Only 2 days left here in America!!

Lord, thank you that you are the God of truth, faithfulness, and love.

 

Jesus, I pray that you prepare the hearts of those I will encounter who do not yet know You.

 

Those who have never heard Your sweet name.

 

Prepare my heart for what I will see and encounter. For on my own I am not capable.

 

I ask that by Your grace people may come to a saving knowledge of the truth of who You are

and that Your Name may be praised throughout the Earth.

 

Sustain, inspire and anoint Your servants, Lord.

For I am only Your vessel. I pray that my lips would reveal your truth, and my hands display your

 

love and servant's heart.

 

Bring fresh vigor to wavering faith;

sustain my faith when it is fragile and I am weak.

 

Make me a witnesses to Your goodness;

full of love, strength and faith -

for Your glory and the salvation of your precious people.

 

Jesus, You are good.

In recent days the Lord has really been recking my heart with the reality that this trip really isn't about my happiness; its about my wholeness. Its about the 143 million orphans in the world who have never heard the name Jesus. Who don't know when their next meal will be, or if they will even have one. Who have never had a bath. Have never heard the words, "I love you." Who have no idea that they are children of the Risen King. That he knows them by name. That they are made in His image. That he knows the number of hairs on their head. That He cares. That there is spiritual richness in material deprivation and spiritual starvation in material wealth. Its about them. His children. Not about me.
Serving the Lord calls for reckless abandonment. Completely losing yourself in the will of the Lord. The "Me" attitude has got to go in order to achieve a Christ-centered perspective. My wholeness is nothing that I can ever achieve or gain . It can only be found in the presence of the Father. The shadow of the Almighty. I am only a vessel. An empty jar waiting to be filled. A mound of clay awaiting sculpting.

Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

“Above all else guard your heart for
it affects everything you do” (Proverbs 4:23).

 These days, we hear a lot about detoxing our physical bodies. Bacteria can build up. Pesticides and chemicals can get into our system. Experts often recommend that we go through a deep cleansing periodically to rid ourselves of these harmful toxins.
In the same way, there are all kinds of spiritual toxins that can build up in our minds and hearts. When we spend our time dwelling on and obsessing over the wrong things, thinking about what where we fall short, how somebody hurt us, or how we will never be good enough; we become saturated in these worldly toxins and ultimately robbing ourselves of the joy the Lord has in store for us.  This toxic waste invades our hearts, and eventually, contaminates and governs our whole life. It affects our self-image, our attitude towards others, and our concept of self-worth. This, my friends, is why the Bible tells us to GUARD YOUR HEART ABOVE ALL ELSE because if literally all that you do flows from it. Would you drink from a polluted spring threatening to pollute your whole body? The same is true of our hearts. A pure, guarded, heart allows helps rid of us the temptations of the world and flesh, and more accurately focus on the will of the Father.
I challenge you to go on a fast from negative, self-defeating thoughts. Cleanse your mind of the lies and misinformation the world feeds you on a daily basis and fill yourself with thoughts of faith and victory.

Well now that I am less than 30 days away from my departure the magnitude of this whole situation is finally starting to hit me. In 27 days I will be boarding a plane, by myself, leaving everythng that I have ever known. Everything that is comfortable.

Up until this point in my life obedience has never been painful. In fact, it has always been easier to obey than to disobey. I knew that the consequences would quickly find my, and quite frankly, that just wasn't worth it. But in this particular situation, I am finding that disobedience is the much easier option. It would be easy for me to stay here with my family. In the comfort of my native country. With my friends. Where I know the language and can easily communicate with people,...but we are not called to a life of comfort. We are called to a life of obedience. Whatever the cost.

In this season of my life I am clinging to the fact that those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Praise God for this truth because without it this little girl would be a complete mess. Letting go of the handrails of this world and reaching out for and trusting that God's invisible hand will be there to catch, guide and support me in this season of the unknown. 

" Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. "