I was going to wait to write this blog post until this trial was over, but God reminded me that any truth He is going to use to deliver me is already true in this moment. So I’m going to share with you the lies that Satan is throwing at me and then plummet them back to hell with truth in the name of Jesus.
In scripture we read about how the Spirit gives us joy in our sorrow; a spirit of rejoicing in our trials. That is so not human. I can feel the Holy Spirit filling me with that joy in this moment and I don’t want to forget that.
A couple weeks ago as I was praying, God was reminding me of how he is near to the broken-hearted. I was reflecting on a season of suffering in my life from a few years ago and just pondering the beauty of how he flooded me with peace and joy in that very distinct moment. While reflecting on that memory with the Lord, I found myself almost praying for another moment of breakdown like that just so I could witness His supernatural peace and joy in such a way again. As I felt that prayer come to mind, I knew that was the Spirit, because never would I EVER in my own human mind desire to pray for suffering. Ever. He was putting that desire in my heart to prepare me for this week.
On Saturday I got really sick. It hit me out of nowhere and really wiped me out all day Saturday and Sunday, however I woke up yesterday on Monday feeling completely restored. MAJOR praise!! Now three of my other teammates are sick, so my whole team isn’t present at ministry together. Sickness tends to make my flesh very anxious. Then, every Tuesday and Thursday and Friday we receive teachings in the morning. I’m going to be totally honest, I’ve struggled a lot with teachings I’ve heard while on the race. The Lord has taught me so much about truth, discernment, and how to be united in Jesus even when you disagree on other things. But it’s a constant struggle that’s wearing out my flesh. And with only three weeks left in the race I’m battling a lot of conflicting emotions, too. I’m sad to know I’ll be saying goodbye to this season and to my world race family, but also so excited to be home and be under teaching and authority that I trust wholeheartedly. Being so close, yet still so far, from the end has me feeling all kinds of ways. And today I broke down. After the teaching this morning, I was about to call my dad to pray over me and encourage me. I grabbed my phone only to see 14 messages from different people in my church saying it was on their heart to encourage me this morning. I began to weep at how the Lord cared for me and uplifted me in that moment. I then had a very cleansing moment with the Lord, confessing my struggles and irritation and exhaustion. I felt Him residing in me. The fullness of His Spirit moved in me. I heard Him whisper truth and encouragement to me. He has called me to this, He saw this coming, He has allowed this trial, and He is refining me and growing my faith through it.
This week in my team’s village, we are showing the “Jesus Film” in the community building. We are also having a special event for Mother’s Day to reach out to the women in our community. I believe the Lord is gonna save His children in our village this week and Satan is trembling. Good thing he is powerless in the name of Jesus. I rebuke the discouragement and lack of passion that Satan is scheming against me and my team and declare the joy and strength of the Lord over each of us in the mighty name of Jesus.
Father, thank you for all you have prepared to take place on our village this week. Thank you for whatever kind of healing you have in store for my team. We trust you. Please wake up our village to your love and power. Please soften their hearts and draw them to you, Holy Spirit. We love you, Lord. Thank you for your grace, provision, and truth.
Your faithful daughter,
Anna
A praise-worthy update!
It’s now the end of the week (which we’ve deemed “warfare week” lol) and y’all! Lemme tell ya… it makes sense why Satan was trying to mess with us. God had WILD, beautiful things prepared in our village! On Thursday, almost 100 people came to watch the Jesus Film. There were ten moms and the rest were all children. Ten people heard the Gospel for the first time that night, two of them being moms. How amazing?! We even got to play some games with the kids afterward and invite them all to our English classes, where they will continue hearing the Gospel.
Then, on Friday, the Mother’s Day event started at 2pm. At 2:20 there were still no women there. Feeling discouraged but trusting the Lord, my team prayed, asking God to bring just one woman. Without skipping a beat, there was a knock at the door! We opened the door and there were two women. But it didn’t stop there. For the next ten minutes, women were pouring in and we ended up with 30 WOMEN in total! It was overwhelming in the best way. We whipped out the paint and sweet bread, and even ended up improvising with some embroidery thread as we didn’t have enough paint supplies for the amount of women that showed up. That’s my Jesus! It was a beautiful time where we got to encourage and love and celebrate the women, and invite them back to bible study the following week. It was so encouraging to my heart!
Clearly, the Lord had wonderful things in store. My whole team had a collective deep breath on Friday night. Satan was really trying to stop the plans of the Lord, but he is so powerless in the presence of the Spirit; the Spirit that lives in me and my teammates. Thank you, Father, for being way stronger than the enemy! Thank you for being with us and encouraging us through a week of trials and discouragement.
Your daughter,
Anna
