Freedom

This morning I took a precious new friend, who is an international student from Vietnam, to the airport in Nashville. On the way there, we talked about several things, including family, school, career goals, food, etc. All of those subjects are great for conversation, especially with someone who has a different cultural background, but the most important and blessed part of our conversation was the dialogue about faith in Jesus Christ. She knew (assumed) I was a Christian because of my association with the BCM on campus, but I had no clue what she believed. I soon discovered that she comes from an inherently Buddhist family, but she is more of a “free thinker.” This opened up a door for me to share about my faith in Christ with her. Praise the Lord for the chance to openly and clearly share the gospel with a young lady from Vietnam who may have never heard it if she weren’t an international student in the U.S.! I pray that God will place more people in her life to encourage her and show her the love of Christ, and that she would come to know Him personally as her Savior and Lord.

The drive back to Bowling Green from Nashville alone was a wonderful time to pray for my new friend from Vietnam. The Lord kept bringing a verse to my mind that I had just rediscovered not long before today.

“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

We are set free! I couldn’t help but think about the label she had given herself as a “free thinker.” The humbling truth is that without Christ, we are in chains to our sin, and ONLY He can set us free. I prayed that she would truly be set free and run to the Lord as a result. This psalm is so amazing because it reminds us that God sets our hearts free (“you have set my heart free”). I love the imagery it portrays of running in the path of His commands. When someone is set free, they naturally would want to do anything but obey a set of commands, much less run to them! But that’s what is so amazing about God’s grace – it draws us to Him. Later in Psalm 119, it says “Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight” (vs. 35). As children of God, we delight in what He desires because He is the One who sets us free through new life in Christ.

This is my prayer not only for my Vietnamese friend, but also for everyone who is bound by the chains of sin – that their hearts would be completely set free, their shackles abandoned at the altar, and they would run passionately to the One who set them free!

Free

Newsboys

Through You the blind will see
Through You the mute will sing
Through You the dead will rise
Through You our hearts will praise
Through You the darkness flees
Through You my heart screams I am free
I am free!

I am free to run
I am free to dance
I am free to live for You
I am free
Yes, I am free!

Through You the kingdom comes
Through You the battle's won
Through You I'm not afraid
Through You the price is paid
Through You there's victory
Because of You my heart Sings I am free
I am free!

Who the Son sets free is free indeed.
Who the Son sets free is free indeed.

Crisis of Belief

I find it amazing what great things God can do in a short amount of time. Since joining a new church (Woodland Baptist Church), God is already giving me a vision for ministry within this precious body of believers. Although it has only been two weeks since I joined, there is already a sense of belonging that I have there, and the people are beginning to become like family as I get to know them better. It reminds me of the hymn “Blest be the Tie that Binds,” because Christ is the connection we all have as believers. Our hearts and minds should be unified because of our focus on Him.

I am already seeing how God wants to use me at Woodland, and I have a vision of a youth ministry developing there. There are only a handful of youth in this church, but there are many young people in the community who are not involved with a church, and they have expressed interest in being part of a youth group. That is such an obvious need and opportunity for outreach! I am sensing God’s leadership to be actively involved in establishing a Christ-centered youth group I this church that so desperately needs it.

Basically, we will be starting from ground zero, but God is faithful and will provide. Because He has given me (along with a few other members) this vision, I know He has a great and mighty plan. He has proven faithful in this area in the past, and He will do it again. At my former church, we began a college ministry with only three people (myself included), and in only two years time, it grew to about 15-20 people who were faithfully involved in the group and in leadership positions within the church. I have no doubt God can do the same thing with the youth at Woodland Baptist if we only trust Him with the results. It reminds me of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7…”I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.” If we are faithful in obedience to God, He will take the seeds we sow and make something great of them! We, as humans, have no power to make anything grow, but God does. And I believe He can do more than we can even imagine.

This goes hand-in-hand with what we studied at church on Sunday night. We are going through the “Experiencing God” study, and this week’s session was called “The Crisis of Belief.” It talked about the fact that when God speaks, it will create a crisis of belief, which is when God tells us to do something and we have a choice to make. We will either act in faith and be obedient to His will, or act in unbelief and be disobedient to His will. Whatever we decide reveals what we believe about God, regardless of what we say. Our response to God speaking should be an immediate “Yes, Lord.” We must have faith that nothing is impossible with God and be obedient to what He calls us to do.

So, I guess this vision He has given me is a crisis of belief – I have to make the choice to be obedient to what He is calling me to do. God will demonstrate His faithfulness again and again if we follow Him in obedience.

"Don't you get it?!"

My discipleship group (d-group) is currently doing Beth Moore’s Bible study “Living Beyond Yourself,” which is a study of Galatians and the fruit of the Spirit. It has been a very educational and challenging study. This past week we studied the difference between a “spiritual person” and a “natural or carnal person.” There was a verse that really stood out to me and changed the way I pray about certain things. Here is the verse:

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Cor. 2:14

The verse explains why many people fail to understand spiritual things – because such wisdom is perceived only by the Spirit-enlightened Christian. Believers struggle with this truth. We cannot see why our lost family and friends cannot understand. We say, “But it says it right there! Can’t you see it?!” No, they can’t – it is foolishness to them. In a very real sense, it simply does not make sense to them. Beth Moore explained it in a rather simple, mechanical analogy: If I have a fax machine, it doesn’t matter how pertinent and life-saving the information I need to send may be if the person who needs the information has no fax machine. I can fax the information all day, but my message will never reach them. He does not possess the equipment needed to receive the fax. You and I cannot comprehend any spiritual thing without the Spirit of God in us to receive and process the information.

Makes sense, right? This has definitely challenged the way I pray for the lost. Instead of praying that they accept the truth of the gospel, I pray that the Spirit would convict them and touch them so they can be equipped to receive the truth that comes from the Holy Spirit through God’s Word. Then they can accept it. Until a person experiences conviction by the Spirit, he or she will never be able to comprehend the truth of the gospel. Unsaved men and women cannot discern the spiritual things of God because they are spiritually dead and alienated from the Spirit of God. I think Paul said it better than me or Beth Moore:

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Cor. 1:18

Things change, but He remains the same.

It seems as if I have blogging streaks that I go through… I will blog faithfully for a period of time, then stop altogether for a while. So, I guess this is the onset of yet another blogging spree. We’ll just see how long it lasts this time! Much has changed since my last entry. I wrote about my visit to Southern Seminary in Louisville, and that is where I finally decided to go upon graduating from WKU in May. I have been accepted to the Master of Arts in Missiology program, and I am excited about beginning classes in August!

God has really been working in my life over the past few months, and He has shown me just how perfect His timing is. He is in complete control over every situation and circumstance, and there are several things that testify to that fact.

First of all, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to have a little sister, but God has brought a beautiful baby girl into my family. She has been with us since December 17^th every day and night, and my parents are seeking permanent custody of her. Now at 6 months old, Serenity (her name) has grown in leaps and bounds since she first came to stay with us. I have fallen in love with her, and she has captured my heart. It is such a wonderful experience to have a sister, especially now that I am nearly 22 and my brother, Brian, is 18. Now my mom’s house is cluttered with baby stuff, which is definitely a new adventure for all of us. Since Serenity came into our lives, much has changed, but God orchestrated the whole thing.

Also, a year ago I was preparing for a summer in Malaysia, but this summer my destination is Istanbul, Turkey! A door of opportunity has opened for a team to serve among university students in Turkey, and I have been accepted to be on that team. I will be doing much of the same type of work I did in Malaysia: teaching English, coordinating events, and sharing Christ through relationships with college students. I am sure it will be a dramatically different experience, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store! Preparation for this summer is underway, as I have sent out support letters, asking for prayer and financial support. Praise God for wonderful people who are supportive in prayer and encouragement! I am blessed with friends and family who are loving and generous. It is not easy raising the finances for a trip like this, but God provides all I need, and I trust Him with the results. My flight is scheduled to leave May 18^th, which is just 3 days after my graduation! I will share more about my preparation for Turkey in future entries.

There is also another transition I am going through. Foremost on my heart and mind is my change of church membership. This is something I have been praying about for quite a while, and I have had a difficult time surrendering it to the Lord. I finally had to let go and be obedient to His leadership. This past Sunday was my last as a member of the church I have always been a part of, and next Sunday I am joining a new church family. I feel God leading me to minister among the youth of this new church, and I am anticipating what God has planned as I serve among a new family in Christ. It is such an emotional experience for me because I love my church family, and God is definitely blessing that body of believers, but I must go where He leads. One thing I have come to realize is that obedience is more important than convenience, which sounds obvious, but it is a hard lesson to learn. May times obedience is inconvenient, but that doesn’t exempt us from doing what we are called to do. So, I am stepping forward in faith and expecting great things from God!

Like I said, much has changed since my last entry. However, one thing remains true:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

That is my anchor when the waves are rocking my boat.