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Episode 1: For Such a Time
55 Plays11 days ago
For Such A Time As This: God’s Position Of Us Precedes His Mission For Us!
Do you believe, that you were created by God, for such a time as this?
Come with me, as we enter into Esther’s story, and we capture her embracing God’s positioning of her. An orphaned, unseen, unknown Jewish woman, given a timely-specific mission, for such a time as this!
You’re invited!
It is an invitation to be present with God, inside YOUR for such a time as this!
This invitation will require you to stare at God in-spite of your circumstance and because of your position. It will require you to accept that:
God’s position of you, precedes His mission for you!
Because, God can do great eternal work, through everyday-extraordinary women!
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Transcript
Tab's Return and Growth
00:00:04
Speaker
Welcome to The Overflow with Tab Lewis. I am really excited to be back. It's been too long. I have some exciting things to share with you this season on The Overflow.
Bloom Conference Message
00:00:18
Speaker
God has been teaching me so much, and He has been growing me and stretching me both personally, relationally, and in the ministry of Overflow.
00:00:30
Speaker
I am humbled and thrilled to be entrusted to do this with him, and I am excited to pour out what he has been pouring into me.
00:00:42
Speaker
Recently, God gave me a message to speak over and pour into some beautiful women at the Bloom Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, and I believe that it is a timely word for everyone.
30th Anniversary Cruise
00:00:58
Speaker
So I wanted to share it with ah those of you listening today. i hope that it causes you to open your heart wider to God, that it helps you to see clearer the position that he has you placed in and that it compels you to embrace boldly and total surrender his mission that he has for you for such a time as this.
00:01:29
Speaker
I just returned from a two-week cruise to the Southern Caribbean this past December. My husband, Chris, and I, we celebrated 30 years of marriage, 30 years. And this trip was a huge celebration of all that God has done in our marriage and all that we hope that he is going to continue to do.
Beauty of Curaçao
00:01:52
Speaker
And part of our trip was a to the Southern Caribbean was to ah visit the islands, and also known as the ABC Islands. So you have Aruba and Bonaire and Curaçao. We'd never been to this part of the Caribbean. We've been to many areas of the Caribbean, but never to the ABC Island. So we were super excited. And as I was thinking back on our trip, it was super challenging for me to say which one I love the most or which one did you enjoy the most. But
00:02:26
Speaker
I found myself being very captivated by the island of Coração. It's an independent Dutch island. And i we took a little bit of a history tour before we were going to spend the afternoon at one of the local beaches.
00:02:43
Speaker
And as I was there, I knew I had this trip to Charleston coming up when we returned from our trip. And I found myself... Seeing some similarities, if you've ever been to downtown Charleston and the history there, if you've ever been to Rainbow row think of Rainbow Row. And it's these beautiful um multicolored pastel buildings with the cobblestone walkways. And Coruscant reminded me of downtown Charleston. I thought that this is really cool.
00:03:17
Speaker
So we toured in that part of of of the history, and then we made our way over to one of the local beaches. And as I was standing in the crystal clear blue waters of the Caribbean, that really can't be explained, only experienced, and I was looking around at the beauty that my eyes were beholding, I found myself embracing wow, i I was really, I was made for this moment. Like, this is really cool, God. Thank you for this experience and just the the ability to encounter your creation and ah and the majesty of your
Being Present with God
00:04:00
Speaker
beauty. Thank you for this invitation.
00:04:04
Speaker
So today, I would love to extend an invitation to you. And as much as I wish that it could be a trip with me to the ABC Islands, this invitation's beauty and reward for you will be incomparable to any other invitation that you will ever receive.
00:04:27
Speaker
It is an invitation for you to be present with God inside your for such a time as this Now, this invitation will require you to stare at him in spite of your circumstance and because of your position.
00:04:48
Speaker
It will require you to accept that God's position of you precedes his mission for you. Now, I realize anyone listening in today that there are many that are in different phases and stages of life. And some of you are younger and some of you are older, which I like to call those who have leveled up in life.
00:05:18
Speaker
We have introverts and extroverts and those who like sweet and those who prefer the savory side and readers and writers and runners and hikers. And we have grandmothers and sisters and friends and those who love to cook and those who prefer to keep the cook company ah like myself. And we have...
00:05:42
Speaker
Listeners today who are new to their faith, and there are some of you who have been walking with Jesus for a really long time. But no matter which space you find yourself present in ah today, we all have this in common.
00:06:02
Speaker
We are all equal at the foot of the cross We were all created in the beautiful image of God on purpose for his purpose.
00:06:15
Speaker
And we were all created for such a time as this.
00:06:24
Speaker
Now, i want to ask you today a question. Do you believe that you were created by him for such a time as this?
00:06:39
Speaker
Now, this is not a surface level question. It is a question that invades the heart space. It requires intentionality to stop and ponder.
00:06:54
Speaker
It invites us beneath the shallow places of our souls into the spaces where the Spirit does His the deepest work.
00:07:06
Speaker
And if we do not wrestle with this tension, we will not recognize His presence anymore. We will not walk toward him in obedience. And we won't be present with him where we are.
00:07:27
Speaker
So today, i want to take you into the story of Esther.
Esther's Divine Journey
00:07:34
Speaker
And for some of you, her story may be a familiar one. And if that is so for you, i want to encourage you to open your heart to receiving her story in a fresh way.
00:07:48
Speaker
You'll find Esther's story tucked inside the history portion of events in Scripture, starting in chapter 1, taking you all the way to the end in chapter 10. And so Esther's story unfolds during a time of upheaval and uncertainty.
00:08:09
Speaker
And there is this king, King Xerxes, and he removes the queen at the time, Queen Vashti, an unheard act um in this culture. And it creates a moment of disruption and opportunity.
00:08:27
Speaker
And into this moment steps Esther. Esther. She is an orphaned Jewish woman raised by her cousin Mordecai.
00:08:40
Speaker
And she is unknown, unseen, yet living exactly where the king resides. Unknown to her at the time, positioned by God for such a time as this.
00:09:00
Speaker
And so Esther is brought in before King Xerxes among many women. And she quickly finds favor with him. And her presence, it pleases him. And she receives kindness and provision and honor And then queen.
00:09:21
Speaker
she is crowned queen Now, Esther did not strive for this position. She did not orchestrate this favor.
00:09:34
Speaker
You see, God's position of us precedes his mission for us. And at this point, Esther, she knows her position, but not yet her purpose.
00:09:51
Speaker
And then comes the shift in. when the favor from God requires obedience to God. You see, life can feel good, even blessed, until suddenly it isn't.
00:10:08
Speaker
Our position shifts, our comfort begins to dissolve, and favor turns into responsibility. And Esther finds herself at a crossroads where willingness must become obedience.
00:10:28
Speaker
Then the crisis enters and Mordecai, he uncovers a plot to kill the king and he relays it through Esther, resulting in the saving of the king's life.
00:10:41
Speaker
And later, Mordecai refuses to bow to anyone but the one true God. And this refusal from Mordecai ignites hatred within the prime minister, the villain Haman, And hatred grows into a decree to destroy all of the Jews.
00:11:06
Speaker
Mordecai, he begins to mourn publicly outside the palace gates. And then Esther hears of this. So she sends word to find the reason for Mordecai's grief. And she learns the truth, this plan to destroy all of the Jews, her people.
00:11:28
Speaker
And next, Mordecai calls her to act. And in chapter 4, verse 13, Mordecai says to Esther, Don't think for a moment, Esther, that because you're in the palace, you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet in a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place. But you and your relatives will die.
00:12:01
Speaker
Who knows, Esther, if perhaps you were made for such a time as this? God's mis position of us precedes his mission for us.
00:12:19
Speaker
So now Esther enters the wrestle. And during this time, a approaching the king unsummoned could mean death.
00:12:32
Speaker
And this is where willingness meets obedience. Esther calls for fasting and prayer, and she declares, if I must die, I must die.
00:12:46
Speaker
And what began as willing favor for Esther becomes obedient surrender. You see, Esther's faith in God was greater than her fear of her position or her mission.
00:13:04
Speaker
And then God moves. And on the third day, unsummoned, Esther enters the inner court. And the king sees her and he extends his scepter to her. And this was a a common practice in approaching the king to speak during this time. And right there,
00:13:27
Speaker
Right there in that moment, God begins to flip the narrative. And what was meant for destruction becomes deliverance. What was meant for death becomes honor. What was meant to silence God's people becomes a testimony of his faithfulness.
00:13:48
Speaker
So Esther, she invites King Xerxes and Haman to the banquet she's preparing and she reveals Haman's plot to kill the Jews.
00:14:01
Speaker
And the king, he fulfills Esther's brave attempt to save her people and appoints Haman to death. And the king promotes Mordecai in position, and then he frees the Jews to defend themselves among their enemies.
00:14:19
Speaker
God's position of us precedes his mission for us. In February of 2016, someone that I love so much and so special and dear to me had come to the end of themselves in their deep, dark depression and the lies and destruction of the enemy.
Personal Divine Intervention
00:14:51
Speaker
And they had led themselves to believe that suicidality was the answer, was the only answer. And um the way that...
00:15:07
Speaker
God, our miraculous and sovereign God intervened in our story is, it's almost indescribable. But I will tell you this, that nothing, nothing is too far gone or too impossible for God.
00:15:28
Speaker
And in my moment with walking with this one that I love so much, I found myself positioned at the intersection, much like Esther, where destruction and death and silence collided with a very specific an ordained mission that God had for me.
00:15:51
Speaker
And I was given a choice. I could drown in my circumstance or i could stare at the face of God. i could lean on my own understanding or I could declare his promises of deliverance over my position.
00:16:13
Speaker
I could fearfully abort my mission or i could walk safely hand in hand with my father.
00:16:25
Speaker
Today, parts of your story may resemble Esther's or even mine, but... Perhaps you find yourself in the in-between of destruction and longing for deliverance, maybe even staring at death in all of its forms, wondering how God could possibly bring honor to his name and his kingdom in spite of your circumstance. holding your breath in his silence, longing for your heart to rest in his faithfulness in your in-between.
00:17:07
Speaker
Hard seasons have a way of pulling our eyes downward toward the circumstance, pulling them down towards the fear, towards the uncertainty.
00:17:20
Speaker
But the invitation of Christ has always been to lift our eyes to him.
Are You Created for This Time?
00:17:29
Speaker
It reminds me of the lyrics of the hymn, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
00:17:38
Speaker
They say, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face.
00:17:49
Speaker
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his wonder, his glory and grace.
00:18:05
Speaker
So we return to the question. Do you believe that you were created by him for such a time as this?
00:18:21
Speaker
Positioned right where you are, holding whatever he has entrusted you to hold. You see, a willing heart leads to an obedient heart. In obedience, it doesn't always feel good or look good or even end good, but it is never wasted. Obedience sometimes allows the most beautiful doors to open beyond what we could have ever imagined or even attempted to orchestrate. Obedience leads us away from fear and causes our faith to flourish.
00:19:02
Speaker
Turning our eyes towards Jesus, staring at him, changes our perspective on what we can see, and it shapes our obedience towards the unseen.
00:19:16
Speaker
What we see is temporary. What God sees is eternal. Without an eternal lens, we misinterpret our positioning. Even when we don't see it, the love of God is always present. He constantly sings his heavenly melody over your life. He promises to complete your story.
00:19:47
Speaker
So how do we renew our mind to not only receive this truth, but to believe this truth? If we never assess and address our thoughts, we create an access point for the enemy to wreak havoc on our for such a time as this.
00:20:10
Speaker
The enemy desires to turn our willing obedience into disobedience. We don't deny that what God may ask of us can be hard and challenging and even excruciating.
00:20:28
Speaker
We acknowledge it and we choose to believe that his ways are higher. We acknowledge it and we choose to believe that he knows what's best for us. We acknowledge it and we choose to believe that he is always our ever-present help.
00:20:52
Speaker
What do we do? We preach the gospel, his gospel to ourselves and over our lives every single day. We saturate our lives with the hope and light of Jesus that guides our ways as we marinate in the reality of good that he promises to bring from every situation for his ultimate glory.
Aligning with God's Plan
00:21:23
Speaker
Our lives matter. Our wins matter. Our losses matter. Our every gift that we are given in this life, he considers perfect and good because every good and perfect gift comes from him.
00:21:48
Speaker
even the ones that seem imperfect and not so good.
00:21:56
Speaker
when we lean into him and abide in his truths and surrender to his plan, he will equip us. He will strengthen us. He will prepare us for such a time as this.
00:22:21
Speaker
So I turn us back to the story of Esther and her willing obedience for such a time as this. Even though God is never physically present in Esther's story, nor does he audibly speak during this time, the book of Esther reveals the quiet yet powerful work of God behind the scenes.
00:22:51
Speaker
A God who is always present, even when he seems unseen. God's sovereignty is woven through every moment, reminding us that he is not absent.
00:23:06
Speaker
absence Esther begins as an ordinary young jewish Jewish woman living in exile far from her homeland, shaped by loss, displacement, and uncertainty.
00:23:23
Speaker
Orphaned and raised by her cousin Mordecai, Esther's life unfolds in circumstances she did not choose. Yet God was already positioning her.
00:23:38
Speaker
Through a series of events beyond her control, Esther is placed in the palace as queen. And what appears to be coincidence is in truth divine orchestration.
00:23:55
Speaker
God was preparing his servant long before she understood her assignment. And when a decree is issued that threatens the destruction of the Jewish people, Esther is confronted with a moment of decision. Silence would preserve her comfort, but obedience would require courage and surrender and risk.
00:24:23
Speaker
And so Mordecai's words, they awaken her calling and he says, And who knows, Esther, whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
00:24:37
Speaker
And in that moment, Esther moves from passive faith to active obedience. She calls for prayer and fasting, recognizing that deliverance cannot come through human strength alone. And her posture shifts from fear to faith, from self-preservation to surrender.
00:25:01
Speaker
Her response becomes a declaration of obedience, a surrendered heart to the will of god And she says, if I die, I die.
00:25:18
Speaker
This was not resignation from Esther. It was resolve. Esther placed her life fully in God's hands, choosing obedience even when the outcome was unknown.
00:25:35
Speaker
And through her willingness, God brought deliverance and reversal and redemption. And what the enemy intended for destruction was turned in into victory.
00:25:49
Speaker
What was meant to silence God's people became a testimony to his faithfulness. Esther's story reminds us that obedience doesn't always look loud or dramatic, but sometimes it looks like waiting and fasting and praying and seeking him and courageously stepping forward when God opens the door.
00:26:20
Speaker
Her life teaches us that God often uses ordinary women in hidden places to accomplish extraordinary purposes, and that a surrendered heart can become the very vessel through which God changes history.
00:26:43
Speaker
Obedience begins with surrender, not certainty. a willing heart says yes before knowing the cost.
00:26:55
Speaker
Listening to God often sounds like simple faithfulness. Obedience does not prevent suffering, but it reveals God within it.
00:27:10
Speaker
Obedience ultimately produces fruit beyond our lifetime.
Invitation to Trust and Obey
00:27:21
Speaker
So as we come to an end of Esther's story and our time together to- today, God is desiring your willing, obedient heart right where he has you positioned, preparing you for your mission for such a time as this.
00:27:51
Speaker
And so I want to ask you, what are you looking for? Are you glancing at your life and staring at God?
00:28:04
Speaker
You see the eyes are the windows to our soul. Are you staring at him? How vastly we can see God's intention in every season if we choose to stare at him
00:28:22
Speaker
Are you willing today to surrender to his way and release yours? What truths do you need to breathe in and receive and walk away with?
00:28:40
Speaker
For such a time as this, you were created. Will you, with a willing heart, surrender to him and choose to believe and receive the plans that he has for you for such a time as this?
00:29:02
Speaker
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Choose obedience anchored in trust, not outcomes.
00:29:16
Speaker
Living with a totally surrendered heart that believes that God wastes nothing.
00:29:26
Speaker
Here's what I know. God is the hero of your story. God is already in your 2026 and he will be with you every step of your way.
00:29:44
Speaker
He has created you for such a time as this.
00:29:53
Speaker
And today, he is asking you to recognize his presence, to walk toward him in obedience, and be present with him right where you are Obedience is not heroic. It is surrendered.
00:30:14
Speaker
God does not ask us to be fearless. He asks us to surrender our fears to him and to be faithful to walk in his way.
00:30:25
Speaker
a willing heart is heaven's greatest instrument. True obedience says, Lord, my yes is on the table before I know the question.
00:30:42
Speaker
And that kind of surrender, my friends, is what allows God to do eternal work through everyday extraordinary women.
00:31:00
Speaker
I have so enjoyed my time with you today and thank you for stepping into Esther's story with me and being open to receiving the invitation for your for such a time as this that I'll A willing, surrendered, obedient heart can lead us into accepting and receiving that God's position of you precedes his mission for you.
00:31:31
Speaker
And what a more secure, steadfast, profound place to be than just right in the position and mission that God has for us.
Engage with Overflow
00:31:46
Speaker
I would love to share with you multiple ways that you can continue to engage with me in the overflow. i launched my pop, my website, overflow with tab.org back in November of last year. And I also issue a monthly newsletter. So if you want to keep up with all the things that are going on with overflow or things to come the future, I would love for you to go to the website again and overflowwithtab.org and sign up for the newsletter and stay engaged with all the things that I am saying yes to and with a willing, obedient heart and surrender to God as he continues to open doors and position me
00:32:38
Speaker
for his mission for me through overflow. Also, there are a couple of other ways you can continue to engage here on the podcast. And you can also, if you are looking for some wisdom mentoring, which is another component of overflow, please go to the website. There's a contact form. You can fill that out and it will send me that connection from you and we can engage further from there.
00:33:07
Speaker
Thank you again for meeting with me today and listening in. And I can't wait till next time.