Dear family and friends thank you for your patience with me as I have been transitioning into African Life. The journey on the World Race isn’t just a journey for me but a journey for us and I am very grateful for an avenue like blogs to be able to grow closer.
This week as I was reading Isaiah, I came across a verse that I believe helped me to understand the will of the Lord and I wanted to share these with you. Isaiah 49:6 “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
It is not about us! It is about Christ, and bringing glory to God. Nothing in myself is good without the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is so evident to me when I seek out intentionality in my day without the direction of the father. Finding myself at the feet of Jesus, asking him to show me direction. I don’t believe that you can truly find a fulfilling life without Christ at the cornerstone. And when He is at the cornerstone, He is deep in your heart working in you to make you look more like him: Christ-Like, for His glory.
In my life I constantly am at battle between flesh and Spirit. The Race challenges me, as much as it opens up opportunities for me that otherwise wouldn’t have back home. I have been stripped of my lifestyle and busy American world and forced to settle into simple living, hot water for tea and toilet paper being grand luxury these days. But the beauty in having no distractions is that I have no reason not to choose Christ.
This may sound strange considering I am on a 9 month missions trip to serve the Lord and make him known. However, humanly and I do struggle to choose the lord constantly and walk my days with him. Hey, sometimes falling fast asleep in my nice warm sleeping bag sounds far more appealing to me then spending an extra hour of team time late at night.
Choosing into the day that the lord has for me, has a lot to do with understanding that intimacy with my Father is a blessing. Asking the Holy Spirit to be my council and then trusting that God is going to provide for my every day. When I loose sight of Gods goodness, I try to feed my self and do things on my own. I begin to believe a lie from the enemy; that I may better satisfy myself that the one who created me. Far too familiar biblically than I like to see. (Gen 3:4-7)
Tenderly the lord has whispered into my ear “I will give you full satisfaction in me.” And it is up to me to choose into that. To trust that I serve a Great and powerful God who fully can satisfy me, and give my life intentionality and purpose in ways I just can’t. To believe that my father is a Good, Good father who loves me and knows my greatest desire in life is to be fully known and fully loved.
I can attest to the great work that the Lord has been doing in Swazi these past couple weeks because I can account for the great works that the lord has done in me. As I am adjusting to the culture, language barrier and simple living I am learning to press into my relationship with Christ like never before.
The Lord has made know to me visions, and assertions of boldness like never before. He has opened my eyes to see a sensitivity to the spiritual realm, a obedience to follow the callings he gives me not only to love and minister to the care-points we work with but greater, the people in whom I minister with. Lastly, he has mended in me brokenness I had ignored and forgotten.
Why?
So that he may be made great and I small, so that I may be more like him in perfection and beauty and He be seen through me greatly.
To him be the Glory, to the ends of my days
