Becoming a Vessel God Can Use , livre ebook

Books by
Donna Partow
Becoming a Vessel God Can Use
Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be
Becoming the Woman I Want to Be
Living in Absolute Freedom
Standing Firm
This Isn t the Life I Signed Up For

Becoming a Vessel God Can Use
Copyright 1996, 2004
Donna Partow
Cartoon illustration by Chuc Forsythe
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.
Verses marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher and copyright owners.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 0-7642-2918-4 (Trade Paper)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Partow, Donna.
Becoming a vessel God can use / Donna Partow
p. cm.
ISBN 0-7642-2918-4 (pbk.)
1. Women-Religious life. 2. Spiritual life-Christianity.
I. Title.
BV4527.P37 2004
248.8 43-dc22 2004004895
CIP
DONNA PARTOW is a bestselling author and Christian communicator with a compelling testimony of God s transforming power. Her books have sold nearly three quarters of a million copies worldwide and have been translated (in part or in whole) into numerous languages, including Arabic, Chinese, German, Indonesian, Korean, Mongolian, and Portuguese.
A powerful speaker, Donna toured with Women of Virtue for three years, sharing the platform with many of America s most popular Christian communicators, including Barbara Johnson, Patsy Clairmont, and Stormie Omartian. If your church or organization sponsors an annual women s event, you can find more information about Donna s ministry at her Web site: www.donnapartow.com .
Donna s Web site also features a wealth of resources and inspiration for women who desire to become all God intended-in spirit, soul, and body. You can sign up for Donna s free weekly Internet devotional, The Word for the Week , or join one of several online encouragement groups, including The 90-Day Renewal (weight loss) or The Mighty Musk Ox Warrior Princess Brigade (for prayer support). Plus, there s a Leader s Corner for those who are teaching this book around the world.
A summa cum laude graduate of Rutgers University, Donna also attended the University of Pennsylvania, one of America s Ivy League schools. She has been a popular guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows, including Focus on the Family and regional Good Morning, America programs. She had her family reside in Arizona.
Contents
WEEK ONE: UNDERSTANDING
Day One: Do I Have to Be Perfect?
Day Two: Is There a Place for Me?
Day Three: Gideon, You re the One!
Day Four: The Least Likely Job Candidate.
Day Five: Will the Imperfect Please Step Forward?
WEEK TWO: DEPENDING
Day One: God-Confidence.
Day Two: What s So Special About Rahab?
Day Three: Rahab Had Total God-Confidence
Day Four: You Can Count on God; He Will Never Cast You Out
Day Five: God Can Use You, Regardless of Your Past
WEEK THREE: KNOWING
Day One: The Majesty of Our God
Day Two: The All-Sufficiency of Our God
Day Three: The Longing of Our God
Day Four: God Reveals Himself Through His Word
Day Five: Keep God s Word in Your Heart
WEEK FOUR: ACCEPTING
Day One: You Are a Vessel of Clay
Day Two: Do You Quarrel With Your Maker?
Day Three: You Have Become a New Person
Day Four: God Will Transform You From the Inside Out
Day Five: Understanding Who You Are in Christ
WEEK FIVE: EMPTYING
Day One: Christ, Our Example
Day Two: The Christlike Life
Day Three: Letting Go of the Pride of the Past
Day Four: Letting Go of the Pain of the Past
Day Five: Letting Go of Our Hopes for the Future
WEEK SIX: CLEANSING
Day One: Cleaning Staff-God s People
Day Two: Cleaning Tools-Prayer and Meditation
Day Three: The Cleansing Process-Trials
Day Four: The Cleansing Work of Silence
Day Five: The Cleansing Effect of Spiritual Disciplines
WEEK SEVEN: FILLING
Day One: Filled With Living Water
Day Two: Filled With Love and Joy
Day Three: Filled With Peace, Patience, Kindness, and Goodness
Day Four: Filled With Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control
Day Five: Take Time to Refill the Vessel
WEEK EIGHT: WAITING
Day One: God Speaks to His People
Day Two: God Speaks Through a Donkey
Day Three: God Speaks Through His Word
Day Four: God Speaks Through Us, Through His Word
Day Five: God Speaks To Us When We Pray
WEEK NINE: POURING
Day One: Go With God
Day Two: Big-Picture Direction
Day Three: Be Willing to Act
Day Four: Don t Run Ahead
Day Five: Expect the Unexpected
WEEK TEN: EXPERIENCING
Day One: Where Does Joy Come From?
Day Two: The Joy of Ministry and the Danger of Dashed Expectations
Day Three: The Joy of Ministry, Part Two
Day Four: Remain in Christ
Day Five: The Joy Set Before You
A Note to Leaders
W EEK O NE: U NDERSTANDING

THIS WEEK S FOCUS:
U NDERSTANDING H OW AND W HY G OD U SES I MPERFECT V ESSELS
THIS WEEK S FOCUS VERSE:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9
D AY O NE

Do I Have to Be Perfect ?
If you re looking for a book by one of today s most admired Christian women, an ideal Christian wife who hasn t argued with her husband in over twenty years
If you want know-how from an adoring mother who never raises her voice, has perfectly disciplined children, and maintains a spotlessly clean house-I mean a woman whose domestic skills put Martha Stewart to shame
If you want to read words of wisdom from a woman with colorcoded closets, who not only makes her own clothes but gives fabulous handmade gifts for every occasion; a woman who rises at the crack of dawn, jogs five miles, and returns home in time to bake bread from scratch-all before her husband leaves for work
If you want to get the inside track from a woman who is universally adored and admired by everyone who meets her
If you want to follow in the footsteps of a woman who has conducted neighborhood Bible studies for twenty-five years and led four hundred women to Christ
Quick, do not delay! Put this book down immediately! You must have me confused with some other Christian author!
If, on the other hand, you re willing to read a book written by a woman who has been known to blow it big time , a woman who, by Total Woman standards, would have to be labeled 2 percent. If you re willing to spend some time with a woman known to leave her dishes unwashed for several days, and who, even as she writes these words, is watching her five-year-old daughter clean the windows with furniture polish, then pour yourself a cup of tea and take a seat. We re about to begin an exciting journey together.
This book is not about becoming like me. It s not about how I ve got it all figured out and now I can impart to you the Ten Surefire Steps to Super-Spirituality. I did not write this book because I consider myself a shining example of a vessel God can use-far from it. I wrote this book because becoming a vessel God can use has been a far more difficult and personally painful journey than I ever imagined possible, and I want to minister out of that pain. I want to comfort you with the comfort I have received.
The exciting truth I want you to grab hold of is this: God can use imperfect vessels like you and me. In fact, he often delights in choosing the most unlikely people to accomplish his purposes in this world. Everyone around you may consider you the least likely job candidate, but fortunately, God works as his own employment recruiter! No matter who you are, if you will yield your life to God, you can become a vessel God can use.
I urge you to set aside time daily during the next ten weeks to concentrate on your relationship with your heavenly Father. The study should only require ten to twenty minutes per day, five days a week. Then, once a week, you should join with a small group of women to review the discussion questions, to pray and encourage one another, and to hold one another accountable. Be sure to place top-priority on memorizing your weekly verse. To make it easier, you ll find cutout verse cards at the back of the book. Carry these cards in your purse and review them when you are on the run. You can also make an extra set to post in a conspicuous place-like the refrigerator door or over the sink where you do dishes or wash your face each morning.
I hope you will make this study a genuine priority in your life. The housecleaning will wait; someone else can bake the brownies for a while; all your favorite TV shows will still be there at the end of the journey. Nevertheless, I understand that hectic weeks may come and you ll find it difficult to complete each day s study. In those instances, let me suggest that you focus on Day 1, because it introduces the theme, and Day 5, because it crystalizes the week s study. Then, as time permits, complete the remaining days for a fuller understanding of the material. Again, the ideal approach is to complete each day s study on a daily basis, rather than cramming on the morning of your weekly small group.
Working through this book won t make you perfect and it