Rediscovering my Mission in Life

I'm excited to share with you that there has been some significant progress over the past 2 weeks!

So to fill you in...

My casual personal care job which was a great support while I was at uni, is not very helpful in raising enough funds for mission work next year, or to help me be self supporting in the present. I have spent the last 8 months unsuccessfully looking & applying for work & feeling trapped working in a job that has become incredibly unpleasant for a multitude of reasons. Last week, after spending 9 hours trying to apply for a job I'm not qualified for, I lay on my bed crying before God. I had no words left to pray. I closed my eyes, & I saw Him descend. I felt in my spirit, God literally broke through, in all his might and power. He was huge & immense and I knew the hopelessness & discouragement that had brought me to tears, had fled before him. I had hope again in my heart. I trusted him. I knew he would take care of me. I felt to open my bible...it opened at Jeremiah in the Good News.

"The Lord says when that time comes, the people of both Israel & Judah will come weeping, looking for me, their God. They will ask the way to Zion and then go in that direction...My people are like sheep whose shepherds have let them get lost in the mountains. They have wandered like sheep from one mountain to another, and they have forgotten where their home is."

I felt so deeply comforted by this. God knew my struggle. He knew I was weeping & He came. He knew I was lost. I continued to read about Babylon & continued to feel comfort. The next day I woke up & saw my bible still opened to where God had led me. I marvelled to myself, thinking, "Janetta, only you would be comforted by hearing about the destruction of Babylon!" And I caught myself, & thought, "Yes, that's true! I would be comforted by hearing that, because it is a key to my destiny." Many times God has spoken to me about Babylon, about leaving it and about destroying it. Babylon is a spiritual city that stands for every defilement on the face of the earth. Many craftsmen are prisoners of Babylon much like in ancient times when the Israelites built Egypt. The craftsmen, artists, musicians and culture leaders of our time build Babylon spreading its influence of defiled thinking & satanic agenda across the earth. I want to see satan's kingdom fall, and I want "pharaoh" to let God's people go!

International Teams has been pressuring me to fill in their application forms so I can move forward in  the application process for doing overseas mission next year. I was stalling, due to not knowing where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do, and most importantly what God was calling me to do.

One of the application form questions was this:

Please describe the type of ministry you desire.

I took the time to answer honestly for myself:

I desire to help people leave Babylon. To promote spiritual awareness, understanding and a passion for purity & holiness, especially in the arts. I desire to see the downfall of Babylon. To raise up an army of dedicated and committed spiritual warriors who want to bring it down with me, who have also been battle hardened and have understanding of the dangers & pitfalls, and yet who are grounded in a thorough understanding of the heart of God and his love for his people. An army who understands we wrestle not with flesh & blood but principalities & powers, but who are also humble and balanced and not falling to presumption...a people that are willing to serve the community they love.

I desire to see a community of artists rise up. Purified artists who worship God in spirit & in truth. Prophetic artists, musicians, craftsmen who bring the word of God to mankind and build a city of worship that God desires. Zion - the pure, spotless, bride.

So there you have it! I finally found my vision & purpose in life!!!

But practically speaking what does all this mean???

It means now I know what I am praying for. I am asking God to send me people, or help me connect with people that have the same heart, passion & vision...because this isn't a solo job!

It's a big vision & will take full time commitment, but I can't rush ahead & make it happen. So in the meantime I am praying, and I'm going to study Training at TAFE, that will better skill & equip me in training others.

Knowing my heart, & most importantly, (knowing God, knows my heart and shares my heart's desire) has further released me to just apply for things, knowing they are good for now but not the final destination. Burnout occurs when you feel thwarted from fulfilling your passion. Your spark literally goes out. I have experienced burnout the past 6 years in a row. Knowing my dream now, ensures that I can continue to fan that flame as I wait to see it's fulfillment.

So I finally finished my application form with International Teams, but just for one year at this stage at Rwanda, Cambodia or Uganda. And this is how I finally answered that question for them...

Please describe the type of ministry you desire.

I would like to use my art therapy skills to help children and the community recover from the impact & trauma of war. And also to use art to communicate God's kind, compassionate heart, and his desire to comfort and bring restoration to those hurting in the community.

Oh & I had a job interview today & possibly another on the way!!

So thank you so much for your prayers, & thank you Jesus!!!