Not WAITING Anymore

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Faith to Follow

Some people have the faith to follow the road head of them; some just sit by and wait for their big break; some just sit in the church letting other people go! Which are you?

Who are the people that had the faith to follow the invitation that God laid out for them? Ruth, Ester, Mary, Noah, Moses, and Jesus... Each one of these women and men took the challenge and the path that God laid out for them. Think about it... if Noah said no to the boat, Moses said no to leading the Israelite out of slavery, Ruth said no to following Naomi, Ester said no to talking to the king, Mary said no to carrying Jesus and Jesus saying no to the cross! None of them would have carried out the promises that God had. They would have chosen to stay put and enjoy their lives of comfort. But each one step out of their comfort zone and made the decision to follow God's plan! Which was a better plan then any of them could have done!!!

What about the people who needed to wait for the big break? Aaron, Paul, Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Aaron was called to lead the Israelite to worship after the wonderful things that God did through his brother Moses, Paul had a light struck him down and recover his sight before answering the call of God; Peter had to be called by Jesus not just once but twice before established the church, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had to be called to follow Jesus, and then called to write the events down of Jesus' life! Some times God does give us a big push to follow His path, after many attempts to do it with faith then with a big pointed sign saying "Here is your big Break"

What about the people who sit in church and let other people go? They are to comfortable to move from the comforts of the church. It is sad to see someone that is gifted say.... I am not called to leave and spread the gospel... I give money to others to do it! This is a shame! God has called everyone to leave the comforts of the church and to spread the word... no matter if you are traveling overseas or across the street! And yes there were people in the bible like this.... Jonah after ignoring the call of God...God forces him to follow His path. What about Barak who God had handed his enemies over to him, but he would not go and do God's will unless Deborah went with him. He lost his victory because he did not have the faith to follow God's plan!

Now you have to sit back and answer the question for yourself! Do you have the faith to follow what God is calling you to do? Or are you sitting around waiting for your big break? Or are you comfortable where you are sitting?

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Are You Ready?

Wow only 41more days before I board a plan, and head off to the unknown of Africa! A lot of people have asked me “Are you ready?” To them that, it is a very simple question, but to me it is a long thought out emotional answer. Part of me says “Yes! Let’s get this show on the road” The other part of me wants to cry and crawl in a black hole and hide!

How do get ready for a life changing missions trip?

1. You Pray! And not just once, but everyday…. Sometime twenty times a day! I have come to pray first before I even get out of bed, before I eat, before I use the bathroom, and even before I get ready to step out of the door! Talking to God has become my normal everyday thing! I enjoy the two sided conversation. Yes, two sided conversation… if you are quiet long enough you will hear His voice! I really talk to him before I even talk to people. I have learned that when my life goes out the window I run to the throne and not the phone!!!

2. Start getting used to living out of suitcase. God allowed me to slowly move from a three bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment to just a room, to now a suitcase!! When Jesus called His disciples, they left everything to follow him. For us, who goes into mission field, we have time to put things in order and move forward. It was hard for me to come to this!!! I had to learn to let go and realize what was important to take and what would be easily to let go!!

3. Satan has your name on his list! Guess what, when you step out in faith and follow God your name appears on Satan’s list! You have to be prepared for all the things that he will throw at you!!! I have been attack through my church, through my friendships, through my family, and through my health. I will never forget the words I spoke one day “I want to wake up in the morning and have Satan say ‘Oh No she is up!!!’” To be that person you have to put on the full armor of God! And side note knee pads because you will be praying daily!

4. Be prepared to cry at drop of a hat’s notice… God’s glory is all over the place… and be prepare to have it shine on you. I have seen God move mountains that would not budge in the world’s eyes. When you move forward with God’s plans He will supply the means for the job! I have pray about plan tickets and if it is time to purchase… three minutes later the correct amount for the plane tickets have been donated to the website! Amounts of God’s glory will bring you to tears….If God has called you to do His will then it will be done!!! I always carry tissue now… any moment can turn into overwhelming joy!!

5. When you are preparing to leave, you have to learn to say goodbye and not just to people, but to places and things! I went into Target to get a prescription filled and guess what… I cried. In that moment, I realized that I was not going to walk into that Target again. See you doctor one more time before heading overseas, going to my favorite restaurant… all these things and places become part of you past…. Slowly releasing them and embracing the future.

So to tell you the true… No I am not ready to go… because I have not been through all the steps… I sit here and wonder why I am not on that plane yet… and then God answer “I am not done yet” He is still working on me and preparing me for this journey! So when I am on the plane heading over I will know that I am ready, but a small voice will always tell me that He is not done with me yet!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Going for God

It has almost been a year! Where I was facedown and heard the call of God! Now I am looking around this house that is not mine and staring at two suitcases. One that is a carry on for all my clothes and the second one that is for my supplies to Africa!!! A Question keeps running through my mind.....How did I get here....? How does a single mother of two kids find herself following God across the world?

1. I had to learn that all the stuff I had... and yes they held memories but... did not belong to me! That all of if belong to God and he allowed me to have! YES!! Seven tubs of fabric is God's fabric not mine... But I could still use it though!!!

2. I did not have to have all the answers!! And learned to answer the questions with this saying: I don't know, but God does!!! So where are you going to live? I don't know... but God does! What are you going to do about support? I don't know... But God does!! It came in handy!!

3. I had to learn to laugh at myself!! Yes God has a great sense of humor!! I hate washing dishes... guess who washing dishes at night NOW!!! I hate snakes! Guess who keeps seeing snakes in the USA!!! Guess who forgot to bring sunscreen one day to the beach!!! Yes I think I laugh at myself more every day!

4. Although I did not have the best background!!! God still could use me to do His work!!!! Even when you are changing a flat tire, and letting the Police officer watch you do this, you still can tell him about you trip to Africa!!

5. The best thing I learned was to get my self-worth from God and God alone!!! I can be label by the world anything they want, but God is the only one that can give me my self-worth!!!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Label

“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.” John19:25

I have sat for hours looking at this computer screen, trying to get my emotions under control enough to even write about this topic. This is the one thing that I struggle with the most in my walk with Christ: being labeled as a “Bad Mother” because I choose to follow Christ. You have to surrender everything that you desire to walk faithfully for the Savoir. Christ is very clear about us dying to ourselves and picking up the cross daily in His name. What upsets me the most is the criticism that comes with it.

I have been called a selfish, cold-hearted, unfit mother, and just plain stupid for choosing to obey God’s calling for my life and to leave for the mission field without my children. It is painful to see the people that supported me in the begin (Strong Christians and deep in their faith) to turn their backs on me because God has another path for me that does not fit with their expectations. Believe me if I could bring my kids overseas and show them what the gospel is first hand… I would buy three tickets!!! And the last thing that I dread is being labeled an unfit mother.

Once I heard the calling clearly in my life and knew that God was calling me overseas without my children I turned to the Bible for my comforted. I found many people who left their families to follow God. Abraham is prime example, all twelve Apostles left everything to surrender to Chris, and even Mary (Jesus’ Mother) gave up her only son. Yes these people where called names and most of them where label crazy, unfit mothers, unfit dads, and most of them heard… I don’t think God is calling you for that.

I want to take a moment and look at Mary, Jesus’ mother. At an early age she was called by an angle to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and to have a son name Jesus. Ok call me crazy, but if my daughter came to me and said “I was visited by an angel and I am going to have a baby.” I would label her crazy and ask who she been sharing a bed with? Later in Mary’s life she traveled with her husband and family to place of worship. On her way home she forgot her son, not for a couple of hours but for three days! Ok someone call DSS, because who does that??? Then she is told that her son is acting crazy and that she must come at once to get him … I think about this time I would be shaking my head at this woman, stating get it together! Then finally we see her weeping at the cross as she watches her innocent son died a criminal death! Wow what an unfit mother!! Someone stamp UNFIT over this Mary girl!!!

To the outside world this is what they would have seen; sad really they never got to see God work in her life? But is that not what we do with each other? Don’t we just label people and cast them aside because of their actions don’t line up with our expectations? We just label them, not carrying that we hurt them in this and walk away not carrying to see what God really does with them. Let’s take another look at Mary but with God’s eyes on the situation!

Mary was visited by an angel who proclaimed that she was going to have a baby name Jesus, and he was going to be the savior of the world. What a privilege to be entrusted to carry the Messiah! She endured the nasty attacks of people because she had a higher calling than anybody else. Day in and Day out she had to hear comments and the labels that were given to her as she carried the Messiah! Heartache was knocking at her door and she had to surrender everything she knew to faithfully obey God. Awhile longer she looked high and low for her son before finding Jesus in the temple questioning the priest. Yet she was upset that she as a mother could lose her son, God gave her grace in this because her son was about His father’s business. Mary got to see firsthand, Jesus fully as man and fully as God. When she was called to the house because her son was acting crazy, she knew He was doing God’s work and that she was no longer His keeper, but her savior. Lastly she watched as her son was beaten, spit on, and nailed to cross to die for everyone’s sin. She got to live a life fully and devoted to God. She was labeled with many things, but unfit mother was not one of them! To the world’s eyes she should have never carried for a child!!! But to God’s eyes she was a faithful servant!!!!

Which brings me to my ending… are we as Christians going to keep labeling people? Are we going to cast people aside because they have sin or have not lived up to our expectations? The only expectations that we are to live up to are God’s expectations and God alone. God talks to everyone differently and give different plans to everyone… So my question is who is not living up to your expectation? Who have you cast aside because of this? Maybe the person you have thrown aside could be the very person who God wants to change the world with!!!!!

By Nikki McGann

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Open and Close Doors

OPEN AND CLOSED DOORS

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

The Bible has much to say about open doors but many times – even as Christians – we seem to face obstacles on our path and in our ministry. Blocked doors can be VERY frustrating. Yet God often uses closed doors to advance His cause.

Bible teachers like Max Lucado remind us that God closed the womb of a young Sarah so he could display His power to the elderly one. He shut the palace door on Moses the prince so he could open shackles through Moses the liberator. He marched Daniel out of Jerusalem so he could use Daniel in Babylon.

And even Jesus knew the challenge of a blocked door. When he requested a path that bypassed the cross, God said no. He said no to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane so He could say yes to us at the gates of heaven.

It’s not that our plans are bad but that God’s plans are better.

A prayer is circulating on the Internet that expresses it this way:

He asked for strength that he might achieve,

he was made weak that he might endure;

He asked for health to do larger things,

he was given infirmity that he might do better things;

He asked for power that he might impress men,

he was given weakness that he might seek God;

He asked for wealth that he might be free from care,

he was given poverty that he might be wiser than carefree.

He asked for all things that he might enjoy life,

he was given life that he might enjoy all things;

He received nothing he asked for.

He received more than he ever hoped for.

His prayer was answered!

Blessed man!

The shortest distance between a closed and open door is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

RESPONSE: Today I will accept that my blocked door doesn’t mean God doesn’t love me. Quite the opposite. I’ll see it as proof that He does.
PRAYER: Thank You Lord that You know best and have even better plans for me and my service for You. Help me wait patiently for You to open the right door at the right time!