I only need $4500 until I'm fully funded! I know God will provide the means I need, because I absolutely know this is where He wants me… He's teaching me so much about his true love and his plans for my life…
I know I've written a lot about what LOVE looks like… But i guess thats just the series of lessons he's throwing at me… God has such a funny way of showing you what you need. Funny, and at times extremely so hard. God taught me so much this month on that mountain in Erindique…
In the beginning of this month I literally felt so frustrated and angry.. I felt pretty much defeated. I'll be blunt and just say it, I thought about even asking for a team change. But then I thought about it and thats how I always get out of things, by not sticking things out, by not fighting to make a difference that I can make. So I decided to swallow my pride and began seeking Christ in that time of frustration.. even thought I didn't want too. I cried out to him in my depression/oppresion that I was feeling then, and God kept say "LOVE them without change." and I kept saying, "NO.If im growing and maturing in you then they need to as well."
But you see what I didn't grap is that we are all growing and maturing at our own ways and paces. And I needed to realize thatthe majority of the time I was frustrated or irritated or mad about something someone did, was because THATS WHAT I DO! I do thee exact same thing and can't stand that in myself. And until I grasped it, being on that mountain was torture. I began to later ask myself if I loved the guys and girls on my team the way Christ loves me…Flaws and all? Because where there is sinful nature Christ Jesus can not reside… Therefore if I have this toleration of them and do not truly love them, flaws and all, Christ jesus can't reside in me. Well then what am I doing on the WR? This is why I came because I was called to LOVE ALL GOD'S PEOPLE.. but I'm just a hypocrite if I can love complete stranger and can't love my true friends and family. Riiight!?
Speech, actions, and attitude… are three things that will help you loose this "sinful nature" and to have the mouth, hands/feet, and walk that Christ Jesus our father wants for us.
Speech
Prov. 12:25- "An a a man anxious heart wieghs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."
< Why not, instead of speaking before thinking or out of not knowing situations, we just Speak Life… Speak truth???>
Prov. 15:4- "- the dicerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly."
<If we are all fools… what can we do togain knowedge???>
*Prov. 4;24-"Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk from your lips."
So one of our squad leaders(Shout out Joel!) said something so profound about the words you speak and there heavy affect. He said that when we speak words they go into the atmosphere, and stay there. Are the words and things you say about yourself and others aroud you words that are beneficial, positive and words that will help you and others grow? Or are they negative, desrtuctive words that will only bring you and the other person down? ……I know…. WOW! For a while I pondered things I have said about other and things I've said about myself and was so dissapointed that since there in the atmosphere I can never get back hose words.
< Lets speak words of love and not words that will harm each other>
Actions
James 2:17-" In th same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by an action is dead."
< Actions speak louder than words, we need to become the full body of christ. Not just th ears or the eyes but also the Hands and the Feet.>
Attitude
Phil. 2:4-8-" Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others.5 Your attitude should be the same as that of christ jesus. 6 Who being invery nature of God,did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. 7 But made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death. Death on a cross."
<We need to "Die to Self">
*Luke 9:23-24 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
< Let's nail up our flesh to our crosses everyday!>
Who am I to obtain this sinful nature… when Christ died to save me from these things?
We need to start dying to our flesh, dying to our sinful nature, for Christ can not reside where sin is. Choose what you say, do and how you do them, wisely.
Phil. 3:12-13 "Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.
Let's do it together. Die to self.
I love you all so much! thanks for reading and prayig for me!
Tatiana Famania
