Well it’s Time to Saddle up those Horses! (Steven Curtis Chapman reference)
Today is my OFFICIAL last full day in the good ole US of A! Tomorrow I leave with G squad for Nepal at 9:30 am. Here is how the logistics of it all go down: From here we hit up Chicago and then head to India and sit through the longest flight of my life… wait for it… 15 HOURS! To follow it up, I have another personal record to break; we have a 19 hour layover there, and then finally make our arrival July 5th to Kathmandu! Whoa, craziness right? Please pray for my squad and I as we endure this time. May God bless us with patience and great time management. This is a great opportunity to prepare our hearts for the ministries of Nepal. Please pray that we utilize this time well and that God would place His guardian angels around us.
Life Update: I had to say goodbye to all my Michiganders last week 🙁 because the past week I have been in Colorado doing some epic youth ministry with a ton of High-Schoolers! I went out with my awesome Hamilton crew and encounter the Lord in so many ways! Throughout camp we went hiking, climbing, rappelling, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and paint-balling. Each and every evening we brought kids from diverse backgrounds to come together and encounter God! We encountered Him through worship, His given Word, Prayer listening, and small group talks. The ways He showed up were astounding! From healings that occurred, to the warmth of His peace, to visions of how He wants to transform a community (specifically Hamilton).
I desperately wanted God to show up and He did for His children. He did so not because of my desperate plee or and the hard work and deeds of the leaders, but because as one body we seeked His presence. We simply asked for His spirit to fill us.
TRUST THE ROPE . TRUST YOUR LIFE LINE . TRUST GOD
More and more I am realizing that sharing the gospel is not dependent on me. It is not me who changes a persons heart, it is God. It is not by any good deed that I do, or any scripture verse I try to intricately weave into conversations. Rather it is by the manifestation of God’s spirit in a person, the very presence of God moving within them that changes them. I am just the vessel. The only thing that I need to remember is that I, Nathan Deloof, carry the very power of God in me! God has torn the veil and now dwells within me! I just need to believe it, not put walls around my faith in Him. Each day I need to believe in the power of my inheritance! Believe that we can actually change the world and bring His Kingdom, because it is by His power not our own!
This is the prayer for my life and yours! In this next year as we both continue this race of discipleship let us remember to reach beyond our own understanding of Faith. What is Faith without stepping into what we do not know, right? I mean what if we actually live into the Spirit’s conviction in our hearts? What if we actually stopped to talk to the beggar on the side of the road or prayed from that person on the street or in the mall like God pushed you too? What if the simple Words through us were that seed that lead that person to Christ! Lets not miss it!
Lets not holdback, rather allow God to push us! Step out in Faith and press in to God! Lets begin to speak life into people and not just do the good deeds! Let’s go and walk on that water!!!
I want to leave you with this challenge that was given by an F squad mentor, Carly:
“Be the Kingdom you know that is inside of you”
Will you live out your inheritance with me?
