Not My Strength But His

Faith without deeds is dead…

 

       As Christ followers we are called to back up what we believe with actions. We are called not to just go through the motions and say, “Yes I am a Christian. I go to church every Sunday”, but actually back up those words with a life style that fits.

 

       It is month eight of the World Race and I am in South Africa. These past two weeks I have often felt broken and at times didnt know how I could do four more months of living like this. The World Race is anything like I have experienced before in my life. Community living is hard at times, the stress of traveling and changing time zones food and such is toiling on my body, and ministry is emotionally and physically draining. I am tired and not a tired I can just take a nap and be better, a tired where you dont have your own strength. This is where the new season in my life has taken me.

 

      Many of you know already but for those who dont I have been sick pretty much the whole Race. It has progressively got worse. I havent told you this to make you feel sorry for me and by any means do I want sympathy but I tell you this to share the lessons I have learned in all of this. You see I have been operating on my own strenghths and this isnt what the Lord wants from me.

 

      The month of Janurary we did ministry in Mozambique. I was really excited because I was going to finally have the oppurtunity to get to spend the whole month with orphans, something that I have been longing for all year. When we arrived in Mozambique our contacts allowed us to have a few days off to relax from the travel. It was the night before we were supposed to leave to go to the orphanage when I got sick. I was so upset and my heart was crushed because I wanted to love on those children more than anything. But insteed I spent the next few weeks “getting better” and recovering.This was a hard pill for me to swallow. Satan knows how to attack us where we are most weak and thats what he was doing. He was making me feel useless and was making me feel like if I wasnt doing deeds then I am invaluable in the Kingdom. But I knew this wasnt the truth, it just took me awhile to figure it out and voice it.

 

Me in South Africa with a beautiful sleeping baby

 

    So sitting here in South Africa spending another few weeks away from ministry to fully recover has been hard. I havent had the ability to do deeds but I have learned to not find my significances in the things I can do or the ability I have but solely in the Lord. It has been difficult not being able to hold beautiful babies or love on people but I know the Lord has used me to minister to people even when have felt useless.

 

   So step out and follow your faith with deeds but dont let your deeds become how you find your significance or define who you are. Also let the deeds you do not becoming everything because sometimes they will be taken away. Trust that the Lord will provide you strength in hard moments, he has for me.

 

Here are a few verses to leave you with…

Psalm 18:32
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

 

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

 

Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”

Amen!