Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is with great humility that I come before you today. I am not one to openly share my trials and tribulations with the rest of the world but I am learning more and more each day that it is these very trials and tribulations that God is using to craft and mold me into the son he has always intended me to be from the very beginning. I know that he will also use such experiences to allow me to be a witness to those in similar circumstances. So I pray that whoever may be reading this and whoever may be navigating through a similar dark place at this very moment, I pray that the Lord of peace may rest upon your soul and that he will guide you into the light and away from sorrow and pain.
I’ve been in a very dark place recently. I have been caught up in the flesh rather then focusing on the Spirit. I have been neglecting my responsibilities and have put God on the sideline in a time when I need him the most. While stuck in such a dark place my mind has become clouded and I have become more and more consumed by anxiety and have been questioning my purpose and direction in life. No more than a month or so ago it was made crystal clear, almost frighteningly clear, that this path, the World Race, is what God wants me to pursue. Why then have I strayed so far in such a short amount of time? Some may say it is the evil one, tempting me and purposely moving me away from the work God has called me to do. Whatever it may be I now know this, “that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” -Romans 8:28
Before I can travel the world and bring light into the dark corners of the Earth, I must first travel through my own darkness so that the Lord may bring light into my heart.
It is on this day that God has extended his gentle hands and has pulled me up from my own suffering and has made clear my purpose which is as follows, In each day, in every moment, act as if Jesus was in my place. To be Jesus to people in need, to be Jesus to people who hurt, to be Jesus to people who are lonely, that is my calling.
Late last night, or shall I say this morning, around 5am I was troubled and could not find rest. It was then that God placed before me a message from Mr Tony Campolo. This message pierced my soul with the intensity of an atom bomb. It cleared up the overcast in my mind and made clear my purpose and I pray that it may do the same for you.
