Man, today is a great day to blog. It’s raining in Texas (which hardly ever happens) and Jesus has allowed me to partake in some amazing testimonies of His goodness. I can’t think of anything I enjoy doing more than hearing someone’s story. There is POWER in our stories because He writes them. He works all things together for our good. As soon as you think you’ve written a chapter that could never lead to a “happily every after”, you hand it over to Jesus, and He makes it your best chapter yet. He makes it better than a “happily ever after” story could ever be. He is the AUTHOR and perfecter of our faith.
What He’s been showing me and teaching me, in greater depth, is that when our desires line up with His desires, that’s when Heaven can move. Does this mean God needs your permission to act? NO. But, it does mean that when you take your selfish motives out of the way and begin to pray for, and seek after His heart, and what He desires, He is able to give you the desires of your heart like scripture promises. You see, God graciously gave us a free will and He does not interfere with it. But, when what we desire lines up with what He desires, and we take ourselves out of the way, He is no longer interfering or inhibiting our free will and Heaven CAN and WILL move.
How do we know what God desires? We go to the scriptures and He tells us what He desires. How do we have faith, just believe something, and pray for it? As Hebrews 12:2 says, and like I quoted above, HE is the AUTHOR and perfecter of our faith. Some versions say “the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Anything rooted in our own power, self reliance, and will is never a good plan. It is EXHAUSTING to try and force yourself to believe something to be true and to force yourself to have faith. When, truth be told, you’re really not too sure about the whole thing. “White-nuckel christianity” is a never ending game of disappointment, inadequacy, and low self-esteem. Because you can’t do it. HE is the author.
I am convinced that He is more interested in you saying something like, “Jesus, I want to believe what your word says, and I want to desire what you desire, but I’m having trouble believing what you say. Would you show me your heart and teach me how to pray?” rather than spurting out a bunch of stuff you’ve heard other people pray that sounds good, even though you really don’t believe it. Why try to hide your heart and what you really feel? HE ALREADY KNOWS YOUR HEART AND HOW YOU FEEL. He is interested in who you really are. By seeking His will and praying for things that move His heart, He increases, initiates and perfects your faith. Because, by praying those prayers you become more like him. You begin to take on His character and believe. “So a man thinks, so is he.” When you are faithful with little, you will be faithful with much. He helps you with the faith you need to get there. He doesn’t just say “Hey I want you to go travel the world and tell people about me, show them my love, pray for the sick to be healed, and the lost to be found, love orphans, and leave your family and everything familiar behind…oh, and figure it out.” NO, He gives us all the tools we need to accomplish His will and His purpose for our lives! Everything He has is already ours, He has held nothing back from us. But we simply don’t ask. I want to get to the place where there is nothing I don’t give to Him and pray about. From something as simple as loosing your favorite piece of jewelry, to raising all the funds needed for this journey, to praying for healing and the dead to come to life. As He perfects my faith, it will continue to grow and my prayer is that my heart becomes more like His heart all the time.
I saw this so clearly in scripture this week as I read about the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and thought to herself “If I could just touch the hem of His cloak I will be healed.” What she didn’t realize is that her faith, expressed in action, would bring her SOOO much more than healing. When Jesus turns to her he says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed form your suffering.” Faith means to believe something. This woman believed that Jesus was who He says He was. Through that belief her desire lined up with what God desired and that is where Heaven could move. She thought she was just going to be healed, but what she got was so much more.Not only did He heal her, He then called Her “Daughter” which means, “a daughter of God, acceptable to God, rejoicing in God’s peculiar care and protection.” How great is that?!
Through this whole process of fundraising, buying gear, and preparing for the World Race, both physically and spiritually, I have become well acquainted with my “shortcomings” or “problem areas”. There is A LOT I don’t have figured out. There are A LOT of things I am afraid of no matter how much I try and not be afraid of them. But the truth that He has brought me to is this; I want to believe more in His power than my weakness. I want to believe more in His goodness than the bad in people, I want to believe more in His purpose for me than my fear of messing it all up. So, as I prayerfully seek His heart in these matters, He has increased my faith by telling me that I am a Daughter of God. “He takes peculiar care of me and He protects me.” His Power is far greater than my weakness. May my desires be what He desires, that I may take on His character and become more like Jesus. May my faith continue to increase through this journey of the World Race and every journey He calls me to because He is the author and perfecter, and He is Powerful!
For His glory and for freedom,
Chelsea
