He will sustain you

Happy Thursday! 

I wanted to share what's been on my heart this morning. I was spending time with the Lord today, just reading my Bible and I felt led to share a verse that I read and give a little short testimony to encourage all of you today.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 says, "Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the strong man who trusts in and relies on frail men, making weak [human] flesh his arm, and whose mind and heart turn aside from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Most blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green.  It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit."

That passage has always been one of my favorites because it clearly describes the difference between someone who has placed total trust in God and someone who puts their trust in man. As believers, we were never created to place our full trust in anyone else besides our Creator. That is why He is the only one Who can provide what truly sustains us. 

Jeremiah says that the man who trusts in the Lord is "most blessed". Even when the heat comes, their leaf shall be green. Even when the drought comes, this man never stops bearing fruit. That sounds awesome to me! I would liken the heat and drought to trials, temptations, and hardships which all equal pressures of this world. When the pressure is on, who are you choosing to trust? 

It can be easy to look away to other sources as a form of trust. Maybe you're so used to your family being the ones you look to, or your spouse, or a close friend. Whoever it is, outside of God, they will never be enough to sustain you. 

I told you I was going to share a short testimony that ties into the verse, so here it is! This summer I have begun the fundraising process for my nursing leadership trip to Ghana. It's a three week trip in which I will get the privilege to serve and provide medical relief as well as the compassion of Jesus to this precious African country. I am beyond excited and in expectation of all God is going to do in this preparation process, as well as when we arrive in Accra, Ghana. I sent out letters to family and close friends giving them the opportunity to pray and sow a financial seed into my trip fund. I spoke over each letter that increase would follow and I just kept standing on Philippians 4:19 knowing that all I needed would be provided by God. 

A few weeks in, I had only seen one check, but I was still confessing what I was expecting. The Lord instructed me the following Sunday to sow a large seed in the offering. I'm not saying this was thousands of dollars, but to me, it was large. I sowed my seed by faith believing and trusting the Lord. The next day, I received my second check in the mail which far exceeded my expectations! It just reaffirmed to me that God is faithful and will always do what He says He will do! Several times after this, the same thing happened again. I would be praying and standing on the Word and I would receive another seed towards my trip. God is good! I am now close to being halfway to the funds needed for my trip!! 

I said all this to say that God is no respecter of persons. What He does for one person, He will do for the next. The key is to trust Him, take Him at His Word, and let Him sustain you in the heat and drought. Maybe you need a financial breakthrough, or a healing to take place. I encourage you to trust Him and seek His Word on what to say in this situation. He will give you the right words!

One of my nursing professors said something so awesome during one of our Ghana preparation meetings. She was talking about the money needed for the trip. She said, "Don't have your mind on that money. Once you have your mind fixed on the money you need, it won't come. Instead, fix your mind on God and what He has promised you and told you. That's when you'll see the money flow in." That has stuck with me throughout this whole process. Being "need minded" won't help you receive from the Lord. Being "promise minded" and fixing your mind on the Word, will meet that need!

I hope you all have a great weekend! I am off to Texas for the week to attend The Southwest Believers Convention. If any of you are in the Fort Worth area, I encourage you to go to one of the sessions, or go to all of them! It starts Monday, June 30th and extends till Saturday, July 5th. It's going to be awesome and the Word is going to be spoken in such force that you will see things change in your life! Be blessed!!

A New Season

Hello everyone! 

I've been taking a break the past few weeks and enjoying time with my family and my love. Sometimes you just need to get away and refocus. That's exactly what I've been doing. 

I had a great vacation in South Carolina, with my family, and now I'm enjoying the rest of what's in store for this summer. It's going to be a great one! 

I wanted to share a little bit about what I have been going through lately and what the Lord has been teaching me. It has been a humbling season where I am learning to trust God in every area of my life. Sometimes it is not always easy to learn these things, but God is the best teacher and He has provided us with all of the answers we may need, through His Word. 

Back in December of last year, the Lord spoke to my family about making a move that would help our family grow spiritually. We chose to be obedient to this call and will be moving from Chicago to Texas in August. We are very excited about this new season that God is bringing us into and we are expecting  great things! 

One of the things I have been having to fight off a lot is feelings of worry and fear because Illinois is the only place I've ever lived my whole life. My family, boyfriend, and friends live here and I have so many memories all across this state. The Lord has blessed my family and I with a great church here that I have been apart of since I was born and I will really miss that. Having said all of that, God has been comforting me through this whole process and reminding me of the greater plan He has for me. 

I know that when God calls you to do something, He's only doing it because He has your best interests at heart. He loves us so much and He has the best plan in mind for us. We know this because He says so in His word. Jeremiah 29:11 describes the plans of God for us as "...plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome."

Throughout all of the moments where I have felt worried, God has been telling me to trust Him more. Proverbs 3:5-6 talks about exactly what God has been showing me. It says, "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." 

That verse brings me so much peace every time I read it because it reminds me that I don't have to know everything, I just need to put my trust in Him. I need to remind myself that the plans He has for me are good plans and they are to give me an expected end. I love thinking about how awesome God's plans are because even when I think of the best thing ever, His plans are even better than that! His thoughts and plans for me are so far beyond what I could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). 

I am learning each and every day that God is doing awesome things in my life here in Illinois, and He's going to do even more great things in Texas. It doesn't matter where I am, because as long as I am obedient to Him, I'm right in the middle of His will for my life. 

Philippians 4:13 in the Message says, "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One Who makes me who I am." Isn't that powerful?! I can make it through anything, no matter where I am, through Him. So, I made a decision not to be worried. Instead, I'm casting all my cares on Jesus (1 Peter 5:7), because He cares for me!!

I am so looking forward to this new season! I am embracing all that God has in store for me. My family and I are going to be joining an awesome church called Eagle Mountain International Church and we are so excited. I know that God will provide the opportunities for me to come back to Illinois to visit my family and my boyfriend. I also know that God will bring awesome, God-loving friends into my life to remind me of how faithful He is. I can be sure of this because He has promised me, and God always keeps His promises :)

I shared all of this to remind you all that, no matter what you're dealing with, you can trust God to lead and guide you. It may not be something as big as moving halfway across the country, or it could be something bigger, but God's plans for your life are only good. His plans are bigger than what you're facing right now so just lean on Him. God is going to do big things in this next season in everyone of our lives as we trust in Him. I know He's about to do some amazing things in my family and I'm ready! Everything's bigger in Texas right?! haha :)

God bless you all! Thanks, as always, for reading! I hope you all enjoy your week!

P.S. Here's a photo that my lovely sister took of me on the beach while my family was on vacation. I love how full of joy my expression is. Every time I look at it the Lord reminds me that only He can give me that true, fulfilling sense of joy! He is so good!