The Invitation
At the beginning of fall 2021, I was asked to speak at a women’s conference (Beautifully Brokenx3) scheduled for the end of April 2022 in Dallas, Texas. I happily accepted the invitation, knowing the Lord would give me the words to speak, the scripture to reference, and His heart for the women. In early 2022 I started seeking the Lord in what to say. He gave me nothing except peace that He “had it.” About six weeks before the conference, I was asked by the event planner what my message was about, to provide questions for the breakout session after the talk, and to give song suggestions for the worship leader before and after my session.
The Planning
None of these things were out of the ordinary. For planning purposes, event planners, worship leaders, and group leaders need answers to their questions. So I inquired of the Lord to give me the scripture. He spoke three words, “In the beginning.” I asked Him for breakout questions to go with that theme. He provided questions that would go with any theme. When I inquired about song suggestions for the worship leader, He assured me our worship leader would know exactly what to sing and when. As the days leading up to the conference inched closer, I sensed the Lord leading me to study these three words, “in the beginning,” because within these three words was the message for the women.
The Preparation
I found three amazing verses in the Bible that began with “in the beginning.” Do any of these pop out to you as you think about those three words? Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, Hebrews 1:10. And I found a phrase, “From the beginning,” in 1 John 1:1. The Lord spoke into my heart, “I DO MY BEST WORK IN THE DARK.” Think about it. Before the world was filled, it was dark. And God said … and it was so. When God speaks, everything changes! Light forms in the darkness and our minds are open to new revelations! His words have creative energy!
My Friday night session of the conference was to help women see how, even in the gray and darkness of life, God is there – working, speaking, orchestrating, healing, going before us to prepare the way – and though we do not have to enjoy the process, we can embrace it, knowing He is with us, and He is working behind the scenes. We talk to Him, we listen for His voice, and we obey the directive He gives us – He is the best companion in our darkness, and He is the greatest guide to bring us back into the light. He can write the, “in the beginning,” phase of each chapter of our life. He can even go back to the beginning of previous chapters and show us how He brought beauty through things we thought brought death! Yes, He is that amazing!
The Presentation
Thankful for these revelations and bullet points from God, I knew He would fill in the gaps between the brief outline and the 40 minutes I was given to speak. And He did. As soon as my feet hit the stage, my mind went blank. In my early years of speaking, this would cause me anxiety and I would fumble through my notes to try to remember what I had planned to say. In my experienced and more mature years of allowing Him to speak through me, I have found great peace in knowing He will give me exactly the words He needs me to speak – because these are His women and He alone knows their hearts, their needs, their secret desires and wishes, and He alone knows how to speak into the heart of His child.
So after standing on stage for a few seconds with a completely empty mind, He began to pour His words into my spirit and they flowed through my lips into the hearts of these women. They were not my words. They were His words. And we know that when HE speaks, things change. When HE speaks, everything changes.
The Revelations
There was life change at that Beautifully Brokenx3 weekend conference in Dallas, Texas. The spirit moved through each speaker, the worship leader, the group leaders, and through everyone in attendance. He was there, massaging the hearts of the broken, speaking wisdom into the hearts of the seeking, holding the hearts of the hurting, and using me and His other vessels to pour out His love into a room of women who came seeking Him. He promises, when we seek Him, we will find Him, when we seek Him with all our hearts. And He never forgets that promise and is faithful to answer it – every single time.
The Challenge
Are you looking for more in life? Are you seeking the best that life has to offer? He is your answer. Come to Him. Start your new beginning – a new life in Him. A life where your faith is stretched, your beliefs are tested, and you learn to abide in Him. A season to begin living in full color! Listen for His voice, step out of your comfort zone and give Him a chance.
Take that step of faith and do the thing He has been speaking into your heart for so long. Just do it — and see how He shows us to create new life through your obedience. He will never fail you – it’s not in His personality, His character, His drive! He is love and He wants the very best for your colorful life – and He does His best work in the dark. When He speaks, everything changes! Believe!
