Hello friends, family, supporters, prayer warriors, and everyone in between! I am so happy you are here. I am so excited to share with you what the Lord has placed on mi corazón (my heart!) after being on the race for a month. (isn’t that wild!?! I have been living in Guatemala for a month already!! WOW)
“Hey Leanna, What’s the Lord teaching you?”
WHOA that is a loaded question…BUT I would realllllllly like to share with you a few of the many ways that God has touched mi corazón this month! Keep reading!!
When I first arrived in Guatemala on September 9th, I was so excited to see the Lord move in these people. Wow I had no idea the ways that the Lord was going to move in MY heart as well. I knew I would be stretched in so many ways and I knew that I would be experiencing growth, but I had no idea the extent of all of that…now I do!
I have learned the importance and power of covering situations in prayer!! Opening every situation, interaction, meeting, event, and most importantly each day in prayer. (literally anything and everything we are praying over it!!) Being able to invite the Holy Spirit in specific ways to come and move. I have always known that God is always with me, but making the effort to intentionally invite him in each and every day is powerful!! Also in my alone time with Him this has made a huge impact in my heart. This changes things!!
Every Thursday my squad and I have a gathering in the morning called “activation.” During this time the activation team here at the Guatemala base come and speak to us about different topics with the purpose of activating us to step out of our comfort zones…and GO! The first activation day someone spoke on identity. We talked a lot about how our flesh is dead! Trying to wrap my head around the fact that the Holy Spirit lives inside of me!! I am seen as righteous and whole! It was a very powerful day!!
The second activation was on hearing the voice of the Lord. This day will always stick out to me because this is a topic that I have heard so many pastors and speakers talk about and I have always marveled over it, but it has never settled deep in my heart…until now!!! The Lord spoke to me so clearly on this day. So many things that were said during this activation hit my heart in ways that it has never been hit before (HAHA!). After each activation we go out and apply what we just learned. I have a many stories and testimonies from these days that I would love to share in a different blog. I am thankful for these days to be able to come to a safe place and have sweet encounters with our Heavenly Father. It’s heavenly!!
I have seen the Lord’s kindness so clearly in this season. In so many ways, but recently its been evident in the incredible community he has provided me with. He has placed so many people in my life that have spoken into my confidence. I have been able to really process and think about being a confident daughter of the king and what that all means. I have been realizing that God has created me confident, not with a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Thankful that the Lord has confidence in me and so does my community. Thankful that I do not have to prove myself and earn the love that the Father freely gives to His children. Thankful for His grace and mercy. Thankful for people in my life that believe in me and fight for me.
My heart has found a lot of peace in knowing that the Lord JUST WANTS TO BE WITH ME. Just being honest here, I put so much pressure on myself in a lot of areas in my life. I put pressure on myself for things to look a certain way. I put tons of pressure on myself and it is exhausting. The Lord loves me and cares for me and the pressure I place on myself was getting in the way of me loving the Lord fully. I give that pressure to the Lord daily because I can’t carry it anymore. Learning how to be free as I walk out the life that God has called me into. A life without pressure and self doubt!!! Whoop Whoop!
I am still sitting with the Father about these things. I am trying to embrace how the Holy Spirit asks me to rest in him. REST!!! Truly rest! I am growing. I am learning. I do not have everything together at all. I am living in a new excitement with an open heart and open hands for the Lord to come and move mountains and use me as His vessel. The best part is that this is just the beginning! This is just month one!! THANK YOU GOD!
Real talk though…
I wasn’t going to post this because I didn’t think it was worthy of reading. I sat on that thought for a little while and realized that there are quiet a few lies that I needed to release. RELEASE!! That is a word that I have been praying over. It keeps coming up in morning devos, activation, and prayers. The Lord has asked me to release. Releasing of certain fear, control, insecurity, pride, and unhealthy self expectations. I make this sound like this pretty process of rainbows and butterflies, but I write this with a heavy heart. I write as I walk through this. The Lord is working in my heart and I am so thankful that He is a God of redemption and grace. I mess up and I fall more times than I like to admit. I am lazy and I make excuses, but the Lord calls me back every time and simply asks me to release. The process is not simple for me. It takes time. I am embracing every part of this process when the Lord searches my heart. He will move. There is beauty in my brokenness. Seeing more and more beauty.
with love & joy,
Leanna Murphy
