(Photo Taken in the Philippines @ a local grocery store. They often collect bags because you are not aloud to bring them into large stores.)
Baggage…
Leave It At the Cross.
Baggage. We all have it. Some have more than others…. When I decided to go on the World Race, I knew that I have to leave it behind. My desires. My wants. What I thought, was just that, “what I thought”. What I realized after going into the 7th month of ministry, is that if you have baggage, God WILL rid you of it. Not because you want him to, because believe me,it’s painful. He rids you of it for your own good & for the good of his purposes. He’s got me here to do some work in his Kingdom, which is way more important than my little heart’s desires.
Even at training camp we talked about having little emotional baggage and I now understand why. If you have any it will interfere with ministry & why the Lord has called you here. You have to be able to handle the fire. If you are full of too much junk it will feel way too heavy.
I was just looking back through pictures of all of the months before this one. I couldn’t help but shed tears for where the Lord has brought me, how he’s healed me, and restored me. I don’t think I would have gone through all of this personal growth in my relationship with him, had I not let go of myself and given it to him. For your glory God…use me Lord. All for your glory.
When we are called to ministry there is not really an “I” involved. It is all about the Lord, purposes much higher and further beyond our comprehension. I still struggle because I battle the flesh just like you do. Every day…I have to make a choice, to live and answer the call or do give into what I WANT. This really is not a simple thing. When we die to ourselves it is then that we can truly embrace the life that God has for us.
One thing I know is that God does know ALL the desires of my heart, even if they are on the back burner for a while. Even if it does burn. He’s refining my heart through the fire right now. Testing me. Trying me…He is a gracious and loving Father. One thing he didn’t say was that there would be no suffering on Earth. There is suffering. If my suffering can bring someone, even ONE person to know Christ than its worth it. The tears, the sweat, ( and believe me I sweat out in the Cambodian, African, and now Malaysian heat right near the Equator), and the heartache is all worth it.
I’m not going to lie & say that this whole journey has been simple. I’ve had to dump pieces of myself out that were not good. Just like I started with a really full pack of stuff, realizing that I didn’t even need half of it….I got rid of things. I let go of things WAY easier now. I’ve had my belongings stolen, but who really cares. It’s just stuff. You really realize what’s important when you travel the world and realize the serious need it has for God. For the Kingdom. You realize most people around the world don’t even own what you choose to carry around for 11 months. A large percentage are blessed to have food, shelter, and basic necessities. I don’t need what I have, I am blessed to have what I have.
The Father’s heartbeat is beating in me. So fast some days…I feel his pain. I feel his sadness…Yet I give my burden’s to him. I lay them at the feet of Jesus. At his cross. Knowing that he does work out all things for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purposes. That he hears all the cries of my heart…He speaks to me tangibly about what my future holds. It’s secure as long as I follow him. I can’t give up…I’ve gotten rid of too much & I have made it too far. I am lighter because I don’t carry the weight of myself or of the world on my shoulders. When I feel a heaviness, I give it to the Lord in prayer, knowing that my prayers are powerful weapons against the enemy. The Father lightens my heart…I kneel down & leave it in his hands. My future, my hopes, my dreams, they are all better when he’s a part of it. Refiner’s Fire, refine me God, you are my heart’s one desire, is to be holy…set apart for you Lord, ready to do your will.
When Jesus calls us to do his work, he asks us to rid our hearts of our flesh & what we desire in exchange for what he desires. What kinds of things are holding you down? What kind of baggage does the Lord want to free you of today? Ask him…he will free you in exchange for the cross he already bore. I think that’s what Jesus meant when he called his first disciples in Luke…’" 'Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.' So they pulled up their boats up on the shore, left everything, and followed him."
(Luke 5: 10-11)
Notice they left EVERYTHING. Friends, family, their belongings, their familiar surroundings…they just went. Even though you may or may not have to leave all of these things, spiritually if we are following Jesus…we leave those things behind. They can’t come with us.
Prayer:
Father I pray today that you would rid our lives of the excess baggage we pick up or choose to carry. Jesus, you already carried the cross over 2,000 years ago, and rose again so that we could be rid of those things that weigh us down. Lift us up into your hands, and free us of hinderances that are not from you. Help us to discern what things you would like us to leave behind & what the purposes are that you have for us.
In Jesus Name, Amen
