Chew on this

I read this and had to share it with you

David Wilkerson Today

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2010

THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE FAITH

The only time God’s patience runs out with us is when we refuse again and
again to accept how much he loves us.

Many Christians today have been turned back into a wilderness of their own
making. They have no joy, no victory. To look at them, you’d think God had
forsaken them years ago. No—he has simply turned them over to their own
complaining and murmuring.

Thank God, Joshua and Caleb entered into the Promised Land. And they stood as
green trees in God’ house until their dying days. They were men of power and
vision because they know they were precious to God.

You also are precious to the Lord, in spite of your problems and failures. You
can be a green tree in God’s house just as Joshua and Caleb were.

Simply stand on what God’s Word promises: “He brought me forth also into a
large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19).

That is the foundation of true faith!

Who's bugging you

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”- 1 Peter 2:15-16a

It's interesting that I would stumble upon this today...recently I have been pondering these exact thoughts. Not necessarily this particular verse, however this is what I was thinking about on my way to work a couple of weeks ago. There has been a lot of talk in the media recently about bullying gays, is it wrong YES!, however nobody ever talks about the harassment that we as Christians receive. Which is nothing in comparison to what Christians in the middle east receive.

Working in the trades your going to be harassed regardless of who you are or what you do. It just happens, its part of the initiation with working in construction. How do you as a christian handle the harassment, whether you work in construction, computer programing, or just everyday life. I think the bible is pretty clear on how we're supposed to handle harassment...Jesus said "love your enemy's, pray for those who persecute you." I think that Paul is echoing what is written in Proverbs if you love your enemy's you will heap burning coals upon their heads. HUH??? Look its easy others are going to look more closely at you not just because your a christian, but especially because your a christian. They are going to make fun of you, they will hate you, they will be mean to you, and your response is everything.

I have often said that when someone harasses you or is annoying you, pray for them, is it easy no, will you see change in them, not always. But you will see change in yourself and others will to, sometimes the one who is doing the evil, will get called out because of your response. Others will see that you've been the righteous one and acted like Christ, they just look stupid for the way that they are acting.

Church for the poor

This is something that I have been talking about for some time...I really hope that the church will step up and get involved and not let the government continue to run one of the greatest things we can do as a church...serve the poor. I admonish you get your church involved, call your local congressman and tell them what your doing, tell them you don't want the government to have to take care of the poor any more.

Entering into Your Priesthood

In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther formulated the concept of the priesthood of all believers. Contrary to widespread misconceptions of this doctrine, Luther did not mean to reduce the supernatural concern of personal redemption to a core or essence of social concern.

In reaction to the modernist-fundamentalist controversy, many evangelicals, zealous to retain the biblical concern for personal redemption, began to minimize or even reject the social agenda of the New Testament. Social concern and relief ministry became identified with liberalism. Ministry to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the imprisoned was often all-too-willingly surrendered to the state or the liberal church.

This reaction was utterly foreign to and in violation of the clear mandate of Scripture. James wrote concerning the essence of pure religion: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27, NIV).

Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God

What are you doing to help those around you who are in distress? Are you keeping yourself clean from the world's pollution,, as James admonishes?

For Further Study

Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

James 1:27: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries and Dr. R.C. Sproul is to help people grow in their knowledge of God and His holiness. For more information, please visit www.ligonier.org or call them at 800-435-4343.
© R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved.

Pray and your gonna get???

Recently I watched a short video on Troy Polamalu and his christian faith...He said something that struck me, the reason that it struck me so much is I have recently over time forgotten how much God wants to have that relationship with us...He wants to talk to us...He wants us to talk with Him. If I'm constantly pushing God to the back burner then, guess what Satan has an open door and we left it open.

Prayer is worship just as singing is worship and reading Gods word is worship...Where is your prayer life headed is it one of those things that you only do when you really need God...you wouldn't do that to your friends or your spouse or girl/boy friend. Really the ultimate goal of prayer is that you would spend time with Jesus...He must be your desire. If He is that He will speak to you in unimaginable ways. Know that Jesus wants to bless you but more than anything He wants to have that relationship with you. I'm not saying that you shouldn't ask God to take care of you, that you should do, because God wants to bless you...BUT more than anything Jesus wants you to have that relationship with Him, He doesn't want to be used like the Heavenly ATM Machine...I have to confess that I forget that from time to time and need to be reminded that I need to just talk with Him like he's my Friend, Father, and King

There is something to be said of enduring trials. There is also something to be said of falling flat on your face and getting right back up. Both happen, both will happen to you at one time or another, how you choose to respond is the key. Am I perfect will I fail sure but when I fail the after is really going to determine a lot.

Satan wants to get you to believe that your a failure and that when you fail your unworthy to approach the throne room, but did you know that your Heavenly Father desires that more than even when you fail...He wants you to come to Him to seek out His love, His comfort. When you fail I would seek after Jesus, He will comfort you, He will hold you, He will teach you how to defend against the temptation and how to either fight or run from that temptation. I can speak from experience that it's hard but if you ask Jesus will deliver you
Psalm 54:7 (NKJV)

⁷ For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

I must implore you though Jesus wants all of you and if your willing to give it all you need to do is ask and It will be given to you remember your not alone in this and every single christian has this same problem. King David dealt with some of the same stuff that we as christian's deal with today and yet God called him a man after His own heart. My encouragement is that you would relate to King David read the Psalms and remember that when you fall your not to stay down you are to get back up dust yourself off remind yourself and Satan that your a child of the Most High and you are worthy

From my daily devo

Know when your going through various trials you have an ABBA FATHER who loves your enjoy

David Wilkerson Today

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2010

“ABBA, FATHER”

The Holy Ghost has a way of simplifying our relationship with God the Father
and Jesus. He is the One who teaches us to say, "Abba, Father."

This phrase refers to an oriental custom of Bible days, regarding the adoption
of a child. Until the adopting papers were signed and sealed by the adopting
father, the child saw this man only as a father. He had no right to call him
Abba, meaning "my."

Yet, as soon as the papers were signed, registered and sealed, the child's
tutor presented him to the adopting father—and for the first time the child
could say, "Abba, Father!" As the father embraced him, the young one cried, "My
father! He's not just a father anymore. He's mine!"

This is the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. He tutors you of Christ. He
presents you to the Father. And he keeps reminding you, "I have sealed the
papers. You are no longer an orphan—you are legally a son of God! You now
have a very loving, wealthy, powerful Father. Embrace him—call him 'my
Father.' I have come to show you how much you're loved by him! He loved and
wanted you!"

Our cry should be one of exceeding joy and thanksgiving. The Spirit in us
literally cries out, "You are an heir, an inheritor of all that Jesus won." And
what an inheritance you have, because your FATHER is the wealthiest in the whole
universe! Don't shy away from him, he's not mad at you. Stop acting like an
orphan who's poverty-stricken, lacking joy and spiritual victory. You are not
forsaken—so enjoy him!

Not only are we not forsaken but the Holy Spirit is there with us during
moments of confusion and suffering.

The Holy Spirit's mission is to comfort Christ's bride in the absence of the
Bridegroom. "He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you
for ever" (John 14:16). "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost" (v. 26).

Comforter means "one who soothes in a time of pain or grief"—one who eases
pain and sorrow, brings relief, consoles and encourages. But I like this
definition from the Greek: "One who lays you down on a warm bed of safety."
During the cold, dark night of your soul, he lays you down on the soft bed of
his comfort, soothing you with his tender hand.

By calling the Holy Spirit the Comforter, Jesus made an infallible prediction.
He was predicting his people would be suffering discomfort, and would be in
need of comfort—that there would be a lot of pain and suffering among his
people in the last days.

The Holy Spirit brings comfort by reminding you that he lives in you with all
the power of God inherent in his being. And that's why you can say, "Greater is
he that is in me than all the world powers combined—greater than all demon
powers!" God sent the Spirit to use all his power to keep you out of the
clutches of Satan—to lift your spirit, drive away all depression and flood
your soul with the love of your Lord.

"We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience….
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:3, 5).

How are you sustained through trials

James 1:2-4 Count it ALL JOY, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, and lacking in nothing.

In this series I am going to be focusing on trials and how our God sustains us through them. Over the last almost 18 months my family has endured many trials everything from me losing a job and our daughter developing seizures. Thankfully I can say that those things are being rectified. When you are allowed to go through trials you must remember that God still loves you, as I write over these next few weeks know that my family is still enduring trials, a couple of weeks ago my dad was diagnosed with a rare type of thyroid cancer, I can't really say his chances of survival but I must trust that God knows what He is doing and I can say this He has us in the palm of His hand (testing of your faith produces steadfastness). I want to leave you today with one of my favorite poems

Footprints in the sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,

is when I carried you.”

Philippians 1:18-23

So much to write about...

...Never at any point in my life have I had more to write about than now. I can't even think strait I have got so much on my mind. I really need to process before I sit down and put the words to paper. I will say this I am truly thankful for the prayers that we have received. My God is so good to us and He is sustaining us at every trial. Some of the things on my mind are as follows.
1. How are you sustained through those trials
2. Why? Me? Now?
3. (off the previous subject) Why? are we as the American church fighting about who's right and who's wrong
4. Books I am reading and how God has used them to impact my life

New Books I'm reading

Sorry for the long delay, I don't have much time since starting the new job, so the posts are going to take a bit longer, I have been doing some really great reading recently and for this post I will be sharing with you what I'm learning. Soon we will get back to the regularly scheduled program.

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire: Basic synopsis. If your not praying you should be, you can't expect anything to happen if your not having an ongoing conversation with God, It starts at home and in your heart. I can't expect my marriage to change, my church to change the crazy stuff going on around me to change if I'm not telling God about what I'm going through...I also need to be specific, not because God doesn't know (He already does) He wants to hear your voice, He wants you to know Him and His heart for you. It's part of having a relationship talking and LISTENING. When it also comes to giving glory I really must give God ALL the glory, I realize that I am talented BUT and that's a really BIG BUT it all comes from Him alone He is the one that makes me talented. I will be hopefully be delving into this more soon (Lord willing)

The other book I'm reading (again) is Wild at Heart I have just started this but I'm convinced more than ever that I need to have the adventure spirit reborn in me. Now that doesn't mean that I can run off but I need to remember that it is a vital part of my manhood and being a husband and father. I should be more like William Wallace than Woody Allen. Every man want's to be real but there is this notion pounded into him from the time he's a little boy that he must quell that adventure spirit. Again I am hoping to delve into this soon too. Blessings for now

Nick

Seasons of Change

As I'm writing this there has been so much that has changed I needed to wait until now to post, just to give myself a clear picture of everything that has happened.

A couple of months ago I received a call that effectively changed mine and my family's life. I am at this moment employed as an apprentice pipefitter and now on track to being able to provide for my family, just a I am called to do.

We never seem to know why God allows us to go through Job seasons...where is really hard and harder. I guess as Christians those times give us the ability to see when it's really good and when it's bad to long even more for Heaven. I can tell you this I still long to be at home with my Father and off of this stinking earth, is there good here sure but I would much rather be there.

As for this change I tempted you with in the Title, I am having to relearn how to be a working stiff. Its really easy to give time to my family when your with them 24/7 when your working ten hour days, it becomes harder, but your still need to go about your home business just like you do at work. I can tell you even in the mist of the past winter season I was and still am thankful for that struggle I have an understanding of what others are and were going through. Is there more change to come, sure, I welcome it because I know that as we walk through the seasons of life we truly can begin to see the Father's heart for us.

Blessings

"Spring is coming...and Summer follows Spring"

You are not Forgotten

Isaiah 44:21-22

“ Remember these, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

Over the last few months I have been speaking of how to live in a Job lifestyle. I know that is still hard to understand how to do until your there and in the mist of that. Whatever you might be going through right now I want to encourage you with a little story. There was a group of people who were worshiping Idols creating them with wood and then would take the scraps from that wood, make a fire, cook some food on that same fire and when their belly's were full they would bow down to worship that idol, that same people God decided to send away from their promised land #1 to give that land rest #2 and most importantly because they had stopped worshiping the one true God and were bowing down to pieces of wood that they had made. (Is 44:9-20). The point of the story is the passage at the beginning of our study today. Even though Israel had forgotten their God and part of their punishment was to be sent to Babylon, God didn't forget them we see so often in scripture that even when we are fallen God doesn't forget us (Lk 15:4-7) even when we are in the mist of a trial Our God hasn't forgotten us (Matt 6:25-33)

You see this God of Jacob, Israel, and the Disciples loves you, He allowes us to go through trials, Why? We don't always know but I can tell you this He has not forgotten us and He will take care of us...like a wrote in my last post the whole reason for trials may not be for you but for others to see how to handle it.(like Job) Yes you can learn from them as well...be on the look out for that Seek after the Lord and He will be found run to Him and He will run to you (Lk 15:20) In the simplicity of it all place your trust in Him and I can guarantee you a couple of things, #1 Your trial may not get easier but you will have an everlasting peace, #2 You will be storing up treasures in Heaven.

Blessings

p.s. Next time I will be writing on Seasons of life and the change that comes with each new season

Understanding Trials in your Life

Romans 8 18-21
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Not always do we know or will understand why. But you should know that your Abba in Heaven knows everything that happens to you...He knows all the hair on your head, yep He has each one of them counted. There are days that I look at all that is going on around me and wonder why? is all of this happening to my family we are so cast down...In all honesty I can't and don't have an answer to that question...I can say this it does make my prayers for the Lords return even more fervent. When we leave this shell of a body and are taken up or pass on through death we will receive a crown of glory from our Heavenly Father

I have truly come to understand what Job went through...so many people slam his wife for telling him to curse God and die...I'm not so quick to judge her as I have seen how easy it is to get to that point that you start to feel like that...the biggest difference that that Job was looking for the Savior and was under the old covenant we are under the new covenant...We have Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is that enough, it should be at times it feels like it's not. That's up to the Lord though. Now to the meat...

Understanding why? I really wish that I had an answer for you, what I can answer is that there are times that God wants to take you to the end of your ability to control the situation, He wants you to totally rely on Him and His ability to use the situation. "God works ALL things together for His purpose. (Rom 8:28 emphasis mine) understanding what Paul was trying to say here was that all that you go through is for Gods purpose, sometimes that good will happen here on earth, others it will happen in Heaven where we will receive a crown of glory, if we look at the whole chapter in context we see that Paul was heaven focused and not focused on the trials that he was facing. Paul went through many different trials, he wished for heaven "to live is Christ, to Die is GAIN" and there is not a thing wrong with that he longed to be with Jesus...I think that sometimes the trials are to cause us to long to be with our Father.

Job had no clue as to why God was allowing those trials to happen to him, loosing his kids to death, loosing his crops and home to destruction, his body beat up by Satan, and his friends telling him that he was sinning against God. Job didn't know why? We do because we have the account of the story in our bibles. We can see that God was proving that He knows us better than we think. For me I can see that I cannot handle this on my own and I don't have the ability to get through any of this apart from God. I can also say that having to see my family go through any of this is heart breaking. I long for us to have a rest from this valley to be able to go to the mountain top and truly experience the Fathers presence.

At times I'm sure that people have wondered why for us, I can say this, my God knows what He is doing...I don't know why God has allowed all of this to happen to us. I do know that it is causing folks to pray with a fervency that they may have never before, there are others who are benefiting from our suffering. Would I like to see the Lord do a miracle and fulfill the promises that He gave to us when this first started, I can answer that with a great big YES!!!

Living a Job lifestyle

When we go through suffering...As a christian we can be reminded that God truly wants all of us and to look at the suffering and wish for relief is not a bad thing but we really need to place our focus on Him not why we are going through the suffering that we are in. There is a strange sense of peace that comes when we place our focus on the Lord.

If your continue to look at your suffering then your placing your eyes on the wrong thing. Easier said than done and through practice you will be able to overcome that...How you do that? Well there are a few ways. #1 Spend time with Jesus, even if that means that you pray while you drive, just pour out your heart to Him, He's there listening to you and wants to hear your prayers, sit in silence let Him speak to you. #2 Worship it is as simple as that, whether you listen to your iPod, just sing a song that you know, or it is with a congregation corporately, you need to worship the Lord (Ps. 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.(emphasis mine)
#3 Fellowship with other believers who will support you not just with an encouraging word but with physical help as well.
#4 Read you bible that is essential to your walking this out God will not only speak to you in your prayers and through other people but will also speak to you through His word.

God has amazing plans for you during your time of suffering. Remember the most important thing is that your not alone...your not the first to get hammered in life and you won't be the last...I'm right there too, our family is going through the ringer, is God in control? I can emphatically say YES He is and He knows what He is doing. I'm not completely sure where this is going to lead but God will use this for His glory. I want to encourage all of you who have lost hope "my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness". When your hope is on what you can see and touch remember that material and man will always fail, things burn and man will die. But God will not fail us at times He may seem like He as left us but that is so far from the truth, He may just be using your situation to teach you or someone else something. God is so big and great that there is not even a leaf on a tree that falls that He doesn't notice. He is not to big for you though He being omnipresent is always there.

God Bless for now

From my daily devo

Taken from David Wilkerson Today

WE CAN HEAR HIS VOICE TODAY

Millions have been converted because one man waited to hear the voice of God.
Saul "fell to the earth and heard that voice" and when he became Paul, he kept
on hearing that voice. The Lord spoke man-to-man with him.

Peter allowed the Savior's voice to come to him. "Peter went up upon the
housetop to pray…and there came a voice to him” (Acts 10:9, 13).

The entire Gentile race was welcomed into the kingdom, along with the house of
Cornelius, because a man obeyed a voice. We are living in the same New
Testament times as Paul and Peter and we, too, must allow His voice to come to
us. "But today, if you will hear His voice...." What God could do with
Christians who learn to hear from heaven!

Instead of waiting for His voice to come to us, we run to counselors and
Christian psychologists, one session or another, and read books and listen to
tapes—wanting to hear from God. We seek a clear word of direction for our
lives and want pastors to tell us what is right and wrong. We desire a leader
to follow, a diagram for the future. But few know how to go to the Lord and
hear his voice. There are many who know how to get God's attention— to really
touch God—but they know nothing about God reaching them.

"They that have ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit saith..." (see
Matthew 11:15).

God wants to shake the earth once more.

"See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from
him that speaketh from heaven: whose voice then shook the earth: but now he
hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven" (Hebrews 12:25-26).

He has promised, "Once again my voice will be heard. Those who hear will shake
the earth, and heaven and earth will be moved. By the hearing of my voice,
whatsoever is loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

To the last church, the Laodicean church, the Lord cries:

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation
3:20).

"I'm asking to be heard. Open up. Let me into your secret closet. Let me talk
with you and you talk with me. Let's commune. That's how I will keep you from
the hour of temptation that is coming on all the world."

Clarification to the Last Post

I wanted to clarify something that I said in my last post as I have realized that it may have left and open door for the enemy to misconstrue what I was trying to say.

When I said Kelly was the weaker vessel I did not mean that she is not strong...on the contrary she is the strongest woman that I know, in fact she is what a Prov. 31 woman should be. She has been so strong standing in the face of these trials that we have been and are going through. All I was trying to say was as the leader of our household I need to be the one praying and leading us closer to the Lord, I need to be the example of what Jesus is to the church (Eph. 5:19-35) I am called to serve my family (wife) as Christ served the church.

I need to fervently be in prayer and seeking after the Lord and His will for us as a family. As I learn to do this I am going to strive to be that man that Christ has called me to be and to be that man constantly. God bless you and for a great read these books have been profound in my life these last few months; Heavenly Man, Brother Yun w/ Paul Hathaway, Safe in the Shepherds Arms, Max Lucado, and Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit, Jack Deere

Until He returns

God wants all of me...

During this time of trial I am learning to be content with where the Lord has us. I didn't think that we would be here this long, BUT God is allowing it. Your probably thinking why would God allow you to go through so much (or maybe your not thinking that, I have asked that same question about friends when I see their situation). Here's why God has a plan and He is always trying to bring us to the end of ourselves so that He can do His greatest work. (LK 22:62,
JN 21:15-19, Acts 2)

God has and is stripping us down to nothing, so that He can launch us into the next phase of our lives. Last summer my Heavenly Father spoke plainly to us and basically said this same thing He was taking us through the fire to purify us and set us apart for His great work that He has for us. I can tell you at the time I was excited and maybe even a bit arrogant in the fact that God would use me and my family for the Kingdom of God, now my friends I can tell you IF God chooses to use us I am truly humbled, because I know that I am just an unworthy sinner I don't deserve anything and by God's grace I have been made a prince in His kingdom.

I believe that God has blessing for us but He needed to take us to the end of ourselves and through all of the fires that we have been in so that we will be prepared to receive these blessings.
One more thing I have really had to realize is that my wife is the weaker vessel and I need to be praying fervently for her heart that it would be protected for the enemy, he seems to attack her more. My wife is an amazing creature who loves Jesus and needs to be prayed for. I also need to beware of his seduction, some of us for get about that side of Satan, we can handle the pain and suffering and when we see that easy way out, we must always be seeking the Lord to make sure that what the next step that He has for us. Do I like pain and suffering NO but I know that my God is bigger than anything that the enemy can throw at me. I must be seeking God continually and He and only He will revel what His plans are for us. For now God bless you and keep seeking the Lord

Stepping Stones

These last few weeks I have really been pondering the verse in Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (esv) It is so interesting that a few weeks ago the Lord had a word for us that we were headed in the right direction...we really don't know the end result or destination but we are headed in the right direction, the actual description was swimming in rough waters (our life isn't going to be easy is it)...Anyways my point is that we will get a picture of the path and all we will most of the time know is our next step.

I have never fully realized what this verse meant until I was in the situation that our family is in now. Being unemployed for almost 8 months will do that to you When we started this process we has made the decision that we wanted to stay in the area where we are living now...after much prayer and being removed from our comfort, God has taken us to a place of totally relying on him and his provision. He knows the end result and He opens the doors as we need them opened. I got to the point that I was willing to purse other options...recently I had the opportunity to pursue work outside of the place where I am at and don't have any clue of if anything will come of it but I am really excited to know that God is in control.

If we step out in faith the Lord will reward us for being faithful to pursue Him even if we are wrong about that step, we tried to listen and are in the process of taking that step of faith.