More than Conquerers!

What a promise!! And our God is a keeper of promises, always true to His Word! How well I know it! I cannot tell you, my friends, the amazing journey that this preparation period has proved to be already! I wish you could see the magnitude of God's great power as he reveals it into the quiet places of my heart! He is so faithful to reveal Himself when we seek Him. As I stand here on the edge of the unknown, staring into the reality of my own inadequacy and unworthiness, I begin to understand what it means to really trust God! The past few weeks have been filled with fervent prayer and seeking for guidance and wisdom for the weeks to come and a readiness for the events that I will soon encounter. How faithful God is to remind me of His strength!

For every fear I've conceived over the past months, the Lord has brought forth His Word to strike it down. For my fear of spiritual attack that I would not be able to withstand, He revealed Psalm 11, "In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to the mountain. For look the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men: his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face."

For the fear of failure in ministry, He reminded me of Isaiah 55:10-11: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out form my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

For the fear of not having enough curriculum or teaching tools to communicate the gospel, Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

God's word is powerful!! It is sharper than any double edged sword, and will be our offensive weapon in battle if we will wield it! John Piper words it very well in Desiring God, "We have one offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. But what any christians fail to realize is that we can't draw the sword from someone else's scabbard. If we don't wear it, we can't wield it. If the Word of God does not abide in us, we will reach for it in vain when the enemy strikes. But if we do wear it, if it lives within us, what mighty warriors we can be! This has been the secret of God's great spiritual warriors. They have saturated themselves with the Word of God....The Sword of the Spirit is full of victory. But how few will give themselves to the deep and disciplined exercise of soul to take up and wield it with joy and power!"

What a truth this is! Had I not been in the word during this time, I would be paralized by fear from the decietful attacks of the evil one! What a wonderful God we serve that He does not leave us to our sinful, fearful thoughts but draws us to his Word and teaches our souls of His character and strength!

How sweet are the words that come from the mouth of the LORD! The more I grow, the more I truly treasure his Word, and the wonderful strength and confidance it equips us with! My constant reminder and encouragement has been from Romans 8, and is the entire basis for this note and for the duration of my journey is the fact that we are called by God and he has made us more than conquerers!



"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be confirmed in the likeness of His Son, that he might be the firstborn amoung many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; those he called he also justified; those he justified he alsoglorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all_ how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring a charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as shepp to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us form the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"