Listen....

I've lately grown a bit dependent on the GPS application in my phone... from time to time I use it, even when I don't necessarily need to just to be absolutely positive that I really know where I'm going. Today that handy feature taught me an interesting lesson- I set out to meet up with an old friend, in an area I knew relatively well, but as it'd been a few years since I'd frequented it I defaulted to GPS directions, about halfway there silly phone decided that it would be a good idea to fall out of its usual residing place of the cup holder and land somewhere underneath the seat as much as I love posing a threat to the rest of the world by searching my car for something and driving simultaneously I opted instead to turn off the music in my car, and instead focus on the quiet instructions the navigation feature was giving me. This was a bit of a challenge as at first I tried listening to the music quietly while listening for the directions to interrupt... I quickly realized this wouldn't work, had to shut it off, and even turn the heat off because the fan blowing still masked the muffled sound. It was after I exited the interstate and got away from that business that what GPS was telling me to do became more clear... Once I arrived at my destination I had a bit of time to ponder this silly abstract lesson before my friend got there... I love the silly little things that the Lord can use to work at your heart a bit. We are always busy, even when we aren't we tend to make ourselves... we constantly fill our lives with noise and distraction- sometimes if we really truly want to hear the directions being laid out for us, even though they are being made painstakingly clear, we have to lay aside the noise, the distractions... turn off the music, turn off the flashy light show, and just listen. God will get you where He wants you... Fact: He's probably already telling you. Are you taking the time to listen?

Going Forward in Faith...

Sitting in Caribou before work I was blessed with yet another, random encounter. I've been getting those a lot lately- Last night at work I had a guest speak to the manager- mostly about how great my service was (what a blessing to get that undeserved encouragement from time to time) but he also told him "That girl is called to something much greater in life" huh... Weirds me out that a complete stranger can say they see something "different" in me... same thing happened today while I was getting in some Jesus time before work, spoke with a complete stranger, he added me on facebook, left a prayer on my wall, and handed me a donation towards my ministry... wow God. What's particularly funny about this? On my way to work I'd been praying for little bits of encouragement- that I would start to see God move and work in the area of finances in ways that would surprise me, I know He's got this under control but its hard not to worry... So, way to go God! Hoping I'll become increasingly less in the way so God can move through me! With that... something I've been thinking about lately, hearing Gods voice, how often do we wait for the pieces to come together, using that as a determining factor on what the Lords will is... if He wants me here, He'll give me the money first, the house, the better job... whatever it may be- its as if we sit and wait for something to entice us into following Gods will... Yet we look at Abraham- when He received his call "The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. So Abram departed as the lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran." Genesis 12:1-4 The Lord told Abram to go... he didn't lay out a ten year plan, didn't even tell him where he'd be going... Abram got very little detail besides the fact that the lord wanted him to go, leaving everything he knew and loved- and that out of this irrational obedience, would come blessing... It doesn't say that Abram thought about it for a minute- made arrangements, etc etc... just that Abram departed as the Lord instructed This. Boggles. My. Mind. At this point Abram was well established, he was probably quite content... but God said "Go" so he went. Plain and simple... Listening to God... Am I willing to do it, regardless of the cost?

Joshua and Caleb

Prior to my departure from Tennessee I'd had a listening prayer session where the people praying over me kept going back to the fact that they sensed I had a "Joshua like spirit" and was bold in my faith, and prayed for an increase of this... Recently this has been resurfacing on my heart a lot so I decided to dig into what exactly this means, which led me to Numbers 13 and 14 when the spies were sent into Canaan... We all know the story of Moses leading the people out Egypt, and then Joshua leading the people as they marched around the walls of Jericho- but what about what happened in between? The Lord had instructed Moses to send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which he was giving to the people of Israel, of the 12 men sent out 10 came back with bad reports- igniting fear in the hearts of the Israelites... though the Lord had promised them the land the Israelites wanted to run back to Egypt... Caleb and Joshua however insisted that it could be done- not because of their strength, but because of the favor the Lord had in them... without the protection of God no victory can be ours. Because they did not trust in God, and refused to obey his voice- none of the men who saw His glory and signs in Egypt and the Israelites would be able to see the promised land "But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it." Numbers 14:24 Of the men that were sent out to spy on the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive- the rest died by plague before the Lord... because they feared for THEIR lives and THEIR plans they lost them... Ironic? I love verse 24... because Caleb had a different Spirit and followed me fully... Its one thing to believe in God- Those ten spies believed in God- the problem? They didn't believe that He was who He says He is, they didn't trust Him to fulfill His promises, they chose to guard their lives and their comfort rather than passionately pursuing His will and His plans, they weren't willing to follow Him fully. Is it really enough to believe in God? Or dare I say, even believe in His son? Or are we perhaps, called to a deeper more reckless faith... Perhaps we aren't just called to believe, but also to "Follow me fully." As I think about it, the idea of a Joshua like spirit intimidates me A lot... Am I willing to go against the grain? Joshua and Caleb were willing to have an opinion that was different than an entire nation... I'm willing to bet they were pretty ostracized, pretty lonely... To be perfectly honest, doesn't sound very appealing to me. The beauty of it? In their strong willed obedience, their willingness to obey and follow God COMPLETELY regardless of the costs, they were the only ones who received the blessing of seeing the fulfillment of God's promise... Its worth the cost- are we willing to put up the fight? What is your promised land? How is God calling you to follow Him fully today? Are you one of the ten or one of the two? Are you willing to take a chance, even if it might mean losing the life you think you love?