I Am More Than a Tech

I used to think that to serve the Lord, to do ministry work, is to actually work for a church, to be an actual pastor of some form. But scripture doesn’t say that. No, 1 Peter 2:9 states,

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

So, regardless of what my paycheck stub says Jesus says I am a holy priesthood and that I can declare praises to him! But how exactly does that play out in my current job?

For months and months I struggled with being on fire for the Lord but having to work an oilfield job. I would say, “GOD! Why can’t I get a job for a church! I could totally bring people to you”! I just couldn’t understand why he had me here at my current job making plots, tracking production, and studying well failures….I mean, does Jesus even care about oil production and well failures?

This went on for months. There have been even days here recently that I have struggled with my purpose for Christ here at work; especially after having to walk out some tough stuff that involved a couple of coworkers. But God is good and He is always there to lead, guide, and direct me (us) when I (we) seek him.

The past two days have been a little rough in the oil patch. I heard of a couple accidents on some well service rigs and my heart jumped into my throat. I knew I had to pray for them and praise the Lord that they were safe and not dead! So yesterday as I entered the details of an accident and those involved the Lord whispered something sweet to me. He said, “This is your ministry. You may not be preaching in the courtyard and people may not be pouring into your office with prayer requests but there are prayer points to be prayed over and people who need to be prayed for and you are here to do that.”

Over the last 24 hours I have been repeating those words over and over in my head and in my heart. “People who need to be prayed for and you are here to do that”…. I googled, yes I googled because Google can lead you to Jesus too, scripture that goes with what the Lord had spoken to me. This is what I found and I am in LOVE with it…

“But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.” 2 Timothy 4:5

Hmmm….”Work at telling other the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you”…..the ministry God has given me! When I take 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Timothy 4:5 and align it with my position here at work I can see the purpose God has for me here. These truths have really encouraged me and let me know that my time here is not wasted.

So I can no longer think that I am a girl wasting her time with an oilfield job tracking production and well failures. Nope! My identity, my calling is this:

A minister to the company I work for. I pray for those who are employed by, contracted to, or associated with this company. I love on those who need encouragement. I listen to those who want to be heard when no one else will listen. I walk a walk that allows others to see Christ alive in my life. My decisions, actions, mistakes, and how I react to the situations around me are opportunities to share Christ with others. Sometimes I mess up. Some days I can walk it out better than others but I am a testimony of a forgiving God who humbles us, stretches us, and grows us into beautiful people. I post scripture or a devotional daily on my Lync, I will play Christian music in my office, you will always find an open Bible on my desk accompanied by dozens of sticky note scriptures on my monitors. I am not ashamed of the God I serve and I will be glad to talk about him to anyone who asks. My name is Sarah Bredemeyer and I am an Operations Engineering Tech and a minster to the company I work for. 

My "Holy Spirit Light Bulb" Moment

So, I’m on this “Made To Crave” journey with several other beautiful women. I had read somewhere (either the book or the devo) where the Lord had begun revealing scriptures about food struggles and victories to Lysa, the author of Made to Crave. I thought about that and was not really sure what that looked like….until last night.

I have been reading in Jeremiah and was really struggling to focus. I had found myself rereading passages two or three times and still think to myself, “Say what…I’ll read it again”. That was until I came across this little section of pure brilliance. My Holy Spirit light bulb came on and I was captivated! The jaw dropping inspiration states this:

“Set up signposts to mark your trip home.

    Get a good map.

Study the road conditions.

    The road out is the road back.

Come back, dear virgin Israel,

    come back to your hometowns.

How long will you flit here and there, indecisive?

    How long before you make up your fickle mind?

God will create a new thing in this land:

    A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!”

                                                Jeremiah 31:21-22 (MSG)

Even reading that now makes my stomach have butterflies! While the Lord was speaking to Jeremiah concerning how Israel was just so wrapped up in sin, I saw it as me being consumed by my food struggles. What does it say to you? To help better understand how we can apply this scripture to our lives let’s break it down shall we. Let’s find ways we can apply this scripture whether the thing that has led you away be food, drugs, alcohol, or any other addiction or distraction!

“Set up signposts to mark your trip home.” For me this is placing Post-It notes with scripture written on them all over my computer screens, scripture written on my dry erase board, and my home screen of my phone displaying scripture! I want everywhere that I turn to have a sign that is leading me in the right direction; signs of inspiration, signs of encouragement, signs for accountability. What kinds of “signposts” can you put up around you? Where do you spend most of your time?

“Get a good map.”  Have a good plan in action. You want to be reading the Word, working with an accountability partner, and getting together a plan of action that is realistic and easy to follow while you make this journey back to Godliness! For me it will be getting a workout plan and meal plan down on paper and then finding accountability to back it up! I want my map to be clear and easy to understand! I want to be able to grasp it, understand it, and apply it! The more twists and turns we add the less likely we will use the map and eventually lose our way. Make sure your plan is easy to follow!

“Study the road conditions.” There are a few definitions of the word “Study” that I just love! These are pulled from the Free Dictionary by Farlex online…

Study: n.

1. b. the pursuit of knowledge, as by reading, observation, or research.

7. A state of mental absorption

Study: v.

1. To apply one’s mind purposefully to the acquisition of knowledge or understanding of (a subject)

2.To read carefully

3. To memorize

4. To give careful thought to; contemplate

Study the road you have been on. What areas are you weakest in? When do you tend to give in to temptation? Is it when you are really emotional? Were you even aware of how you got down this road to where you are today? Being able to sit down and examine where you have been will play a huge part in your success in the future! Knowing where you are weak, where vulnerability sneaks in and what words you even tell yourself that allow temptations to become lifestyles is a great way to identify problem areas and put an action plan in place to be successful!

“The road out is the road back.” When I think about this little piece of scripture this is what the Lord reveals…. We have always been fully equipped to fight our battles. We have never had to go about them alone. The road we started on wasn’t a bad one we just made some poor choices along the way. So turn from your old ways and start back with a fresh new mindset!

“Come back, dear virgin Israel, come back to your hometowns.”  God wants nothing more than to have a relationship with us, for us to call on him, and rely on him! He love, love, loves his role as our heavenly Father! He’s calling us home! He desires for us to no longer be distracted by the things that bind us down and keep us from pursuing a life of freedom with him! Kick off those chains and return to the one who created you!

“How long will you flit here and there, indecisive? How long before you make up your fickle mind?” As I read this my stomach kinda felt like it had rocks in it. How long was I going to do the same thing I had done in the days, months, and years before that has me in this state of unhappiness and lack of self-control? When will it stop? It stops when I make the choice stop trying to do things on my own and give it all to God. It stops when I let him be the focus of my day, of my food choices, of my life! It stops now!

“God will create a new thing in this land: A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!” What a refreshing thought. You see, when we surrender our struggles to God, when we let him in on our plans, He begins to work in us, transforming us into a new person! A new, strong, women of God! Isn’t that exciting! What I love most about God and how he works in our lives is that we don’t have to wait until the end to see and enjoy the fruits of our labor! Each day holds new promises, new beginnings! Every day we can celebrate victory and we can recognize where the Lord has brought us!

God, we thank you for this wonderful piece of scripture that draws out a path to success! We thank you Lord that you are forever pursuing our hearts and that you never give up on us! Help us Lord to make time to meet with you, identify our struggles, create a good road map, and place signs that will lead us to you! Thank you for the victories you have ahead for us! We love you, we thank you, and we praise you! In Jesus name, Amen!