Our Journey to India

My sister and I recently went on a mission trip to India.  It was such a neat experience, one filled with many joys but also many obstacles.  God was on the move, there is no doubt in my mind, but so was Satan.  I think in sharing our journey you’ll see what I mean. :)

Our journey began at Chicago’s O’Hare airport where we had a 4-hour delay due to issues with our plane.  Our original plane had problems with leaking water and then our replacement plane had mechanical issues that had to be worked through before we could take off.  This 4-hour delay meant we would arrive in Paris at the time our next flight was scheduled to leave.  So they rescheduled us for a different flight out of Paris of which we found out would leave at 1:30pm instead of our original time of 11:00am.  The crazy thing was though, was while at the Paris airport from the time we landed until the time we boarded our next flight we did not stop moving for 2 hours and 15 minutes.  I’m pretty positive we covered the entire airport.  It was a fight.  I say a fight because I know we were experiencing spiritual warfare.  Everywhere we went we would hit a roadblock.  I remember counting how many places we had to go or things we had to do before we were able to get on our plane and it was around 12.  Yes, 12 obstacles we had to face before we got on our plane.  Honestly, we almost gave up because it was so frustrating.  I left that airport with three stamps in my passport if that gives you any idea of the troubles we faced!

Probably the greatest struggle was going to the ticket counter to get our tickets to find they were not boarding passes.  So we had to go to a completely different counter and get our actual tickets.  We then go back to the line with our tickets in hand to then have a woman come out of no where and pull us into this little area to weigh and measure our carry on baggage.  We couldn’t believe it, at this point we had about 30 minutes before our flight would leave, and we knew they were already boarding at this point.  We couldn’t miss this flight!  Unfortunately when our flight was rescheduled it was rescheduled with a different airline that had very different restrictions for carry on baggage.  The woman weighed our carry on and Heather’s was way over the limit, so was mine and our friends but she only made Heather check her bag.  Heather had to sprint to the checked bag area because of course it was in a different place to find she had to pay an extra $270 to check her bag.  Wow, awesome.  Finally though I saw Heather running towards us and we got back up to the line for the third time and this time we got through.  We then reached the security line.  I had to go to a different line because of my pacemaker and of course it was the line that did not move.  I saw my sister and our friend had made it through in no time, but there I was still waiting, I finally just bolted past the others so patiently waiting and told the woman I had to go or I was going to miss my flight.  Thankfully, she let me go.  We then had a Home Alone moment where we all ran to our gate to board our plane with minutes to spare. 

The new flight we were on took us to a 6-hour lay over in Saudi Arabia, where to our delight everyone was very nice and helpful.  When we landed in Chennai, India we discovered Heather and I’s checked bags were lost which meant Heather had no clothes because of having to check her carry on in Paris. 

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper…” Is. 54:17a

These events were confirmation to us that that God had a plan for us in India and Satan did not want us there.  We could have given up, we almost did, but I'm so thankful God gave us the strength to not give up.  As our time in India unfolded we began to see the plans that God had for us there.  Heather and I were so blessed to be able to share messages at both the women’s conference and Gospel meetings.  God used these to touch hearts in ways that I don’t readily see in America.  There was such an openness and response.  People were responding to the Gospel, coming to faith in Christ for the first time and many others were touched by the Holy Spirit in various ways in their walk with Christ.  We heard beautiful and encouraging testimonies of faith in Christ and the work and growth of the church in India.  We were also personally touched and moved by the Holy Spirit.  My heart was burdened deeply for my own country and what I am realizing even more is spiritual apathy.  There is something special going on in India, God is on the move and people are responding to the Gospel in ways I have not personally seen in America and are coming to Christ and His Word with freshness and excitement that is inspiring and convicting.  I saw a house church that comfortably fit about 15 people where around 25-30 made a way in and some even still sat outside.  There's a hunger in India for Truth.  I think one of the greatest things I have taken away from my time in India is a burden to pray for a revival in my own nation.  Would you pray with me?

I also want to encourage those who feel like giving up or have given up because of spiritual warfare.  Beloved, keep fighting, because Your God fights for you (Ex. 14:14)!  There was a time when I was in India that I experienced spiritual warfare and in a way I did give up, but later came to Christ in repentance for renewal and strength and saw Him work through me in a way I have never seen.  I felt His strength and power in a supernatural way that helped me overcome my own limitations to be able to share the hope of Christ with a group of women.  It never would have happened if I would have looked to my own strength or stayed in defeat.  Friends, it's time to stop walking around defeated and start living in the Spirit of Christ who lives in us!  Yes, it's time to start moving forward, living in victory over Satan to watch God move in ways that can only explained through Him!  

The State of my Health Address: Enough

I never would have expected the journey God has taken me on over the past three years concerning my health, my mind, my walk with Him, and really so many other things—some of which are personal and quite dear to my heart (you don’t need to know all of my business anyways;)).  Following Jesus over the past three years has not been easy, it’s been hard.  It’s been a choice in so many ways for me, not a feeling, but a choice to trust and believe God even when I may not understand it.  Especially in the moments where I wanted to serve Him more, but I couldn’t because physically I wasn’t able.  What a much-needed humbling experience this has been for me.  I can’t even begin to express to you all God has done in me through this.  And now, by the grace of God, I believe He has brought me to a much better place of acceptance and praise, with the understanding He is good, Sovereign and has a plan that reaches beyond anything I can seeJ.   My faith is becoming something I know personally, and not just something I read about it.

On this journey, I’ve experienced ups and downs, but through it all Christ has remained constant.  In the moments where I have just wanted to throw in the towel, I hear the sweet whisper of the Holy Spirit calling me to keep moving forward.  Yes, I’ve experienced a level of suffering and surrender I have not known until now, but for the sake of Christ, know it has been redemptive!  That’s why I want to share this blog with you, because I believe God has allowed me to suffer for His glory--and my own freedom.  He has allowed some things to be removed from me, some for a time, others maybe forever, and, oh yeah; He has allowed me to experience the consequences of my own sin.  Can I tell you, it is hard, so hard, because I’m realizing just how broken I am.  I have never in my life realized just how much I need Jesus. 

Here’s the great thing about God though, because in my brokenness I have realized just how sufficient Christ Jesus is.  Jesus is enough.  Though I’ve been stripped of things, some of which are very good things; I have come to a place where I can say, Jesus is enough and He is really what my heart is crying out for.   He is beyond sufficient to meet my needs.  I’ve found in the quiet moments with God what I really want is more of Him.  Isn’t this the journey God desires to take us on?  A journey were we are so fed up with our trips to the pit we dig for ourselves that we say—Jesus, make me well, I just want You.   Like the man who had been sick for 38 years whom Jesus asked if he wanted to be well?  Isn’t it odd Jesus asks this man if he wants to be well?  I wonder if we really want to be well or if we want our way, our self-sufficiency and in essence our sickness.  Maybe we’d like to think we can have both.  I know my actions have shown the latter.

Beloved, God is so patient and kind.  He can restore anything and anyone who would turn to Him for healing.  Let go of the resentment, stop fighting for answers and fall at the feet of Jesus, confessing your own unbelief.  He really is enough!  Seek Him like never before and you will not be disappointed!  He has a plan for your life and it is good.  You can stay in your bondage or you can trust that God will set you free through your own pain and suffering.  “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)  Friends, as believers in Christ, we have this hope.  Our struggle is actually an avenue to our freedom in Christ.  I’m choosing to trust God with my pain knowing He is using it to free me and bring me into fuller intimacy with His Son.  How about you?

Are you Eating the Cereal?

Remember the days when you could find a prize in your cereal box?  I do; in fact, one prize I remember in particular was a pair of 3D glasses.  Flimsy?  Yes.  Sugar coated?  Perhaps.  Awesomely cool?  To my 8 year old frame, absolutely!  What was the idea of behind the prizes?  Well, the idea was that you’d buy and eat the box of cereal in order to get the prize.  Really it was a clever marketing tool, actually started by Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in 1909 (the year after the Cubbies won the world series!).   Sorry folks just had to put that in there.  J Now, it wasn’t right to just pour out all the cereal to get the prize was it?  No!  You’d miss out on all the yummy deliciousness on the way to the prize!

Jesus, He’s kind of like the prize in the cereal box, isn’t He?  He’s the prize of God, the culmination of God’s redemptive plan revealed to us all in Scripture.   Yet, I think we’re missing out on something in our relationship with Him.  I’m afraid we’ve dumped out all of the yummy deliciousness on the way to the prize.  His Word, Beloved, holds treasures yet discovered by us personally. 

What, don’t believe me?  Watch what Jesus says in Luke 24:27 “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”  Read that slowly.  Take it in.  Jesus is saying to these men on the road to Emmaus that The Old Testament is all about Him!   I can only begin to fathom all the glorious treasures there are about the Lord Jesus Christ that we have yet to discover!  And not only in the Old Testament, but also in the new, remember, the Holy Spirit’s role is to reveal Christ to us, and God does that through the Word penned to us by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-15, 2 Pet. 1:20-21).   I’m asking God to open our eyes to the treasure and mystery of His Word, so we might know His Son in depth and insight like never before.  Beloved, feast on the Word, don’t discard it because you’ve got the prize, but dig in and discover all the glorious riches God has for you in His Son—the love, the Truth, the freedom!  

"How Low Can you Go?"

The limbo.  I have a feeling most of us have played the limbo at one point in our lives.  I know I played my fair share of limbo at birthday parties and other events as a child.  I typically did pretty well because I’m so short, though I think if I tried to do it now I’d hurt myself!  Do you remember the saying that was often repeated during the game?  “How low can you go?”  The object of limbo is to go at low as you can and the person who does wins.  Pretty simple.  

God has been so gracious to us as, hasn’t He?  It is amazing to watch Him at work.   God has given us all gifts and wonderful opportunities in our daily lives and He desires for us to use those gifts and opportunities for His glory.  One thing I constantly have to remind myself is that, in the midst of all God is doing, it is also absolutely vital that we go as low as we can go.  I know, some of you just went, huh?  Let me explain!  James 4:6b says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."  Sometimes, when things are going well, pride and haughtiness can creep in, wouldn’t you agree?  So in everything that has happened and is happening in our lives, we must always give glory and praise to God.  Why?  Because the moment we take credit for anything, God will bring us low.  In fact, the Greek word for ‘opposes’ in this verse has the idea of setting oneself against.  Whoa, we better humble ourselves before God before He humbles us!  Trust me, I've been humbled by God--IT ISN'T FUN.  :) 

So how low can you go?  Remember, God shows favor towards the humble, those who keep their knees and face to the ground in prayer, and their self-seeking accolades buried with Christ.  Satan would love for us to boast in ourselves, but we don’t win with God through a proud state, no we see the unexplainable movement of God and experience sweet communion with Him through staying as low as we can.  

Satan: His M.O. Revealed

Okay, I think it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.  You know, get past the green beans and mashed potatoes and onto that juicy steak.  Yes, the stuff that really matters…like Satan.

You know, I played A LOT of sports growing up, lots of softball, golf, basketball, and even a little spout with track.  Our team always had one object in mind, and that was to beat the other team.  We didn’t want to take this lightly either, no; we wanted to BEAT them, the greater the deficit the greater the win for us.  That’s just how it was.

Can I just be honest?  Ok good.  Whether we know it or not we're either on team Jesus or team Satan.  Whoa.  Yah, I really just said that.  Okay, alright, so here’s what this means for those of us who are following Jesus.  Satan is out to beat you and destroy you.  I can guarantee that he is not taking this lightly, the greater the deficit, the greater the win.  It’s his M.O.  Plain and simple. 

He’s a master of deception who longs to destroy your faith in God and His Word to keep you chained.  Remember what he said to Eve in the garden.  Watch this:  “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Gen. 3:1b

DID GOD REALLY SAY?

Eve goes on to tell Satan, well yah Satan God really did say that.  Oh, but Satan comes back again. 

Now look at this:  ““You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

LIE.  LIE.  LIE.

What happens here?  Well, Satan distorts the Truth.  He also switches Eve’s focus away from God’s goodness and onto what she couldn’t have.  They could have the fruit of any other tree in the garden, just not this one tree. 

Satan ever lied to you like that?  If God really cared or was loving then He would not have set this parameter and because He hasn’t allowed me this then I can be cranky and mad and sad and unbelieving and throw a pity party until I get what I want because I deserve it.   

Let’s see how that rebellion worked for Adam and Eve.  They ate the fruit and what happened?  Death came, just as God said it would.  Sin=Spiritual death (Rom. 5:12).

Do we realize how ruthless Satan really is, how crafty, how cunning, how deceptive?  How bent on your destruction He is?  Can I tell you, the more I desire to pursue Christ and live an abandoned, obedient life, the greater temptation I have to believe lies.  So this means you, and I as we follow Jesus, must have an even greater love and devotion to His Word.  His Word is one way we overcome Satan in the here and now (Rev. 12:11).

God has given us His Word and when we start to believe lies about it and create our own belief systems, we have just fallen for the same trick Eve did.  His Word is flawless.  FLAWLESS (Prov. 30:5).  It will accomplish its purpose and is completely trustworthy and true in all matters of faith and practice. It brings life, not death. 

Here’s what we can take away today concerning Satan. 

1.)  He causes us to question God. (Did God really say? v. 3:1b)

2.)  He lies and distorts God’s truth.  (You will not surely die) v. 4-5

3.)  He shifts our focus away from all God has given us to the things we don’t have.  (v. 4-5)