My twin sister once told me that God called her to lead Bible studies so that she would actually show up. After I laughed about that for awhile, I added, “God wanted me to write a devotional book so that I would actually start living what I’ve learned!”
To me, there is something about hard, cold print that makes me feel the need to be more accountable. I guess the same concept applies to leading Bible studies, only it’s the people, not the print, that makes you feel you had better come through.
God knows my sister and me pretty well, and he knows we need a good nudge once in awhile. He also knows it has taken lots of persuading to convince me that I have been “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and that he has a perfect plan for my life. Only over the course of a few decades has he been able to do that.
Most of my life I have struggled with insecurity, that nagging feeling that I was not good enough, that I really did not have much to offer to the world or to God. I felt that I would live this life God had given me with mediocrity, somehow feeling that I just couldn’t do any better. I believed that anything beyond average was certainly reserved for someone more intelligent, well spoken, and deserving than me.
But even though I had convinced myself of these lies, God wasn’t about to give up on me.
Several years ago, God started a fire in my heart to seek him above all else, and I truly began to desire his will over anything else. However, believing I could actually live out a life of faith and purpose was a different story. God had to take me to a solitary place of total dependence on him, where there was nothing I could do but look to him, and there he was able to whisper clearly to my heart, “It is possible through me.”
Then it dawned on me with such freshness that God was truly who he said he was, and he could do absolutely anything – even use a person like me! I felt a surge of energy come over me and an unstoppable drive to do whatever he would call me to do.
And what he called me to do was write.
I remember rising up and saying to myself, “I can do this!” As I began spending hours meditating on Scripture and allowing God to lead me in writing my devotional book, I knew that nothing would stop me. I wanted to share with others just how possible a life of true purpose with God was. I wanted readers to see how powerfully the words of Scripture could come alive in the life of a believer. God had brought me out of a place of such doubt and insecurity and instead replaced it with his power and purpose. How amazing that God can take weak, trembling people and use them for his kingdom plans!
The result of my faith journey with the Lord is my devotional book, Life in His Hands: A Call to Godly Surrender and Purposeful Living. The words in this book are lessons to my own soul and ones I hope will bless others as they seek to live a life of purpose through the only one who can provide it. Jesus Christ is our greatest hope, not only for eternity, but also for our life on this earth, and he wants to bless us as we set out to serve him.
God has great plans for you. I pray that he will keep “working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).
God never gave up on me, even after countless years of me giving up on him. He will not give up on you either. Place your life into the hands of the one who will never let you down. There is no better place than Life in His Hands.
But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands.
Psalm 31:14-15
Jill’s Bio ~ Jill Holler grew up on a farm in western Illinois, enjoying a life of running free through the pastures during the day and gazing at the countless shimmering stars at night. All around her, she could see the work of God’s creative hand, and she knew He was real. Yet it wasn’t until years later that she would discover the abundant life of faith that comes from taking hold of the living power that resides in God and His word. After struggling to find purpose and meaning for much of her young adult life, she found that it resides simply–yet powerfully–in Jesus Christ, her God and Savior.
You can order Jill’s Book Life In His Hands on Amazon Here.
You can visit Jill On Her Blog changedbyhisgrace.com
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Jill is a personal friend of mine and we have always had such great talks about Jesus and the Bible so I can attest to her love of the Word. I am so happy for her in her new adventure.
Jill is not only a beautiful writer but has a beautiful genuine heart for the Lord. She loves serving through encouraging women in Bible Study and through her writing.
The great news is Jill is offering to give away one of her books here. To win a copy of this book you need to comment below answering the following questions.
What kind of struggles do you face in regards to your faith?
How is God helping you to overcome them?
Make sure to enter your email so I can reach you. If you do not want to post your email in the comments, email me at youresewtrendy@gmail.com with your information and I will contact a winner on 10/11/2016. To comment you can enter under your name enter open name/url and just enter your name and leave the url blank. Can’t wait to hear your responses. Winner must be a US resident and 18 years of age or older.
Thank you so much, Jill for sharing your story with us here. I do appreciate your time and your heart.
super post – thanks for sharing her story, Jaime.
Thanks for sharing your story Jill, I can relate I many ways. This sounds like a great devotional for me, I am going to check it out.
It was my pleasure to share on Jaime's blog. She has such a great heart for the Lord and has been such an inspiration to me. I hope you all check out the devotional and find that it to be a blessing!
I am super happy to announce the winner of this giveaway is Kira! Congratulations, I know you are absolutely going to enjoy this book!