us to overcome and gain the victory. Notice David’s response to Goliath in verse 46. “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” The battle will be won so that “the whole world will know that there is a God.” The battle you fight today is not just for you, but God wants to bring you victory to reveal that testimony inside of you. He wants to empower you not only to help you win, but so that others can see the power of God through you.

How does it happen? Keep these three Lessons in mind as you go out to conquer your giant battles.

Lesson 1: Fight the Right Battles
Lesson 2: With the Right Thinking

Lesson 3: Using the Right Weapons

And after the giant fell, David went over and took that sword that was designed to destroy him, and with it cut off Goliath’s head. Total victory. The very thing that was meant by the enemy to destroy you is the thing God wants to use to give you total victory.

What giant battle does God want you to conquer today? Maybe you’ll say, “I’m not just going to stay in this marriage, but I’m actually going to love my husband.” “I’m not just going to endure this job I’m in, but I’m going to bless all those people I come in contact with.” “I’m going to overcome this addiction.”

Yes, the giant problem in your life is huge. It’s tough. But the question isn’t “How big is your giant?” The question is, “How big is your God?” Go out and do some conquering today, facing your giant problems with God’s grace.

Name: Sarah Yardley
Family: I am the oldest of 7, and adore my siblings. My parents came to know Christ before I was born and raised me in faith.
Years Born-again: 32 years
Years in Ministry: 16 years
Ministry Experience: Servant, women’s ministry, children’s ministry, missions/outreach, events coordination, administration, resource production and distribution, volunteer coordinator.
Current Ministry Role & Location of Local Church: Festival Coordinator, Creation Fest. Local church is Tubestation in Polzeath, Cornwall, England.
Church Website & Social Media Contact Information: Twitter: @yardleysarah Facebook: Facebook.com/sarahyardley, Instagram @sarahyardley

What is the greatest life lesson the Lord has taught you recently?

This past year has been one of tremendous personal and spiritual growth. It’s difficult to choose just one lesson. Perhaps the most significant is the one He teaches me over and over, my whole life long:

I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

There are and always will be places where I fail, fall, learn, repent. By the grace of God, my actions will never change His love for me. His redemption is daily at work in my life, not just to redeem my soul, but even to redeem every moment of every day. The work of redemption is greater than I ever realized before.

What is the greatest ministry lesson the Lord has taught you recently?

It’s not about the moment. It’s about our lives.

Our tendency is always to focus on the moment. Social media has only amplified this tendency. We capture a snapshot, apply a filter, write a witty caption, share it with others, and we can tangibly measure how much people like that moment.

It’s fairly easy to take a nice picture and filter what we share. But the reality is: no picture can capture the beauty of long-term faithfulness. No photo can reflect sacrificial love. Our calling is to live for an eternal kingdom. Our moments should be a reflection, the echo, of a lifelong character.

What are you looking forward to most at the CC Missions Conference?

I love the conversations at these conferences. I’m thankful for the teaching, the worship, the coffee shop, the resources, but I love most the individual, life-shaping conversations. I remember so many ways this conference shaped my own life and calling to missions. I am deeply honored to share a bit of my story this year. I pray that it can be used to speak of the love and grace of Jesus to this generation of missionaries.

What topic are you teaching on at the conference?

The Gospel
Of the Kingdom
Must be proclaimed
As a testimony
To all nations
And then the end will come.

Handily, it’s the theme. My message, summed up in a sentence: Let all we do begin with a great love for Jesus (because He loves us).

J. Robert Ashcroft, former president of Evangel College and father of U.S. Senator John Ashcroft wrote, “All heaven is waiting to help those who will discover the will of God and do it.”

“What is God’s will for my life?” is one question that all of us who name the name of Christ have asked at some point in our lives. “Should I go here or should I go there?” “Should I go to this school . . . take this job . . . marry this person . . . move to this city?” I’ve known many people who have struggled with the decision of whether or not to quit their job and “go into the ministry.”

The Bigger Question

Whether educational, vocational, matrimonial, or geographical choices, we all have to make them at some point. We all want to make the right decisions. But how do we know if our decision will be the right one? What if we blow it? What if we make the wrong decision in one of these important areas?

Sometimes people wonder if they are living life “outside the will of God.” How can you be sure that you are in God’s will? Have you ever wondered if God even has a will?

Could it be that we are asking the wrong question?

Let’s do something that is hard for those of us who live in North America. Let’s forget about ourselves!

Let’s not ask the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” and let’s ask the question, “What is God’s will for the world?” Aaah! Now we are on to something! God’s plan for the world can be summarized in two words: salvation and discipleship. God wants people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). After they are saved, He wants them to become growing Christians (Colossians 2:6–7,Matthew 28:19–20).

Did not Jesus come to provide a way for us to be saved? Is this not absolutely the mostimportant message in the history of the world? Once a man, woman, boy, or girl experiences salvation, God’s plan for that individual is spiritual growth. He wants each of us to becomemature in faith. He does not want us to be stagnant but to be growing. In fact, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews assumed that spiritual growth was the expected norm of Christians. He expected the readers of the letter not just to be growing, but to be becoming teachers: “Although by this time you ought to be teachers . . .” (Hebrews 5:12).

So let’s take this question of God’s will for our lives a step further. If God is all about evangelism and discipleship, doesn’t it make sense that His will for your life and mine would have something to do with those two purposes? Instead of asking, “What is God’s will for my life?”, perhaps the better question is, “How am I uniquely equipped to invest my time, talents, and treasures to be part of full-filling God’s will (evangelism and discipleship) for the world?”

More Questions

If you are a Christian, God’s will for your life has something to do with evangelism and discipleship. Keeping that as the foundation, start asking yourself questions like this: “What am I good at? What do I do that blesses other people? What do I want to do before I die? How am I using my disposable income? What gets me more excited: evangelism or discipleship? What have I done that God has really blessed? What opportunities do I have that others don’t? If money was no object, what would I do? Where would I go?” What about your current career? Does your job open up any opportunities for you to take the love of Jesus to places where there is no witness for Christ? Will that increase in salary give you more financial resources to help missionaries or sponsor a new evangelism program at your church?

Single? Does the person you are dating help you grow closer to Jesus? Is your future spouseministry minded? (If not, do not marry that person!)

Have you considered starting a Bible study or prayer group in your new school or neighborhood? Do you love to travel and learn about other cultures? What about taking your skills to countries that are closed to the gospel? Have you ever considered mentoring younger men or women? Do you have ministry experience or life skills from which others could learn?

Stop reading for a moment.

Now pray.

Then go back through this list of questions, and take some time to write down some answers.Do some soul-searching, keeping in mind that God is all about evangelism and discipleship.When you truly understand what is on God’s heart, you will make different choices. It’s not just about choosing a job or a school or a mate. It’s about examining that decision in light of God’s master plan of evangelism and discipleship.

One of the reasons I decided to become a senior pastor is for this very matter. Over time, I began to see that the best way for me to fulfill the Great Commission in my life was to pastor a church. That’s not going to be the same for you, necessarily. But you are called by God to do something in the way of discipling others. If you are not making disciples, you are out of the willof God. God wants to use your life to help others grow closer to Him.

It may happen as you start a lunchtime prayer meeting or Bible study at work. It may happen as you open your home to host a small group from your church. It may be sharing your testimony with a coworker or at a business luncheon. If you are a plumber or a carpet cleaner, when yougo into a customer’s house, are you open to sharing the love of Jesus with that customer? Do you pray for them, if only quietly to yourself?

If you have children, you have a God-given mandate to disciple them. If you don’t have children, whenever you interact with younger people at your church, encourage them in the things of the Lord.

Whether it’s formal discipleship and mentoring, or whether it’s informally but intentionally talking about God with people, you are a disciple maker and a soul winner!

You are part of God’s plan for the world. You can start living this out today!