I wanted to share some lessons with you that I have learned during the Race and also some ways that I’ve changed since starting the Race.
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If God calls you to something, He will provide all that you need to accomplish it, just in time. He’s not usually early or late. He’s right on time, God’s time.
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Since being on the Race, I’ve been more bold, more outspoken, more confident and I really don’t care what others think of me. Their opinion doesn’t change who I am or who God made me to be. And I am done trying to be like other or be like what others think I should be. That doesn’t matter. People want what they want and it’s usually because it benefits them somehow.
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I’ve learned that you or I can’t change a person. It’s not our job. Only that person can change themselves with the help of God, if they allow Him to help them. If you have to be the person who is always pushing them and encouraging them to keep to their word or to do what they said they would do, what happens when you’re not around. I think this is just setting yourself up for failure. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to do this and only He can help you change and encourage you daily when you need it. He’s always there. He never goes away. In the end, their struggle or sin or commitment is between them and God. Many times, we try to do the job of the Holy Spirit. I pray that each of us would seek to have that beautiful and personal relationship with the Holy Spirit to where He is our closest friend and confidant.
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In Chile, I realized that God would use my story to change people’s lives and that I would be able to help people get through tough times because of how God helped me.
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What I learned from doing a ropes course 20 feet in the air is to try things that scare you. You’ll be glad you did. Accomplishing something very scary and difficult is very good for you. It builds your confidence and it shuts down fear.
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Gen. 49 – Verse 24 And 25 stuck out to me because it says why Joseph was able to withstand all that came his way. There are 4 becauses. “because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty,”
Let’s remember that God’s hand is always holding us and protecting us. Let’s remember that Jesus is our shepherd and He is guiding us in this relationship. He is our rock. He is our strength. Let’s remember that God is the one who helps us and rescues us when we need it, especially when we need rescuing from ourselves. One of my constant prayers is that God would protect me from myself and my sinful desires. I need him. Lastly, let’s remember that our God is Almighty. He is all powerful, all knowing and all seeing. We need to have the fear of the Lord in our lives and realize that He sees everything we are doing and everything we are thinking. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. -
I learned that praying God’s Word back to Him will strengthen our inner man. It’s life-changing.
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I learned some big lessons about how to deal with fear and anxiety this past year. 1) Pray and fast. 2) Identify what you are feeling and ask the Holy Spirit what you should do about those feelings. 3) Watch what you say. You have to have an ongoing relationship and fellowship with the Holy Spirit to get you through trials. Have faith that God will work everything out for your good and speak that out. 4) Praise God through the battle. He is still worthy of praise even if the circumstances around you are terrible. And many times, God will use that to bring you healing or breakthrough. 5) Guard your heart. Turn of all distraction when you’re having a rough day and ask the Holy Spirit what you need to do or ask Him to restore you if you’ve been broken. Ask Him to refill you if you’ve been emptied. Ask Him to strengthen your inner man if he’s been weakened.
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Battles and struggles soften your heart and give you compassion for others. They’ll make you more understanding and loving. They give you the heart of God.
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God’s Word says that you will reap what you sow. I believe that with all my heart. Every kind thought, kind act and thoughtful prayer you do will come back to you. So if there is something that you are needing right now, I encourage you to sow into that. Whatever it is, whether it’s finances, love, joy, or hope. Whatever you are needing, do that for someone else. God sees all that we do and especially what we do in secret and He says that He will reward us openly.
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When you are offended by someone else, many times it is actually about yourself. It’s your heart revealing that there is something in you that you don’t like. When you get mad or upset or frustrated at others, many times it’s about you. It’s an indication that you’re triggering about something. You’re feeling it about yourself. Listen to your heart, without shame or condemnation.
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If you want to change your speech, you have to change your heart. If you want to know what’s in your heart, listen to what’s coming out of your mouth and the tone you are using.
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It’s so funny how when you eat almost the same thing everyday for a month, you start thinking about all the other things you would like to eat, but can’t. And you pray for something else, like vegetables. Then you go into the next country and you get vegetables. Yay! God answered our prayer. And then you eat that all month and still complain. This is how many people have been feeling this past month and last month. We are not thankful for what we have. We want what we don’t have. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness. They were not thankful for the manna that God provided everyday. They wanted something else. May we all be thankful for all that we have instead of complaining and comparing.
I also want to encourage all of you to read this book that I’ve just read. It’s called “In a pit with a Lion on a Snowy day.” It’s about Benaiah in the Bible in 2 Samuel 23:20-21. I learned so much in this book, but it was also a confirmation that I am doing a lot of things right. I’m on the right path. That’s very encouraging to me. It talks about taking risks and being ready to seize all the God-given opportunities that come our way. That means getting yourself in tune with the Holy Spirit. You have to listen to His still, small voice prompting you and believe that He is setting you up for success. Also, that following Christ is doing the will of God no matter how foolish or crazy you might look in the process.
