Hey family! I hope you are all doing well and your new year started out great! The new year is a great time to reflect on the past year and give thanks to God for the good that He has done and look ahead to what He wants to do in the future. I want to share with you the ways God has been comforting me and teaching me. I hope you are all encouraged!
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will compete it until the day of Jesus Christ Philippians 1:6
We started off the new year with a week of prayer and fasting as a church body. This was something that I had never really done before, so I was excited to see how God was going to move. I have fasted before but am always so busy when I do, so I don’t put much emphasis on my prayer life. This time my week was filled with praying, reading His Word, and worship. It was hard and I felt weak every morning getting up from my bed ( I was okay!), but I felt that the Lord was strengthening my spirit, I was drawing near to Him and He was drawing near to me and I loved every moment I had with Him. Of course, while seeking Him, I was also seeking answers, but I knew that the Lord would reveal those details to me when He wants to. But He was revealing other things. It’s like the Lord was cleaning out my heart. The things that were not of Him, he was throwing out and I saw that. One thing I was convicted of was not having big faith. When I pray, I give my requests to God, but sometimes I find myself asking but not really believing. There were certain things that I just couldn’t see play out (being completely honest here). But God convicted me. Who am I to doubt the creator of the universe? I devoted more time to praising Him in my prayers and making requests for everything that the Lord put on my heart, and being more aware of how God is answering prayers.
We also had a time of prophetic prayer. There were a group of people with the gift of prophecy who came and prayed with individuals in the church. This is a gift from the Spirit that is meant for edification and exhortation (1 Cor. 14:3). This was a sweet time. After they prayed over me it felt like God just gave me a big hug. He hadn’t forgotten about me. He has me where I am for a purpose. This was something the enemy was discouraging me with, but God reminded me through other people who knew nothing about me and even during my time with Him, that He is doing something and it’s going to be great. Not because of who I am but because of whose I am, because of Him! He continues to reassure me still and I am so in awe of the work He is doing. My heart is full…
So, with that. I am trusting this process. I don’t know what exactly God wants to do. But I know that He is equipping me, taking me through His process, so that I can do His will and that is what my heart longs to do, what He wants. I desire to live a life that is pleasing to Him.
God is stirring up hearts
There are many things happening! Many students are on their way to vision tours (where they visit places God has put on their hearts and pray to see if this is the place He wants them). Other students are staying here, as we continue studying and serving, and being diligent in praying for them. I am grateful that God is answering prayers and sending people into His harvest and I am still praying for this. I am also praying that God would send people into the Unreached. I have shared the statistics with you all before but just to remind you. There are still 3 billion people who have not heard the gospel and never will unless someone goes to tell them. Only 3% of missionaries are going to the unreached, the other 97% are going to places where the gospel already is. This leaves 1 person for each 250,000 people who have never heard about Jesus. I am seeing hearts being stirred to go to the unreached but we must still pray that God would send people into these hard places. Pray that He would open doors into these countries and that we would see the unreached, reached. I encourage you all to share the Gospel where you are and keep praying for the world. God loves the world, so we should too.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus' last words to His disciples, this is The Great Commission
I thank you all for your support. I am very grateful to have such awesome brothers and sisters in the Lord who are constantly encouraging me and praying for me. If you have any questions, I am always open to answer. Let me know how I can be praying for you guys as well.
Prayer Requests
- That God would give me wisdom and boldness as I share the gospel with the people around me.
- Pray for students on vision tours and the students staying back.
- Revival in the church!
Praise Reports
- Praise God for the open doors that He has given me to share Jesus with people close to my heart.
- For the work He is doing here at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace.