Friday, January 25, 2008

God is so good!! Thank you, Jesus, for your faithfulness even when we are weak and faltering. We had a dinner scheduled last night and we so needed to meet with someone that could speak truth and hope into us. If we had to spend the evening alone, we could have gone down a wrong road emotionally and mentally. So, God knowing ahead of time what we would need made sure we had this dinner pre-arranged. I have to say I was struggling more than I would care to admit. We agreed to take this weekend to fast and pray for God’s direction in what we should do. Should we pack or should we stay and believe that God will still provide??

CB mentioned a family that runs “With Love from Jesus” who relies completely on the Lord for everything. They do not receive salaries or have an income from anywhere but they are provided for daily. So, I have contacted her and we are trying to set up a time to meet and have coffee.

The scripture that has been rolling around in my head lately is at the end of one of our favorite scriptures in James “Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds… and then he says in 1:6,7 – “…But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

I feel like I have been that wave, being blown and tossed by the wind… Lord, please forgive me for my doubt and fears and help me to stand firm and “set my face like flint” as I lean into the wind of the storm.

A friend sent us the below clip this morning:

Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns -- January 25, 2008:

Even though it seems like you've been swimming upstream or perhaps walking through Jell-O, keep pushing. Your extreme efforts to break through will pay off. The test is whether or not you will give up in the face of adversity. You have heard the adage, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." And, I say to you that you may not feel tough or equal to the task, but you must remember that My strength is made perfect in your weakness. Let Me come along side you to carry the burden, says the Lord. Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

And then she forwarded a note from her husband:

I feel a couple of things: That Tom and Linda will be living a nomadic existence for a while, going from home to home and, because of where their hearts are, planting seeds for organic churches; that their possessions will mostly be sold or given away; that they will have many options of what to do in the coming weeks and will understand the choices they make are not crucial -- the Lord will bless any and all in this time of overflow.

This is funny because Tom and I were joking about doing this very thing early on… Putting a whole new spin on “House Church” and staying with people and working with them in their marriages and in their walks with the Lord. I am not sure if this is God’s plan right now but it was amusing that we had thought of it before.

Tom came home from Lunch today and said he had an interesting ride home. He was listening to this program called “Living on the Edge” and the guy was speaking our language! He found the recording online and played if for me. Basically, he was saying that it is “impossible to please God without FAITH” and he went through Hebrews and read the “by faith” scriptures and of course that included the one the Lord gave us a few weeks ago Hebrews 10:35- 11:1

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for…”

It was so cool to hear him just confirm what we have been hearing God tell us this whole time. Do not be afraid, just believe. Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? Do what I called you to do and I will take care of the rest. Be still and see the deliverance I will bring to you today… God requires just one thing of us… FAITH! Your faith will be greatly rewarded…

There are 422 references to the faithfulness of God and his people… I guess having faith is very important to God.