Faith Works

God really does continue to amaze me day after day. I find myself completely speechless sometimes at how good He is. Over the past several months I have prayed that God would increase my faith in Him and looking back I see where He has and where my faith was put to the test. I remember when I would pray for something and then pray for the faith to trust that God would come through on that prayer. Over the months my faith has increased and with that came a confidence that God will do what God promised He would do. I've seen how my relationship with God has grown because I believe more and more in who He is. As I have spent time with Him I have grown more in simply knowing Christ. And, when you really know Christ, you have faith in Him. 

Over the past week God has been doing some significant stuff in my heart. He has also been confirming and reaffirming serveral things that he has spoken to me over the last few months. And, He is doing it in such obvious ways. There is no doubt that God is moving big in my heart. I see it happen daily before my eyes. So today, I would like to just brag on God about how good He is. I would like to share some of the things He has shown me this week. And, hopefully show you how much faith works.

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After a lot of time in prayer last week about several different things I grabbed a devotional book and opened it randomly and read the first thing I saw. It's a book that has different "letters from God" of sorts and the one I had read that particular day was simply titled "Rain." It was such a sweet letter from The Lord and was full of all of the encouraging words I needed to hear. It talked of God's promise to bring rain to my valley and that He would produce fruit. That He would bring an outpouring of His blessings and of His Spirit to me. I believed that God would do that. I didn't know when I just knew He would. So, I prayed that God would continue to just lead me and that while I waited for that blessing I would continue to just do what He called me to do. That night I went to youth with some friends and the message was about digging ditches. This probably doesn't seem relevant to most people but it was a direct confirmation to everything God had told me and spoken to me that morning. I encourage you to read 2 Kings 3 which is where this message came from in your free time. But, for sake of time I'll just give you the basis point for the sermon. Simply stated, we may not understand some of the things that God has asked us to do. We may not get how it is even suppose to help us. But, like the kings in that passage of scripture, sometimes the very labor that seems hard and maybe even painful and tidious to us, is the very thing needed to bring about our blessing. Digging ditches in a spiritual sense isn't easy, or fun. It's hard work. Especially digging a ditch in a dry valley where the ground is hard. But, how beautiful will that valley be after I have labored and dug and the rain comes and God fills it to overflowing and that hard ground becomes soft and flowers start to bloom. It's a beautiful picture. It's a beautiful promise. So this began the first of several back to back confirmations from Christ.

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That weekend after, I decided last minute to go to a girls night at my friend's church. The message literally (in the truest meaning of that word) reaffirmed some of the exact things God had spoken to me over the summer. The first being that God wanted to restore several things back to me in His timing. Over the summer and the months following the word restore has been a promise from God that as I just focus on Him and allow Him to work things out, He is preparing and restoring things back to me. Next, that my identity is found only in Christ. I read a book this summer about identity and God has revealed to me daily who I am in Him and has given me a confidence to be that unapologetically. The last thing said was about timing. Kairos timing to be exact. Which is a time of opportunity appointed by God. That every season I go through God has known and is with me through. That, my greatest pain can become my greatest purpose. Which God had revealed to me in a message in August. So in one night. Actually, in the matter of one hour,God reaffirmed three different things He had spoken to me over the course of three months prior to that night.

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Now to last night. For those of you who do not know, I am going to Romania in March for a three month internship there. Lately, I had been feeling really scared and nervous about going. I didn't doubt that God had called me to go. I guess, in a way, I just felt unworthy of going and unprepared emotionally to be able to handle it. I prayed about it before the meeting with a friend and just asked that God would give me peace in my heart about going. That He would remove all fear and give me an excitement and expectancy again. At the meeting one of the things said was that we shouldn't be going to Romania to try and escape our problems here. In that moment, the few seconds after that was said I thought to myself, "Well, that definitely isn't the case, if anything I wouldn't go to Romania to escape my problems." So of course, as only God would have it, the next thing said was that we also shouldn't stay and not go to Romania to escape our problems. Wow God, real subtle. Leaving that meeting I had my excitement back again. Going to Romania was never about me in the first place. It's not about my fears, my emotions, or how ready I think I am. It's about Jesus. It's just about Him. I'm not going for anyone else. I'm not even going for me. I'm going for Christ and He has and is preparing me in more ways than I realize. I just had to look past myself and at Him. He has shown me what dependency in Him looks like. He has shown me what compassion for people looks like. He has shown me what faith and trust can do. He has done what He has promised. He will do what He has promised. 

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I say all that to say this, faith works. God has answered my prayers in miraculous ways because faith works. There are several more than just those that I listed. I could go on for days about how faithful God is and how much He has answered. Faith doesn't mean that you pray something and expect it to be answered the way you think it needs to be answered when you think it needs to be answered. It's simply knowing that God knows best, He has it under control, and His timing is perfect. I'm usually pretty astounded every time God answers my prayers or reaffirms things to me. They are never in ways that I expect, but they are always in ways that could only be Christ. I simply just know that God will do only good and that I just have to wait and focus on Him. I just seek Him and give Him complete control over every part of me. It's that faith, that faith in who Christ is, that works. Let's be a people of faith. 

A Call to Love

As I sit here and write trying to figure out how to word everything stirring inside of my heart right now I am reminded of God's redemption. And, when I think of redemption, I think of atonement, which leads me to a very thankful heart. 

[Luke 2:38] 

"And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."

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I recently reconnected with an old classmate from high school. This has me thinking on several things. One being who I was versus who I am now. She mentioned to me that in high school she thought I didn't like her and she was surprised that I had messaged her. It's not that I didn't like her, I honestly just didn't see people. I never took the time in high school to really stop and notice the people around me that I wasn't friends with. I never went out of my way to get to know people. And, honestly, I wasn't a very good witness. I believe God had began working on me in some of these areas my senior year but by that point she had already graduated and the opportunity to be Jesus to her had passed. 

As I am slowly reconnecting with her now I am thankful that Christ has brought reconciliation in a place where I actually didn't even realize I needed it. Christ has allowed me to gain a new perspective on people and on Him and is continuing to break my heart for the people around me. He is stirring in my heart a desire to leave an impression of Him wherever I go and to everyone I come in contact with. The fact that He is opening up opportunities and doors that I in my own flesh had closed years ago leaves me humbled. His grace just simply leaves me speechless. 

I know there have been several others times when I have not been a good witness and overlooked God's children around me. All I can do is trust that God has and will send someone into their lives to be a light where I wasn't. And, He will, because God's grace and mercy is unfailing, and so is His love. And, He pursues after His children because He loves them. This also creates an urgency in me to constantly seek God's face so that I don't miss anymore opportunities. 

[Luke 4:18-19]

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

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I can feel that the song inside of my heart continues to sing of compassion, gentleness, and love for people. This is something God continues to speak to me and show me more about. It is also something He continues to lay on my heart to write about. So, I just pray that as God stirs my heart for this He stirs yours as well. 

This isn't suppose to be this long and extravagant post about loving people and a step by step guide on how to do it. It is simply a call to do it. We are appointed. We have been filled with the Spirit of God. Sometimes we just have to be willing to ask God to open our eyes and actually look. There are no 3 step guides on how to love people. It doesn't have to be complicated. We just need to do it. 

A Grain of Sand

[Luke 10:30-35 ESV]

Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ...

 

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As I've said before, I watch three kids. Now that school has started I only watch them after school. Yesterday, I only had to pick up the two girls from school because Brandon was at his dad's house. I had to pick them up, bring them home so Ada could do her homework, grab their overnight bags, and bring them to Lafayette to their mom and dad. They were strangely quiet and calm the whole ride there which I appreciated since I wasn't feeling that great. As we approached a red light on Evangline Throughway I noticed a man who I assume to be homeless standing on the side of the road holding a sign. He was standing to where the cars coming perpendicular to me were stopped so I couldn't see his sign. I just saw his side profile. Immediately I felt my heart break. I've always felt bad for the homeless people that I've seen before, but this was unlike anything I've felt before. I watched as car after car passed him by without even a second glance at him. I watched as one lady quickly turned her face away as she passed him and then when she was out of his sight began shaking her head in disapproval. I watched as car after car drove on without even a passing thought for that man. As my light turned green and I continued on I glanced back and looked at the man's face and all I saw was a hurting man that was desperate for a touch of compassion. As I drove away wth tears in my eyes I prayed for God to send someone to encourage him and to reveal Himself to him. 

 

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As I continue to think about this man and everything I felt in that moment all I can feel now is thankfulness. I'm thankful that God had poured His compassion on me and that he has increased my ability to feel and show compassion to His children. I'm thankful that He has allowed me to look past myself and see those around me. Actually see them. How many times before have I drove past people or walked past people looking in the opposite direction because I didn't want to look them in the face? How many times have I drove off without even a thought as to who they are and what God says about them? What really amazes me is how many times I have felt bad or sorry for those people but never took the time to pray for them. I may not be able to give all the time. I may not be able to stop and talk to them. But, I always have time to pray for them. How many people have I looked at and never really seen? 

 

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[Matthew 25:40 NIV]

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

 

Turning my eyes and heart away from the hurting is the same as turning away from Christ. He has called me to love people and to show them love. I don't want to pass people by and not be Jesus to them. I don't want to walk this earth and not in some way do something for others and fulfill my calling as a disciple.

 

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[Colossians 3:12 ESV]

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

 

A specific prayer of mine lately is that I would be gentle and I have prayed numerous scriptures over myself including Colossians 3:12. I have seen how God has moved in my heart and how He is daily giving me a heart that is more compassionate and gentle. I have watched my perspective change in great ways. I see myself react to things differently than I use to, and I see myself feeling things that I never use to feel.

 

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I am reminded of this picture God gave me two years ago. As I was praying for lost friends and family I had fallen on my knees and just began to weep. Then I saw a beach and I saw myself grab a handful of sand. As I stared at the thousands of grains of sand in my hand and watched them fall through my fingers I felt like God told me that my capacity to love and to hurt was one grain of sand. That if you were to measure what I felt and the desperation in my heart for the people I loved to know Christ it would be one grain of sand. Just one. But, God's desire for His children to know Him, and the pain He feels when they turn from Him is every single grain of sand in the entire world. That my level of compassion is one. His is all. My ability to love is measured by one. His is all.

 

I think about this often. Whenever my emotions are strong and the things I feel start to weigh heavy on my heart. I am always reminded that my capacity for any kind of feeling is limited. If I were to feel what God feels I would not be able to survive.

 

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Jesus's heart yearns for that man. Jesus's heart yearns for every man. Though I  want freedom, blessings, and salvation for that man and every person I know, I will never want it as much as God does. But, I want to be able to love them with all of the ability I have. I want my one grain of sand to be filled with compassion. I want to love people and see people with everything I can. 

I think we all should want that.