A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:33-35
Saturday, September 29, 2012
HE IS SUFFICIENT
In the past week I have been so grateful at the way God has graciously confirmed the things He is doing in my life. He doesn't owe me anything and yet in spite of my weakness He puts up with me and proves Himself over and over.
I shared how a very generous donor provided my plane ticket to Ghana for my upcoming trip. When I got the call all I could do was sit and cry. It is hard to explain the emotions that I felt. Tears of joy flowed uncontrollably as I thought to myself, God you did it again! Again! After posting in Face Book about the 1200 dollars I would need to raise, I got a response from a good friend with a precious heart. She told me to check the mail, she was sending something. I assumed she would give a little something but I never dreamed it would be for the full amount needed for my trip in January. I just don't have words. All I know is that God is confirming every step of the way that this is Him. He is calling and He is providing.
From my devotional:
That same Christ, with all His attributes and mighty power, belongs to us. We are members of His body, His flesh, and His bones, and if we will only believe this and receive it, we may actually draw our life from the very life of the Son of God. I Cor. 6:13 "The body is... for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body"
This is crucifying the flesh and walking in the spirit. This is allowing Jesus in us to operate fully and have complete control. I want to be yielded to THE POWER SOURCE. Everything is from Him and through Him and by Him. It is so exhilarating to think that we can have this type of access to Jesus. I want to walk in the fullness of my Lord and Savior and I am determined to do so.
Some days I start to loose focus and look at my circumstances: my finances, my vehicle in much need of repairs, etc. and I start to feel desperate. Then I think, why am I worrying? It is only the Creator of heaven and earth, my Creator who has my back! I recently read 2 Cor. 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. When negative thoughts that are contrary to what God has told me come, I quote this scripture. God has a plan for my life and He has confirmed it over and over. He has told me to trust Him and to walk in obedience by faith to do the things He has put on my heart to do.
From my devotional:
There is a vast difference between pleasure and blessedness. Paul experienced imprisonment, pain, sacrifice, and suffering to their very limits, yet through it all he was blessed. All the beatitudes became real in his heart and life, in the midst of difficult circumstances.
I use to think that everything should be a bed of roses for anyone who is walking the walk for God. As I grow in Him I understand that the difficult things are the things that cause me to grow in Him. I appreciate the rest He gives but I know if I want to continue to grow in Him it is only temporary.
Everything we do here should be about Him. It should be about seeking the prize that He has set before us. If the things we are seeking are the rewards we can obtain here we are cheating ourselves out of the biggest reward of them all. Standing before Him and hearing Him say... well done.
Please pray for me that I will raise my standards daily to His standards and that I will walk in love and patience for everyone that I meet. Pray that I will be dedicated to the things that He has called me to do and not be tossed to and fro but stand firmly planted in His truth. Pray that I will accomplish everything that He has for me to do here and in Africa when i go in January. Thank you for your prayers. They are truly coveted.
Monday, September 24, 2012
This Is Why
Why I do what I do.
PSALM 68: 4-6
Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
I have been home nearly 3 months and after being separated
from family and friends for so long, I really appreciate the time I have with
everyone. After getting settled into my
new home that God provided through a very giving family, I spent some time
catching up with my grandchildren. It
was wonderful being able to share with them about my experiences and about the
children in Ghana. I started my new
position with Feeding The Orphans doing books.
It didn’t take long to see all of the ways that I would be able to
assist in the work that they are doing for the Kingdom. It is very satisfying, after being in Ghana
for 9 months, to be involved in the day to day ministry and to see all the ways
that God is providing for His children.
Something that I am very thankful for are the new friends
that God has brought into my life through this experience. I met so many people in Ghana that I keep in
touch with via Face Book and I love hearing from them. I have made new friends right here at
home. It is beautiful how God brings
people together through ministry. There
is a bond you feel with people who are like minded and have hearts for the same
things that you do. I have found that people who love God and want to obey His
Word by taking care of widows and orphans are some of the most loving people I
have ever been around. They love deep.
I have been looking for a part time job so that I can be
available to assist Feeding The
Orphans. There are many tasks that need
to be done on a weekly or monthly basis and new ones that pop up from
day-to-day. There are also events that
take place such as the teen rally in Kingston, the Ghana Re-union, the Adoption
Convention in Atlanta and this week the debut of the adoption video that the O’leary
family took part in. Working to complete
tasks and events, to see that they are successful, can be very time consuming
but always …always, very rewarding. To
know that what you have worked hard for will change the life of a child is
precious. To see the many ways that God
is using people, their finances, their abilities and talents to fulfill His
plans is amazing.
My personal testimony is something that just overwhelms me
about the goodness of God when I stop and think about it. Since coming home I used the funds that I
have saved to get settled in and take care of loose ends. I began looking for a part time job realizing
that when I tell employers that I will be traveling to Ghana a couple times a
year and be gone anywhere from 2 to 12
weeks, a job will not be so easy to secure.
I have prayed about this a lot. I
want more than anything to obey the will
of God for my life. I have prayed
numerous times nearing the point of being penniless and asked God to help me to
know what to do, besides trusting Him. I
am fully aware that faith without works is dead and that I need to be
pro-active about my financial situation.
I have sent out letters asking for support and to date have nothing to
report. Sounds bad huh? Not at all.
God has over and over again used
someone with a very generous heart to provide at just the right time and in
answer to my prayers.
This past weekend while I was in Atlanta working the
conference I was reminding God that my fuel tank (bank account) was just about
on E again. The family that we stayed
with, who were absolutely wonderful, asked if we would spend another night and
attend church with them. Ready to go
home, but also wanting to spend more time with them we agreed. During Sunday School their class prayed for
myself and another volunteer who is leaving in October. After prayer some people asked questions
about Ghana and what we are doing now.
After sharing with them a very generous couple sponsored the volunteer
for a portion of her trip and blessed me with a gift of $500.00. When I opened the check all I could do was
cry at the goodness of My Father and the generosity of my brothers and sisters.
As if that wasn’t enough, another very generous couple blessed me with a
ticket, fully paid for and booked. I
will be leaving January 25th for Ghana and Togo . You just cannot do justice to the works of a
loving God with words.
What I have seen since I have been home is that the promises
of God are truly yeah and amen! Living from God thing to God thing is building
my faith. I know that I need to stop
worrying about how I am going to walk this call He has placed on my life and
walk in obedience no matter what my circumstances look like. He has it all under control and I just need
to be busy doing the things I know to do and trusting Him to do the rest. I cannot say thank you enough to those of you
who have partnered with me whether it is providing a home, monthly financial
support, one time gifts, prayers, phone calls, an enjoyable lunch, etc.
I need to raise $1,200.00 for this trip to Ghana in
January. I am asking you to
consider partnering with me for this
trip and I am also seeking monthly
financial support so that I can continue to minister with and through Feeding The Orphans.
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