I have been here now for a month and I already know that the Lord is working. In many situations, I see that the Lord has me here for a reason and I pray that in those situations, I may do exactly as He wants me to. I want to be every so hearing to what He wants me to do.
I feel that is why He lead me to start studying about surrender. Two books that the Lord has allowed me to pick up has to do with surrender. One book that I finished within a matter of days is Elizabeth Elliot’s “Passion and Purity”. Wish I had read that before I started dating and so glad P had read it before meeting me. The other book is by Nancy Leigh DeMoss titled “Surrender”.
One thing that really struck me about surrender in EE’s book was what we surrender. Although the book is not about surrender, there is a part in the book reflecting surrender. I feel like a lot of times we think that if we surrender our material things to the Lord than that takes care of it, but she took it a step further. Surrender of the things that we feel the Lord is giving us that aren’t material… in the book the example is about longings, desires, loneliness… these are feelings that are okay to have, yet even those EE says that we must give back to the Lord. It was so good to read that as I came into country… my loneliness, that I felt was my right to feel, I learned to turn back to the Lord. Surrendering even the smallest things of my life or what I felt was my right or what I felt the Lord was giving me to feel, all those things, need to be given back to the Lord in order for Him to work in and through that. What an awesome concept huh?
NLD made a point in her book about being a bond slave. I remember when I was 12, I really wanted to get my ears pierced and my dad being a real conservative asked if I knew what that meant. Of course at 12, I was just thinking of getting my ears pierced to look pretty. Then my dad went on to explain that in the Old Testament to pierce one’s ear was to tell others’ that you were a bond slave to another person (Exodus 21:1-2; 5-6). I told my dad that I would do it to represent me being God’s bond slave, I know I just said it so I could get my ears pierced, but I feel like maybe God took what I said for true. NLD said that there was no known instance of someone actually going to get their ear pierced to say they wanted to be a bond slave to one person… how that represents what our hearts should be. Do we take for granted our God? Doesn’t He deserve our desire to want to serve Him as a bond slave? He is God.
I’m not finished with NLD’s book, but I have to say, I want to live a life totally surrendered to our Father. Pure joy comes from surrendering my life and obeying the desires of my Master’s heart. And having a Master means that I AM A SLAVE. To be able to keep my heart open and pure to hear the prompting of the Spirit that wants to lead me to the ways of my Father. This doesn’t come overnight… it comes through daily surrender and daily admitting of our iniquities and fall at the feet of our Lord and Savior.
The encouraging thing that I have experienced these days is that, like the man in “Napoleon Dynamite” when asked to break the Tupperware, can’t do it and puts his head down in defeat, I sometimes find myself with my head down in that position defeated because I missed an opportunity or didn’t listen to his prompting… but my Savior, ever so gently lifts my head, looks me in the eyes and asks me if I would be willing to do it again… try it again he says and gives me confidence in Him again. We all mess up, but are we going to let Satan use that to discourage us and tell us we are a loser and keep our head down? Who’s voice are we going to listen to when we do mess up? That’s why daily we have to surrender… if we don’t we end up listening to the wrong voice.
Throughout this year, I have really enjoyed the Lord's prompting me in reading my Bible. He points out certain books to read and points out so many things to me... this past month was reading through those books and also the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Bible... rebuilding the wall... i heard the Lord speak to me directly from scripture to encourage me in rebuilding my wall here. Lord... how i desire to continue to walk in your path!!!
Please continue to pray for us...
1. in the situation mentioned before, that the Lord will reveal Himself in it.
2. our travels start tomorrow morning (wednesday evening stateside)... please pray for safe travels.
3. that in me there will be less of me and more of Jesus
4. A's adjustment here... she's starting to be bolder and bolder in going out and playing with kids and using the language, but that she at her age could understand as much as she can and have a heart of Jesus at a young age.
5. that the Lord's spirit would rain down here!!!!
