“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
-Ephesians 6:10-18
The World Race is coming. And it is coming fast. What was months has turned into three days before launch….THREE DAYS AHHHHHH!!! Mixed emotions is the best way to describe it. I’m terrified, excited, hopeful, every emotion under the sun. I am currently taking a break from the impossible task of trying to fit nine months worth of things plus my tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad into two bags. Throughout the past blogs I have gone through the armor of God in Ephesians, because I know Satan’s attacks will increase on me and my team the closer the race gets. Paul concludes these 8 lines full of a rally cry passion equipping us for battle with something as sweet and simple as prayer. This is the last piece of armor, and the last blog I will write in America!!
A couple years ago prayer intimidated me. I was terrified to pray aloud. I’m not one for words (or spelling which is something you’ll notice throughout my blogs lol) Every time I prayed before a meal, I said this exact same thing…” Thank you for this day. Thank you for this food. Please help everyone. Amen.” Not gonna lie sometimes when I am really hungry and the food smells divine I still pray this very fast, simple prayer. Thankfully I learned that the power in a prayer does not rest in elaborate words or the length. The power comes from the almighty God that is being prayed to. I don’t know what about praying makes people so timid, but what I do know is that the fear of it is from the maker of fear, Satan. The truth is there is no such thing as a “bad” prayer if it is heartfelt. Prayer is simply talking to the Lord. He knows what is on our mind before we say the first word, and even if we don’t have the right words to ask it… He knows. CRAZYYYYYY RIGHHTTTTTTT
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God”
Romans 8:26-27
Christianity is different than other religions, because we get to have a personal relationship with our Savior. Why would we not take advantage of something so special??? Like any relationship…talking helps lol You would not want to be in a relationship where you don’t talk to the person would you?? You also would not want to be in a relationship where the other person just talked to you when they needed something. Don’t forget to give God praise when He deserves it …which is all the time!!!
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
-psalm 100:4-5
Many of you have supported me by donations, and I have been overjoyed by all the love and support I have received. I am currently only $989 away from being FULLY FUNDED!!! WWOOOOO HOOOOOO GOD IS SO BEYOND GOOD!! I do believe the most powerful thing you can do to assist me in my journey is prayer. Below I have given a list of five prayer requests, because I know it helps to pray when you have more specifics!!
P R A Y E R R E Q U E S T S:
1). travel days!!!!
- yes, days. Many days. We are currently facing a 9 hour bus ride to Washington D.C. and that is just the beginning to the long flights and never ending lay overs ahead of us. Pray for guidance over the bus drivers, and safety in the airport. Pray the time spent on travel days is purposeful. Whether that looks like team bonding or sharing the gospel with the stranger sitting next to us. 2). Wisdom in discerning God’s voice.
2). wisdom in discerning God’s voice
- Pray we constantly seek God’s voice and not our own in all circumstances. We want the Holy Spirit to be the mind behind our words and actions. Pray He guides us in who to approach, and what to do or say to get through to them. Pray we place our confidence in the Lord as we pursue what he is asking of us.
3). HEALTH!!!!!!
-
Please pray the Lord super boosts our immune systems, and kicks in the numerous shots my arm has received. There are many things out there that can affect our health on the race. From all the things our body is not accustomed to in food, or all the things mosquitoes carry. Lord please no brain swelling in JESUS NAME ( Japanese encephalitis). We will be in the HIV/ AIDS capital of the world, so please pray for no open wounds allowing even a slim chance of us getting it.
4). Creativity
-
This kind of goes along with discerning God’s voice, but pray that we are able to think of new and creative ways to get the gospel across the way the people of Swaziland, Thailand, and Nicaragua can relate to and understand. The way the gospel relates to us might be different to them, because of their different cultures and values. Pray we put ourselves into their shoes, and that the Lord guides our creativity.
5). Kingdom mindset
-
Pray we remember why we are going in the first place … to advance the kingdom. We are not going to see the world or ride elephants. We are going to save souls. Pray our mind stays set and focused at the pressing task at hand.
While you are praying for me… I would love to have a piece of home come with me in my prayers. Please feel free to email me prayer request @ [email protected]
Thank you for all the love and support!! Next stop SWAZI!!!<3
