1 Thessalonians 2:8
“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.”
Guys, God is always moving. He’s always up to something, and His heart’s desire is to rescue and transform us by His love. He wants us to receive our inheritance and advance His kingdom NOW. After I encountered the Lord last year at my World Race training camp and was baptized in the Holy Spirit, I wanted to get in on the action. I showed up with a heart aching for purpose, and I found it in the only One who truly gives it. Your life will change when you meet the One who can satisfy your SOUL.
Sooooooo yeah. I’m back in Gainesville, GA, actually.
If you didn’t know, on September 14th I will be leaving to alumni squad lead with the World Race for another 6 months. I’m honored to be apart of another squad, and I’m excited to step into this new role! The scripture above has been on my heart this past week during leadership training, and I’ve felt a call from the Lord to share a little bit more this time around. I’ve seen crazy things with my eyeballs – a woman was raised from the dead in Albania. I’ve seen demons flee in Jesus name. I’ve been freed in the Lord’s healing truth. I’ve experienced real heart change, receiving the true love of my Father.
And I haven’t shared much about any of it. I was one way before I left, and now I’m different. So much happened in the in-between, though. I went on a beautiful journey with God, discovering my purpose for existing as His heart became and continues to become my own. Simply, I made God the LORD OF MY LIFE. Cause if I’m being honest, I realized I was a Christian living as my own lord. With my eyes on myself. My eyes were opened to the truth that we weren’t meant to lead ourselves through life. We were created to need and depend on God. We were designed to rely on our Father. We see this all throughout scripture –
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” Proverbs 3:5-6.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5.
“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin” Romans 7:18-25.
“So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom ever failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless – like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere” Ecclesiastes 2:9-11.
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need” Matthew 6:31-34.
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve His needs – for He has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need. From one man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries. His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him – though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist” Acts 17:24-28.
“How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see” Psalms 36:7-9.
I could go on and on, but we were created to do life with God, moment by moment.
Anyways, the Spirit has been leading me to 1 Thessalonians 2:8, and I’m feeling empowered to testify and share this season of my life more openly. Whether the testimonies seem “small” or “big” to you, the Lord deserves praise. MY HEART WANTS TO GLORIFY AND WORSHIP HIM! And this is a public way I can do that, and invite you all into this next adventure as I continue to yield to the Lord. Father, I’m willing, and I’m expecting good things!
