Good afternoon! So it is that time again, tomorrow is Starving Second Saturday May 14, 2011. I feel guilty as I have not posted some of the amazing things I have seen in the last month as they have been occurring all around me. This posting if I did it correctly, would be pages long, but …. I want you to read it so I will highlight.
A few weeks ago, I was able to attend a church in Albuquerque with a friend. I was amazed at the fact that there were so many people at the services in the AM that they had to open an outside amphitheater and it was filled. As it turned out, Rebecca St. James was there that morning to lead the praise and worship, so I asked my friend if the church was that crowded because of that. No—its always that crowded. At the end of the service 15 people came forward to receive Christ! That is awesome! I think there is a growing hunger for the truth. I think the pot is just beginning to boil.
I have been reflecting on the past year and the things I have been privileged to see and do. I have been able to see friends and family that I have, in many cases, not seen for years. I have been able to share my testimony and share in theirs. I often felt guilty for not sharing the message of the cross with those I knew in the past, but God has shown me that he works in their lives anyway. It has been sort of a release of guilt for me. Thank You Lord.
I have also seen that the Lord is working in the lives of friends at home. A friend from Church called me one day and was telling me how the Lord has opened his eyes and ignited his heart with a passion for Christ! Wow—a direct answer to prayer. Lord help us burn hotter and hotter and spread a contagious fire!
School has recently been in session for me. As many of you know, I had applied to Samaritan’s Purse and was being considered for the position of Japan Program Manager in Japan. When I was asked to provide additional information and offer a testament to my personal relationship with Christ, I just knew I had to be a shoe-in for the job. I met every qualification. I have the language training. At the exact same time I was told I was being considered, my company had scheduled me to go to North Carolina. This seemed like all at once God would answer nearly every prayer I have breathed in the last year and fulfill a dream I had way back when… but so far they have decided to keep looking.
I knew that it would be a long-shot as I consider the talent pool they must draw from, but… if God ordains it, it must be so. So I was perplexed and a bit disappointed when I received the news. I had been thinking all week, “ I will either know exactly how Joseph felt when Pharaoh called him out of prison, or how he felt when the cup bearer was freed and forgot him.” As you can imagine I have been asking God that why question again.
Yesterday, I finally seemed to get it. God has been speaking, but I wasn’t listening. I had submitted the final bit of information to Samaritans Purse on Friday am the 6th and was expecting to wait for a few days to hear back. In the mean-time as we were praying, the Lord began to speak. On May 8th I received in my morning devotional a poem based upon scriptures; part of it here begins a theme…
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Me, and I will make your paths straight. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by your behavior, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
On Tuesday, I received from a good friend the following devotional….
Consulting First With God
BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, you are going to give Him the first consideration in every decision you make. You will ask, “What is the will of God? What is the purpose of Jesus? What will glorify my Father?”
Have you ever worked for a company and they decided to transfer you? So many people, because of their financial obligations, discuss it a little with family and friends, then make plans for the move. Sometimes the transfer happens so quickly, prayer has sometimes been forgotten.
ACTION POINT:
Friend, if God wants you to go, then go. If God doesn’t want you to go, then you need to stay. But you’ll never know until you get alone with God and let Him tell you what He wants.
And on Wednesday I received this for a morning inspirational devotional:
Trust The Lord - He Knows Your Future!
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Proverbs 3:5-7
Will you trust your Lord every day for your entire life, marriage and future? Are you trusting your Lord to provide for your emotional, spiritual and physical needs while your spouse is gone or you are having marriage problems?
O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12
The Lord wants you to trust Him completely! Regardless if your spouse is home threatening to leave, or living in sin or you are divorced. Trust the Lord daily and thank Him that He is speaking to your husband or wife. While you wait, ask the Lord to direct your every footstep. Your Lord is wanting your husband or wife to turn from their sinful habits and lifestyle in which they were seduced, deceived and tempted by the enemy.
So I had received an answer from the Lord before I had even heard back from Samaritan’s Purse, and again afterword as I kept asking “why did you do that to me?” I had ignored it because I have read those passages so many times I knew what they said. My problem—I wasn’t listening.
So, He says again to “trust him, no matter what.”
