Last month God taught me a difficult lesson about
perseverance. He taught me a lot about relying on the Lord’s strength and not
my own. He called me out on my lack of faith. He showed me I was unsatisfied
with my current relationship with the Lord and placed a burden on my heart to
experience more of the Spirit. He revealed my insecurities. He showed me how
important it is that I start focusing on Jesus in people and not their
shortcomings. He pointed out my selfish desires in more situations than I was comfortable
with. He walked with me through the darkness looming over the village and
taught me how to be a light in those places. These lessons were not received
easily. They made me uncomfortable. They made me want to run from my troubles.
But God was faithful as always and brought me out of them in victory.
Philippians 3:16 “Only let us live up to what we have
already attained.”
This verse came alive to me last month with everything I was
dealing with. Whether it was the darkness that surrounded me, my feelings of
inadequacy, or my temptation to run from my issues, God assured me that I had
everything I needed to face the day. He reminded me that the same Spirit that
allowed the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the dead to rise lives inside
of me. I already am what I am becoming. The Spirit is more than enough for my
life. I learned that God doesn’t call the equipped, but he equips the called. I
am called to be a light in the darkness. I am called to see others and myself
the way Jesus views his children. I am called to lay down my selfish desires
and choose the cross. I am called to have faith like a child. And all these
things would be impossible in my flesh, but thankfully I serve a God who equips
the called. He has equipped me with the Spirit which allows me to live for
something greater than myself. It allows me to live in a way unnatural to this
world. I am privileged to be in the position that I am. So today I can walk in
confidence knowing that with the Spirit I am more than enough.
So last month was tough. Personal growth came at the expense
of life being extremely difficult. I am sorry if my blogs from Romania have
been ambiguous, but to respect others I had to keep them that way. I am doing
well though. I am more the man God is calling me to be after all that I
experienced this past month. Thank you so much for your prayers and please keep
them coming.
