Current Location: Nkhotakota, Malawi
Every time I step into a new season of my life, I think back on where I was, and I’m mind-blown. I know He is continuously working in me, so I can grow into a better version of myself, but the extent of that growth in each season ALWAYS humbles me.
This past Sunday, I had an incredible opportunity to share a word of encouragement to new believers in a Muslim community here in the middle of Malawi. We trekked through these gorgeous hills overlooking Lake Malawi to encourage and share the Gospel earlier in the week, and the ministry we are working with decided to plant a church there. We gathered outside of a home under some trees where we praised and worshipped during their very first service.
In preparing to share, I took a trip down memory lane to when I was about twenty years old—when I first established my relationship with Christ.
How did I feel?
What have I learned since?
What did I wish I knew back then?
Here it is. What I wish I knew as a new believer.
1. How powerful my testimony is.
And with that power, how equipped and capable I was to do His work and affect the people around me even as a new believer. I felt like I needed to do more and know more before I could confidently throw on that Christian label. But it was okay to be where I was at. Everybody’s walk is different. My identity is in Him, and I didn’t need to worry about labels and any connotations that went along with that. I loved and accepted Him, and that is truly enough.
2. The importance of discipleship.
Oh how I wish I knew the importance of finding somebody trustworthy and further along in their spiritual journey to confide in. I joined a small group but felt too intimidated and shameful to share current struggles. I was afraid of judgment, so I hid behind my sin. I didn’t realize that by confessing and bringing sin to light, the devil couldn’t use it against me because we are already forgiven.
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” – 1 John 1:6-10
3. The full weight and value of Scripture.
I wanted to learn more about Him. I wanted to know how to live a life to please Him. But I just didn’t feel motivated to read the Word. So I started to define what was okay based off of my own limited knowledge and interpretation of that. I stretched His truth into ways that could align with my own selfish desires.
Oh sure, I can date a non-believer so long as I don’t marry one. I’ll just keep praying that God will open his heart.
Man, I keep sinning, but it is okay to keep doing it because God is a God of grace.
As I continue to dive into Scripture now, I am starting to get a fuller sense of who He is and how He wants us to live. He left the Bible for us so that we can get to know Him better, so it is crucial that we look to it for His truth and guidance.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16
Hoping and praying that some of these words have encouraged some of you readers out there as well!
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Fundraising Update: Our final deadline is quickly creeping up, and I am suuuuper close to $12,000! That still means a little over $4000 left to raise in the next few weeks. Thanks to friends, family, and friends’ families for everything. No words for the amount of gratitude I feel. God is always providing, and I fully trust that He will here. Prayers and shares via Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Facetime, email, AOL instant messenger, MySpace, Xanga, word of mouth, telephone, snail mail, owls, or however you choose to communicate would be cherished and appreciated!
