Wednesday, 06 May 2009
-
Believing the Promises of God
So it’s been a while since I’ve been able to write. God has been doing some amazing things in my life. We hear it all the time that we just need to take the first step in faith and God will do the rest. In my life he has. There are some good verses that I had been holding on to the entire time, in all of the different stages of this transition. My favourites being Rev 3:7 When he opens a door no one can close it. And when he closes it, no one can open it. I know what you do, I have put an open door before you, which no one can close. I know you have little strength but you have obeyed my teaching and were not afraid to speak my name. Another verse that God reminded me of this morning is Philippians 1:6 God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
As I look back over the past two months it has been really up and down, my own personal Spiritual roller coaster ride. There were many hurdles in my way, many fears I had to over come and just as many good times and happiness. But somehow we focus more on the dips than the peaks. I found a passage today that finally pushed me to write this well overdue (and am afraid VERY long) blog. It’s from a devotional in my bible
We all have “giants” in our lives – Those difficulties that steal life from us and keep us from moving forward. God wants to help us conquer them. Remember, nothing is impossible for him. Take some time to pray about the situation you’re struggling with. Picture God obliterating that giant. If you’ve been saying “God, look how big my giant is.” Try changing your perspective and start saying, “Hey giant, look how big my God is!”
Speaking of giants….
My move to Florida has been a long process and I feel like I am still transitioning into my new life. I am waiting upon God for the promises of provision that he has given me. As each one reveals itself to me I am just amazed at what God has done and is continuing to do. I am slowly starting to find my reason my purpose for being here. But I feel that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I am feeling a stirring in my soul of things I want to accomplish, things that I want to do. These things I don’t know how to do but I am waiting on God to bring clarity into the situation.
My first day of packing up my apartment a few weeks before I was to leave, I remember as clear as day I was in my kitchen filling boxes and my mind started buzzing. I started to get overwhelmed; it had finally hit me that I was moving. I was giving away my dog, I was giving away a ton of my belongings to complete strangers, I felt like I was giving away my life. God was purging my life! And that my friend is one of the scariest, overwhelming feelings I have ever experienced to this day. I literally had to take a step back to catch my breath. And I said to myself “what am I doing?” At that moment I was listening to Shekinah Glory Ministires (Life altering CD btw) and the song “Yes” was playing and these were the lyrics that answered my question “what am I doing?”:
He’s calling you higher
Don’t be afraid
don’t be afraid of men and their faces
Don’t be afraid, Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid,
he said I’m calling you out of your dry places,
I’m calling you out of your dry places,
come on up a little higher, come on up a little higher,
come on up a little higher, higher, higher,
I’m calling you,
I predestined you before the world began to do my will,
to do my will,
He’s calling you higher, he’s calling you, he’s calling you,
As I write this it still brings tears to my eyes at how absolutely amazing God is and is always there to calm our fears, he NEVER gives us anything that we can’t handle and when he pushes us to our limits he is always there to back us up and give us the support that we need to push on, move forward, to do his will.
Leaving Chicago was easier than I thought it would be. Obviously the hardest part was saying good-bye to dearly loved friends. But even in that it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Because I know in my heart of hearts that friends are friends no matter where you are and I know I will see everyone again even if it’s not here, as we know it. During this time God kept giving me passages to encourage me. To get my blood pumping and to get hyped for all of the goodness that he is going to bring my way. (Jeremiah 29:11-14 …”I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me! I will let you find me.” Says the Lord. “And I will bring you back from captivity…”) (Isaiah 66:9 “In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born, “says the Lord. “If I cause you the pain, I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation.” Says your God.)
God was also using my pastor to speak to me very loudly. It seemed that all the sermons I had been hearing at that time were about vision, new seasons and moving forward. I really felt like the Holy Spirit had written each one for me. The one that really stands out by Pastor Kent was “Life is more fun when you enjoy the Journey” the last point he made was titled “Answer discouragement” Talking about faith and being so strong in your faith and KNOWING that God is going to fulfill all his promises! He was talking about David and Goliath (you all know the story) In 1 Samuel 17:48 is says that David took off running towards Goliath. Can you imagine that? Having so much faith in God that you actually run towards your fears with confidence. Knowing that you have God on your side and he WILL fulfill his promise to bring you through. Those few words stirred something deep within me! Man God is so good!
My time at home in London (Ontario, Canada) was both good and bad too. I spent some amazing time with family. I got to catch up with old friends and made some new ones. I had some revelation, some time spent in a mirror looking at the person I used to be and in some ways still had inside me. I also could see who I wanted to be. The hardest night I had was a night were I had driven around London, we seemed to pass by so many old spots that held such painful memories from my past. Each place hit me like a prizefighter punching me. Beating me down, I had been so busy that week that I had put my face time with God on the back burner, which opened me up to all sorts of spiritual attacks. By the end of the night I had started to beat myself up for the person I used to be. Once I got home I quickly emailed my girls to ask for prayer. But by the end of the email God had answered my prayer and turned the situation around to give me hope and empower me to move forward. By telling me that this night was not a night to break me down but to build me up. He changed my perspective on it and yes, I did see where I was in the past, but now look at who I’ve become, who I’ve become in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:12 So do not let sin control your life here on earth. So that you do what your sinful self wants to do. Do not offer the parts of your body to serve in sin, as things to be used in doing evil. Instead offer yourselves to God as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used in doing good. Sin will not be your master because you are not under law but under God’s grace.) Amen to that!
I must say I’ve been feeling the favour of God as soon as my trip started. From small insignificant things (like not having to pay the fee at the airport for having a bag 11 lbs over the weight limit due to a credit card machine malfunction and my bus getting through customs at the border with no difficulty) to life altering gifts (a great place to stay with a great family who have taken me in as their own and a really good job that will completely suit all my needs and more).
It has not been 100% fun though. Nighttime was the worst, being in a new house all by myself (because my new roommate was out of town for the weekend) was so scary. Ocala is so full of nature and is SO quiet and dark compared to Chicago. I was completely freaking myself out. The first night I turned on a movie and slept on the couch telling myself that things would be all better in the morning. The second night I knew better. Instead of letting a movie console me I took my fear to God and he lead me to his promise in Psalm 91 Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “you are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust you.” God will save you from hidden traps and from deadly diseases. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you can hide. His truth will be your shield and protection. You will not fear any danger by night or an arrow during the day. You will not be afraid of diseases that come in the dark or sickness that strikes at noon. At your side one thousand people may die, or even ten thousand right beside you, but you will not be hurt. You will only watch and see the wicked punished. The Lord is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety. Nothing bad will happen to you; no disaster will come to your home. He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go. They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock. You will walk on lions and cobras; you will step on strong lions and snakes. The Lord says, “Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me. They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honour them. I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save.” Wow I just love that last line.
So like I said feel like God has been spoiling me here with wonderful blessings. I had been driving around on Saturday with the windows open wearing shorts and a tank top, feeling the hot sun on my pasty white skin, and absolutely loving the weather. I was thinking about my new job and how it was even more perfect than I could have imagined it and I was so excited to start it. Then, I started to question it and I was beginning to plan out scenarios in my head of how things would go wrong and how my life would be foiled. Simply believing that all of this good and happiness that I was feeling could not last forever and somehow I didn’t deserve it. The next morning I got ready and went to church where in the middle of his message. The pastor said that he felt like there was someone there that needed to hear “The blessings of God are for you!” And yet again, God was right there waiting with his answers. The more that I grow close to God the more I am hearing him speak to me, the more I realize how real God is, and how intimate our relationship can be.
So now I am waiting on God to bring the rest of his provisions (like desperately needing a car here), his plans, his purposes upon me and they slowly are unfolding. I was listening to that song “Yes” again and the Holy Spirit has used this song in so many ways to speak to me:
Will your spirit still say yes,
There is more that I require of thee,
will your heart and soul say yes.
I feel like God is basically telling me “Hey… I’m not done with you yet. I still have hard things to come, are you up for it?” and with an open and willing heart I say yes! I am so excited to see what is to come and who he brings into my life. Sorry this one was so long, there was just so much to say! And if you can believe it these were just the really good things that he has been doing, there are so many many more that I don’t have the time to write about.
Be blessed, Love you!
-
recommend
- recs 0
-
email
- sent 0
- like
Post a Comment