Ethel's Writing's

 

Are You Doing God’s Will

 It is 8:00 Sunday morning October the 14, 2007. To show you how trusting in God and having faith and patience is important I need to put the date and time in this story. God is Good and Faithful to us his children. When we ask for a loaf of bread, he never gives us a stone and when we ask for a fish, he never gives us a serpent.

In Matthew 7, we read, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?” If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Have you been convinced that what you are doing is God’s will, and found out after, that what you were doing was something that God allowed you to have or do because He gave in to the desires of your heart?

Most of the time when this happens, we come out of the situation scared, broken and bruised. Looking back in our life, we can see where this has happened to most Christians.

Yes, we prayed about it, but never took the time to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit when God whispered no, or the wise wisdom from our friends. Some times we just went ahead with it anyway, even when we saw several yellow warning lights, or red stop signs saying slow down, don’t go there, danger.

(Proverbs 3:5, tells us to, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight).

I like you, have made wrong decisions. I have come out of several situations in the past, where I let my guard down and didn’t listen to my innermost feelings. I ended up paying the consequences. I still am!

I found out, that I can be doing something that is good and still be out of Gods will. Not all good things are good for you.

Several years ago, I was in need of some additional income. I decided to make the Jump for Joy Puppets and market them. I wrote out a market plan and took it to the LORD in prayer. There was nothing wrong with me trying to make money to support my family. I put out a fleece to see if this was God’s will for me. When I went to church, the pastor was preaching about Gideon and his searching for God’s instruction by using a fleece. When I went to the altar to pray about the puppets God spoke to me in my innermost being, Give the Puppets Away, Give the Puppets Away, Give the Puppets Away.

When I sat down beside my friend, I took out a piece of paper and started to write out a message from God. He told me that I had sufficient and that He would provide for me as He did for the people with the fishes and loaves; that the girls and I would end up giving our leftovers away.

God did provide all our needs. In obedience, I gave everything away.

That was OK a few years ago when I had a large bank account. Didn’t God want me to use the talents he gave me, too bring in an income to support my self?

Well yesterday, I lacked faith and, I disobeyed God. I took two puppets and some roses to the giant garage sale in town and tried to sell them.

I showed a lack of faith. I figured that I needed some money to support my self. I am not able to work because of a bad knee and other health problems. My bank account is getting low. Fear kicked in and I saw no way that things would get better.

God kept whispering to me that everything would be OK. That was OK back when I had money in the bank. Today is different. I listened to my heart and went ahead anyway. I also prayed to God and asked him not to sell any puppets and roses if I was to give them away. I wanted to be in His Will. 

Well, He answered my request. Not one rose sold. I ended up giving one puppet away and brought the other one home.

That is not to say, that I am not to sell roses, but I am to let God be in control. (I took control) I need to have more faith in God. That is easy when you know you have sufficient in the bank. Now I must trust in God to supply all my needs. This is not easy for a self sufficient woman like, Ethel.

For the last ten years, I didn’t need to depend on God as much for my finances, because He already supplied all my needs. Every time I went to look for a job, He would whisper, you have sufficient. I was to continue to spend time using the gifts He had given to me. Teach puppetry; make puppets and give them away. Write inspirational writings and give the books away. Dress up as Professor Butterfinger and go share Gods love through clowning and laughter. Make roses, and give them away to bless hurting people; phone hurting people and encourage them, by visiting them and sharing a cup of tea to help remove their loneliness. Inviting friends, into my home, for meals. Driving friends who don’t have a car to the store. Give people a hug, and let them know I love them.

In obedience, I did all this and God did bless me. I have a picture that I treasure. It is a picture of some people doing a puppet play in Vietnam. On the back of the picture, it says Thank you Ethel for the puppets. 490 children accepted Jesus as their personal savior this year, through the children’s ministry. There is another picture of a boy in an orphanage in the Ukraine holding a puppet. When you look down you see an empty space, where there should be a foot. He has the biggest smile on his face.

Women have come up to me in the past and thanked me for the writing I gave them. One woman told me she knew she could make it when her husband died at a young age. She had read Reflections From the Son and several other books that I had given to her. She told me she could make it, because she saw how God helped me when my Husband Dean died at the age of 49 leaving me with, three young girls, and no money. Maybe I need to take time to read my own writings more often; it might help me with this faith issue.

Now I am rambling on. At least I am writing again. My writing stopped for three years. It dried up because I was out of God’s perfect will for my life.

Now, to get to the point; I wrote most of the above on Sunday morning. It is Wednesday morning. On Sunday night, I had two part time job offers. If they work out, I will have the extra money I need to pay my bills and survive until I am old enough for old age security. That is three more years, of trusting God to provide all my needs.

Now, to find homes for 41 roses! That will be up to God. They have been prayed over and have been made with love to bless hurting, lonely people, or just to say I love you.

I am not trying to brag when I write the above. I am a servant being used by God to bless his people. All my talents have been given to me by God. It is hard for me to write, without the help and blessings from the Holy Spirit. He inspires me and puts thoughts into my mind. Sometimes my fingers type so fast that it takes me a long time to correct all the typing and spelling errors.

My worst subject in school was spelling, grammar and writing. I just spelled gramer  and spelt wrong. I usually got five below zero in these subjects and never passed a grade after grade two. I quit school at the age of 16. I have worked hard and do have my G E D. I thank God every day for the computer having a thesaurus, along with spelling and grammar check. I would not have started to write without the help of the above.

The only degree I have is the “MASTERS DEGREE” He never calls us to do anything for Him without equipping us first. I am not called to be anything but who I am. A willing servant.  

Love from

Your sister in the Lord

Ethel

             Below are some of the e-mails, I receive after sending a new writing.

Your life is more of an example of how God yearns for us to be than I can tell you. Thank you for the writing and sharing. I have been feeling like something just isn't right lately and it is just that human desire to do and be more for God. Reading your story reminds me that we are all on a journey with different bumps and sometimes the same bumps.

 Thank you for blessing me today.

 Love k....

 

Thank you for your inspiration, Ethel. See you tomorrow!

 Blessings,

Janet

It is December 24 2009

God did provide. I gave all the roses away. Since I wrote the above, I was able to do some babysitting. This gave me the money I needed to live on. In addition, I made about 60 roses this year and I even was able to sell some. I still have enough to give away. We always have enough, when we are on God’s payroll.

It is December 15, 2010

      It was a difficult year last year with the death of my daughter, Roberta.

      I turned 65 last month and will get my first check from the Government next week. I have written two Novels, The Scarlet Cord, Rahab's Story and Return to Erieau. It took a lot of faith to pay for the books with my credit card. They are both paid for. God promised me that he would provide for all my needs.

     Oh yes. I still have some money left in the bank after having no income to speak of for the past few years. Let me see. I went on a all expense paid trip to Bermuda last February. I know it was a gift from God to put a bit of frosting on the cake. God is so good.

Ethel

© Ethel Hiday Wicksey

 ethel_wicksey@live.ca

 http://ethelswritings.yolasite.com/

 

 

 

 

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