I've been given the opportunity to volunteer with an organization, called Passion to Reach, which I have close connections to. At this time I will not go into detail about the ministry outreach, but I would like to share some notes I took on one of their podcasts. Which are available online here.
These are my notes from Episode 24, entitled The Father’s Love.
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Connecting to God’s mission for your life; we are encouraged to use our experience as a testimony. Where some of us may see our past experiences as a painful detour, and sometimes it will try to take us away from God. But God will use what we’ve gone through to lead us to the mission He has for us. He will connect our mission to some aspect of our past experience because that’s where the passion comes from.
There are two types of people: there are people who overcome or there are people who get stuck in the pain and never move on from re-living the event. But “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him…” (See Romans 8:28).
Tabish shares his testimony. His father was Muslim, and his mother was Catholic. Dad was abusive, he would come home to beat him and his mother; Tabish shares a few memories of the darkness that was over his life. He defined his life based on the way his father treated him, he felt worthless and unvalued; and he believe that since his father felt this way, everyone else around him felt the same way. He said it was overwhelming, “even though I was living I felt imprisoned”, this was all his life was. He felt that there was no value to his life; he couldn’t offer anything to the world because he was not valued, and ultimately he felt like an outcast.
But in this pain experience, his mom held on to her faith, and she shared little bits and pieces with Tabish about Jesus when she could. One weekend, when his dad was out of town, Tabish’s mom took him to church, and at one point the pastor was speaking of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Tabish had not heard of the Holy Spirit before, so he was home he sought God. He saw the heavens open and a dove descent down out of the heavens, and what appeared to be a ball of light came from the doves belly and hit his face. In that moment he thought he was blind, but he knew he wasn’t because there was an incredible brightness. He felt loved and a sense of belonging.
Tabish’s perspective had been shifted, from how his father on earth had no value for him, to knowing that the God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, loved him and valued him. And in knowing this, Tabish see that he can now add value to others in the world.
“The greatest enemy and friend that we have is our mind… because our mind is kind of interesting. It’s so unique, because while our mind is a battleground, it's also a weapon that we fight with. Even though you can be impression in your own thoughts, your thoughts are the keys to your freedom.” - Tabish
The people around us affect our thoughts. Sometimes we may feel neglected or worthless; these are just lies from the enemy that we think upon. Knowing who we are in Christ is all the difference. What do you believe about who you are in Christ?
Tabish’s new understandings of his value and worth have changed how he is impacting the world. He found this value and worth through reading and knowing the Word of God (the Bible). “Every word [we receive] is a seed” and we have to because with the seeds we allow to take root. Tabish brought the example of when we were born we come into the word with an empty mind, and as we grow up we develop thoughts that are placed in our minds. Whether it be related to how we are treated by others or how we feel about it or what is spoken over us. So the Word of God has changed his thoughts to be full of truth, and we are encouraged to renew ourselves in the Word daily.
Tabish had learned the power of influence. He states that he cannot be like how his father was towards him, but instead he needs to be like how God the Father is to him, when it comes to having an impact in the world. “To love other as I love myself, telling the world that God loves them, and that they belong.”
Tabish has been attending Canada Christian College to equip himself to evangelize. He serves on the media ministry at his church. He has also surrounded himself with positive influences
to water the seed in his own life; discipleship in Tabish’s life has been crucial for the development of his ministry.
Take away thoughts:
God finds value in you, and He loves you.
Know who you are in Christ
in order to live out the mission for your life;
your past experiences
will help you find the passion
that will drive this mission.
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