We have been quarantined for a few days? The ministry we are partnering with here in Philadelphia has been shut down until further notice. That means a lot of time to rest in God’s presence. The Lord’s faithfulness is incredible, we had been asking for some more rest and he provided it!! How amazing!!! He also provided us a place that we can do laundry and we live in a gym!! Celebrating the little things of what he does for us changes our perspective of the bigger picture.
We refuse to be complacent. This does not mean we have been binge watching Netflix all day, scrolling all day through Facebook or Instagram, or staying in bed all day being coutner productive.
It’s war time. It’s go time.
As the world around us is panicking and in utter chaos, we are warring in the Spirit.
We are praying for God’s gentle hand of mercy to come upon his people.
We are praying for our leadership in Georgia, our government, and our world leaders for the decisions they are making for their people.
We are praying for the spirit of fear, anxiety, and worry to disband.
We are praying for all the people in the medical field for wisdom, knowledge, and supernatural protection as they navigate the unknowns of this virus.
We are praying for the Church to rise up and turn back to the Father.
We are praying for those still working and protection over their bodies.
We are praying for those who are unemployed that they would see the mighty hand of God’s provision.
We are praying for those who are unemployed that they would see the mighty hand of God’s provision.
We are praying for protection over the sick.
We are praying for our families and their faith in God to be restored.
We are praying that the Body will encourage its people in whatever way the Lord leads them to do so.
In the midst of chaos he is our peace.
Mark 4:38-40 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?
In times of rush and panic he is our rest. Psalm 62:1-2 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Our eyes fixed on Jesus is how we weather the storm. Not looking to the left or the right, looking straight ahead pursuing him relentlessly. Joshua 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
The Lord has been teaching me a new level of depending on him during this whole quarantine. If I believe that he is good, will I really believe it? If I believe that he is good, will I trust him? If I trust him, will I obey him to see his goodness? (shoutout to Mads for this!) At the end of the day is he enough? If all I had was him, the clothes on my back, and his word in my hand can I still stand and proclaim the truth of his love, faithfulness, and goodness?
Talk about a heart check!
When I was asked this the other day by our host, the honest answer in my heart was no. I had a lot of repenting and confessing to do. I’ve allowed so many idols warp my mind into believing that they would satisfy me. You name it, I probably loved it. But it all made me feel worthless.
It all comes down to this profound truth… Jesus is the only way.
He literally only satisfies. I cannot get enough of him, I just want to sit in his presence and stay there. I never wanna leave. I could listen to the worship music in my ears for hours.
The words written in the Bible are coming alive into my heart like never before. I open my Bible and he speaks. Doesn’t matter what book I’m in, he speaks. It’s amazing and I can’t explain it. The Holy Spirit is living inside of me! Do you think about that? Do you realize how incredible and amazing that is?! We are walking spirits of the Living God proclaiming his name for the Kingdom! THAT IS WILD!!!! COME ON. God has literally been slapping me in the face and giving me revelation over and over. It’s like I’ve been awakened and I’m becoming more and more like my true self and I’ve finally unveiled who Lauren Bell really is.
I am hoping that you can still see the good in all of this. It’s easy to get caught up fear of what could happen, but there is so much beauty when we still our minds and surrender what is out of our control.
