So a lot of my posts have been insights into what God has been doing in my life. What He has delivered me from and how He has brought me into a new level of His love, doing a deeper healing in my heart. The reasons I felt like God wanted me to share those deep places of healing with you is because He told me it wasn’t for me. I think we as the body of Christ have come to a place of pride. Scared to open up to one another on a larger scale other than a small group. It creates this atmosphere of perfection that we all know we can never reach here on earth. It brings people to a place of loneliness because they feel judged when they talk about the places they are struggling. We put sin on a scale, and when someone else’s sin isn’t ours we think they are wrong but in reality we are just as sinful as them. That’s why we all need Jesus. That’s why we are all united us as one body. The church is for the broken not the “perfect”.
“And Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick. I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness].””
LUKE 5:31-32
Jesus is perfect and walked perfectly, but us…we are learning every moment and growing every day to become more like Him. So why don’t we start letting each other in and grow together in unity like the Bible asks us to do. If us opening up about our brokenness and telling what a work God has done leads to someone else’s healing, Hallelujah! I mean, it’s all for His glory anyways, not ours.
These first two and a half months have been so amazing, but I also don’t want everyone back home to think this has been just a spiritual journey for myself. Crazy how God can use us in the midst of our brokenness. Countless times the Bible speaks about God using unqualified people to bring Him glory or help accomplish His plan. He could do it Himself but that’s not what a relationship looks like. It’s never a one sided thing, but it takes submission and a selfless attitude. The way God has worked in and through our squad makes me think of how Jesus walked this earth.
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were recorded one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25
Now we definitely couldn’t fill the earth but the amount of times God has shown up in personal revelations, prophetic words, healings, divine appointments, fellowship, open doors, veils being removed and so on is book worthy. But we don’t need to write a book full of testimonies when there is already a perfect one written…the Bible!
It’s crazy to me that we humans think we can have God all figured out. A quote from Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love said this, “Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending. What a stunted, insignificant god that would be! If my mind is the size of a soda can and God is the size of all the oceans, it would be stupid for me to say He is only the small amount of water I can scoop into my little can. God is so much bigger, so far beyond our time-encased, air/food/sleep-dependent lives.”besides the obvious result of sin I think God didn’t want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree because He knew we would see and experience two worlds. We walk in this world that is broken and filled with evil yet we know what it should look like and we live in this earthen vessel knowing this isn’t our home while experiencing storms all around us, yet our inner man/woman is filled with total peace knowing the truth. I say all the time, sometimes I feel crazy and writing that definitely made me feel even more crazy!! It seems nuts. We live in a world that doesn’t know God while we as individuals know Him personally. It breaks my heart. Each of our own desires should be to be used by God. He asks us to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, being ready to share the hope that is in us at all times.
Okay no more preaching and now to some of the testimonies that have happened on the race! The most recent and definitely one of the coolest is the fundraiser we did in Nepal. We were staying with a family that just straight up loves Jesus. God has His hand so much in their lives and it’s so evident in all of their ministries. We were able to raise 200 USD which exchanged roughly to 22,000 Rupees, and every dollar of that went towards this family. The amount of testimonies that will come from that one testimony is only something we each will see in eternity! Also partnering with them through that month was such a blessing! God used me to speak in the prophetic for the first time in my life, and what was even more amazing was that I didn’t do anything nor can I take any of the credit, which is what the prophetic is supposed to look like. It’s God using your mouth to provide life and answers to another believer by using His words. It was so cool! I just realized how long this post will be so I’m going to only say the Nepal testimonies and work backwards to China! During our stay in Kathmandu (the first two weeks of being in Nepal) God open a door to provide a Hindi bible to a man who has been specifically praying for one. Long story short, I was with my sister Jewel standing and waiting for a guy who would help get her a SIM card for her phone. While standing there I was telling her how I wish some of these tourist trap people would speak to me as a human being and not a bank. Just as I spoke those words, this man walks up and in such a gentle way he tells me my shoes needed cleaning. I told him no thank you and they were fine, but he then responded with this, “My friend, I pray for many blessings over you and your family but your shoes are not okay.” I laughed and looked down at my shoes…they were rough! So we started talking and shared with each other a little bit about our lives. Before I left I asked if I could pray for him and his mobile shoe cleaning business. He said yes and I prayed over him closing with, “in Jesus’ name.” Jewel and I started walking away and I shared with her how I felt like the whole time we were talking to him that Holy Spirit was telling me to give him the Hindi bible I had with me. Side note…I’m still learning how to just listen and not question. So as I walked and beat myself up for not doing as I was told, I turned around and guess who was walking behind us – the man. I turned to him in joy, and told him that I felt like God wanted me to give him a gift. No lie, the next words out of his mouth were, “Is it a bible? Because I didn’t know how to ask you for one and that’s why I was following you.” I almost started crying like a baby in that moment over the faithfulness of God! The man told me how he used to have a Bible, but in his process of moving from India to Nepal someone stole all of his belongings. I was able to give him the Hindi bible and pray for him once more and that was that! Man, God is so cool, and He works in amazing ways when we don’t put Him in a box.
I pray this post speaks life into your day and I also pray that you continue to step out in obedience in whatever God is telling you to do. There is a quote from one of my favorite books called The Insanity of God and it says this, “Don’t ever give up in freedom what we would never have given up in persecution! That is our witness to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!” We are currently in India for a few more days before flying to Ethiopia. Pray for safe travels and more growth. For those wondering about the fundraiser for India, I’ll have the info to you soon! God Bless each of you and thank you so much for the continued love, prayer, and support! It is so felt and so needed!
