“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Luke 1:2-5
For as long as I can remember, I always worked hard for what I wanted. Work ethic, integrity and persistence were things I prided myself on; these things my parents instilled in their three children quite effortlessly through example. I always placed my value on the things of the world. I thought the things I have accumulated have been because I worked hard for them. In an effort to gain attention from other people, flaunting this success like a child with a new toy, these things became my identity. The enemy wanted me to believe that my value is set on the things of the world: money, new clothes, flashy cars & a huge house. Being on the World Race has been humbling in ways I can barely begin to explain; let me start by explaining the reliance the Lord has been slowly teaching me.
For the longest time I relied on my own strength and my own revelations of how I should be living my life. The Lord has other promises for my life that are waiting to be fulfilled. God desires us each to live a life where his precious promises become fulfilled in our day to day lives. I am consistently blown away by the promises God has made each of us. It truly has been difficult for me to wrap my mind around sometimes. Lately I have been letting my mind wander to things of the future. What job will I get after The World Race? Where will I live? Minneapolis, Nashville, Bozeman, Charleston, etc. How can I build a community of believers wherever I land? God has already written the answers to these questions in my story book of life. These prayers he has already answered for me in the nearness of my future.
I was presented with Romans 8:31-32 (my favorite chapter in the bible)
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
WHAT…!? Reading this nearly blew my mind, and I am giggling thinking about this reality. The questions Paul poses in these verses are rhetorical, but the answers are obvious. The response is beautiful, and most likely a far off sight to how many believers think. The same promises are found in John 14:12-14
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
These promises give me so much hope, in receiving “all things” from the Lord. These promises include strength, joy, what my next steps will look like, where I will live, what my community will look like, the people I meet throughout the day; all the promises come about because I trust the Lord to sort those things out for me. I’m not sure about you, but I can’t wait to walk through this thing called life hand and hand with my main man Jesus. It may have taken me thousands of miles from home and 5 different countries to figure this out, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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How crazy is it in a few short weeks our squad heads to Africa (Botswana, South Africa & Swaziland)! I am blown away by God’s faithfulness.
-I am asking you to pray for our squad as we travel to Africa in a few short weeks. The Lord knows I only made it through these last 4 months through prayers from all of y’all. Pray for unity throughout our squad and our individual teams, for this unity to be directed by the Father. Pray for the remaining funds for the World Race to be raised quickly for myself and about 20 other of my squad mates. Pray for the salvation of the people of the 11 countries our squad is touching.
?-I ask you to give financially. Even if it is $10.00. You aren’t just investing in me. You are investing in the kingdom of God and Him being glorified in 11 countries. If you feel led to support The World Race and global missions, you can do so through my blog! I am in need of $1661 to become fully funded!
