Condemnation vs. Restoration

Elijah has become one of my biggest biblical heroes lately. This man's life challenges and inspires me like no other. More than that, who he was resonates deeply within my soul. His story has been teaching me a lot lately, so I want to share a bit of it with you.

If you've never read 1 Kings 18 and 19, go read it. Before you read any further here. Done? Alright. Quite the story, huh? So much can be taken from both chapters, but I want to focus on the latter part. So, to sum it up, basically God works through Elijah to totally destroy the priests of Baal and show Israel who's really on the throne; then within 24 hours Jezebel gets so mad she sends word to Elijah saying she's gonna kill him. Nice lady. Elijah gets scared and runs into the desert, completely hopeless and frustrated.

Story. Of. My Life. God does something absolutely incredible in my life or through me - something tangible, something that leaves me speechless at His utter awesomeness. Then within a day, the enemy attacks and leaves me feeling hopeless and helpless. And what to I do? I run into the desert. I get frustrated and my perspective gets wayyy off base. I throw a pity party. Seriously. Happens All. The. Time.

And every time it does, I have this idea in my head that God's probably looking at me, shaking His head, saying "Really Andrea? Did you not see what I JUST did not even a day ago? Have you forgotten already? Come on, girl. Get your priorities straight. Fix your perspective." That's what I thought when I read Elijah's story the other day, too. In fact, I expected that to be the outcome; never mind the fact that I've ready this story probably a hundred times. But guess what? That's not God's response at all. When Elijah first collapsed under the broom tree in the desert, after telling God he may as well die because his life is worthless, God does the opposite of what Elijah deserved. He sent an angel to bring him food and tell him to rest. For two days food was provided and Elijah rested. Sometimes all we really need is to rest. I get teased about it a lot sometimes, but one thing this semester has taught me is to value my rest. There are times that I skip social events, church events, and yes, even class once in a while, simply because I need the sleep. I know I can function on low amounts of sleep, but everyone around me pays for it. And it's not fair for them to have to put up with my short temper and wild emotions just because I'm tired. It's amazing how often I'll go to bed near tears for whatever reason, and after a decent night's sleep, will wake up with a completely different attitude.

After Elijah had rested, God came and asked him what was going on. Still frustrated, Elijah basically said "Dude, I'm sick of all of this. I'm trying my best to live for You, but it's not worth it anymore. I'm the only one left serving You, and now the queen's after my life too! What the heck did You put me here for?!" And once again, God didn't get on his case and correct him. He simply said "Come outside, because My presence is passing by." Wow. How quick we are to forget that His presence is truly ALL we need. In His presence is fullness of joy, and that joy is our strength. We're made whole in His presence. Our fellowship with Him is restored. We are made righteous by touching His holiness. It just amazes me that God didn't even say "Get your attitude right, and then come into My presence." He just said "Come." I know that it's His presence that makes us right again, but I still struggle with the mentality that I have to clean myself up before I can approach Him. But He simply wants me.

And when Elijah did enter into God's presence, he still found no condemnation. God asked him again what was going on, and Elijah said the exact same thing. Yet instead of correcting Elijah, even now that they were together, God simply restored Elijah's vision and purpose. He told him where to go and what to do - He also showed Elijah that he wasn't alone in serving God. And here too I see a parallel in my own life. When I am in God's presence, my vision is restored. He shows me the plans He has for me, and gently redirects my focus onto what really matters. And very often He'll send people along to encourage me. But there's never condemnation. "There is therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

Now, does that mean that we shouldn't strive to remember and stand on God's past faithfulness? Of course not. That very practice is foundational to our ability to stand in the hard times. And I'm not saying God never disciplines us. The only way to be made holy is to have what's unholy stripped away. What I am saying is that we need to remember to run to His presence when we're frustrated. And never, ever feel like you should be feeling or thinking differently. God will take care of that, too. And with no condemnation - instead, He'll completely restore your fellowship with Him.

Keep Seeking

I've made it a goal to try to blog at least once a week. The combination of having no extra time to write and yet having so much to say made me think maybe an hour once a week would be a good goal. But as I sit here tonight, no words or profound thoughts are coming. I just want God's presence. I crave it. There are no words that describe the hunger in my soul right now. I am made whole in His presence. My vision is restored. My perspective adjusted. My joy and contentment overflowing.

Yet how often do I actually go to that place - that place where I sit in His presence and don't leave until I am changed? Not nearly enough. All too often I make my quiet time an item on my to-do list - if that. If I'm being totally honest here, there are days that I blow it off and don't even spend five intentional minutes with the One I call my best friend. And when I do that, it shows. My life seems to fall apart at the seams. The smallest things bother me. I get frustrated when my friends let me down after expecting them to give me what only He can. I burn out and blow everything out of proportion.

Like today. By this afternoon, I was upset at a couple of my dearest friends, through no fault of their own. I was searching in them for something they are not responsible for giving me. I was complaining about school, about life, and everything else I could think of. And as I sat on my bed trying to figure out why I was in such a bad mood, I finally stopped long enough to hear God say "Umm, hello. I'm still here waiting. MY presence is what you need - not anything else." So I turned on some worship music and grabbed my Bible. I started at my default place - the Psalms. Seriously. If you ever need a place to let out any emotion or just be reminded to praise God for who He is.... Soo pretty much any time any where, go read the Psalms. Twenty minutes later I was worshiping and letting God fill me again. His presence is what I need. It's all I seek. To sit at His feet and let Him overwhelm me and send me to my knees and leave me speechless is what will change me. What makes me like Him. I can't be made into the image of someone I don't spend any time with.

Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to fill our little cup with water from our own sources that we don't realize God's trying to give us His ocean. If I could leave you with one thought for the day, it would be this: Seek His presence first. And always. It's the only thing that truly satisfies. Let go of your other sources of joy, of vision, of direction. When you're confused or burned out or frustrated, go lock yourself in your room, grab your Bible, put on some worship music if you want, and just seek God. And if you're seeking Him and hearing or feeling or seeing nothing, keep seeking Him. Turn your phone off and put your computer away and don't leave until you've been changed. If you've truly spent time in God's manifest presence, it will show. Always. He honors the heart that truly seeks Him. He shows up. And nothing is ever the same.

"Keep on asking, and it will be given to you. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." ~Matthew 7:7

If God has a time machine

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and actually be at some event? To see, hear, and feel firsthand the circumstances that took place? I know I have. Probably on a daily basis. I can think of at least a dozen historical events that I would love to see.

I really hope God has a time machine in heaven. Either that, or a video library documenting every single moment of this life. And really, why couldn't He do something like that? He's outside of time, and someday we'll be outside of time. I want to see so many things. The flood, the giving of the Law, Daniel in the lion's den, or Jesus' birth. The look on Columbus' face when he discovered America, or the signing of the Constitution. Even better, when my parents first met, or when my grandpa finally surrendered his life to Jesus.

But there is one moment that I want to see more than anything in the world. I want to see the very instant when the devil realized he had lost - completely and eternally. I wonder if it was as soon as Jesus said "It is finished," or if he didn't get it until Jesus walked up to him and took the keys of death and hell from his hand. What was running through his mind as Jesus dragged him through the pits of hell, making a public display of his utter ruin? What did the demons think while they took in the confident smile and fierce eyes of the One who held their leader captive? How great the song of victory must have been as it came from the saints while Jesus finally freed them and led them safely to His Father's arms. I can only imagine the tears that must have fallen from the Father's eyes as He and His Son saw the atonement and reconciliation between God and man finally made whole.

If God has a time machine, I want to see the moment that changed the course of eternity.

"I AM the First and the Last. I AM the Living One; I was dead, and behold, I AM alive forevermore! And I hold the keys to death and hell." (Revelation 1:18)

Jump

Waiting.
Wondering. Falling. Flying.
Praying. Hoping. Trusting.
Waiting.
Will I fall? Will I hit something? Will someone catch me? Or will I learn to fly?
These and a thousand more thoughts run through my head while I sit here. Waiting.
His voice whispered "Jump."
I stepped back. Fearful. Not yet, Lord. I can't.
"Jump."
I crept forward. Looked over the edge. Can I see the ground? Is someone there?
Utter darkness. I can't see where I'll land.
If I'll land.
"Trust Me." But Lord, I can't see where I'm going. What if I can't fly?
"Trust Me. Just jump."
I turn around and look at the road that brought me here. To this place. This ledge. This dead end - unless I jump.
A multitude of successes and failures. A crooked, broken path. The places where He carried me. The places where I carried someone else. The dark places. The valleys. The smaller leaps.
And suddenly, I know.
This was His intention.
The road didn't break.
He removed it.
Because I'm ready.
He brought me here. In His time. He made me strong. Ready.
Ready to jump.
Not knowing what will happen.
Not caring.
I might fall. But He'll catch me.
I might fly. And He'll guide me.
But this is where I belong.
Letting go. Jumping. Leaving the results in His hands.
I turn back around. Look at the ledge. The darkness.
Knowing. Smiling.
And I jump.

One Generation

These last few weeks I have been hearing more and more people speak of the state our nation is in, and their opinion on the solution. They are mostly friends of mine, though some are just random things I find on the internet. All of them are from a Christian perspective, believing that the only way anything will ever be fixed is if this nation turns back to God and repents of its ways. While I definitely agree on that particular point, I am heartbroken at their thought process, which is basically something along the lines of "It's going to take thousands of families raising up generation after generation of families who walk in the fear of the Lord to ever see visible changes in the culture." It's been said in different ways in different contexts, but that's the gist of it.

How utterly heart wrenching. To be so completely blind to the raw power of the Holy Spirit that you are convinced it will take generations upon generations to change the heart of a culture.

Let me share something with you.

Jesus changed the world.

He was one person.

He lived for 33 years.

He changed the world.

In less time than is required to be considered a generation, the entire known world was radically changed.

Because One.

Knew.

The power.

And He imparted it to us.

Don't even try to tell me "Well obviously Jesus could do it; He's God!" True. However. When He came to earth He gave up His divine nature and became fully man. He had to function in communication with His Father the same way we do. Because otherwise it would have been cheating. He couldn't have kept part of His divinity and then told us to live the same way without it.

But He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. He knew His identity, and He knew His purpose: the Son of God, born to bring Heaven to earth. (Matthew 6:10)

He gave us the same mission. Our mandate is simple: Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons (Matthew 10:8). Not of ourselves, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us.

It's actually really easy. Be obedient, trust God, and miracles happen. Period. If you don't trust God to invade the impossible now, how can you say you believe He will after thousands of generations? "Well, God will be more free to move after hundreds of thousands of believers have been raised up." Mmm…. I disagree. Numbers have nothing to do with the moving of God to change the hearts of people. The Spirit may be more openly welcome in those instances, but this generation has a desperate hunger for a radical encounter with the living God, and we say "Well you'll have to just raise your kids to serve God so they can raise their kids….. Until God moves in the culture" No. Not on my watch. I refuse to put the responsibility of bringing people into an encounter with the power of God on the generations to come. It happens now. Freedom happens now. Healing happens now. Chains are broken now.

And don't tell me the miraculous power of God was only for Jesus, or only for the early church. God is the same yesterday, today, and FOREVER. He doesn't change His methods. Radical encounter with the raw power of God is still His modus operandi. I am living proof of that. I can tell story after story of how God has healed me, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And not only me, but those around me.

When I was fourteen, I tore a ligament in my wrist. But instead of having to go through eight weeks of a cast above my elbow and months of PT, God healed it, and to this day I've had no problems.

My freshman year of college I had a really bad flare-up of bursitis in my shoulder, which I'd dealt with throughout high school because of sports. It usually happened 2-3 times a year, but that time it had gotten so bad I couldn't even carry my backpack across campus because it hurt so much. Once again, God intervened and it hasn't hurt since.

And this summer, it got even better. My entire life I've been lactose intolerant; therefore, no milk, no ice cream, limited cheese and yogurt, etc. Two of my friends prayed for me one night this summer and since then I've eaten….. Ohh, a lottt of ice cream, and had plenty of milk. With no issues. And believe me, even the month before I had tried to eat some to see if I had just outgrown it. Nope. BAD choice. I got sooo sick.

Last January one of my small group girls' grandpa got radically healed of esophageal cancer.

In July my little brother got healed from chronic headaches.

I could go on. In three months we saw multiple healings from cancer that was expected to take lives. Chronic back problems, asthma, four people in one month got healed of lactose intolerance. This last month has been crazy-full of God stories. And on and on it goes.

My. God. Heals.

When I came to college, I was broken, insecure, and alone. God broke through the walls I put up and healed things in my past I'd never dealt with before; He brought me into a family that showed me love like I'd never seen; and He has shown me how to walk in confidence of who I am as a daughter of the KING.

In less than six months God has radically transformed my brothers and they have become world changers. One of them is preaching at the largest, most God-centered, and anointed youth group in Fargo tonight.

Bible studies are happening on the high school campuses in Fargo/Moorhead. Healings are a regular occurrence downtown and at the skate parks. Walk across NDSU and you'll see crutches being thrown in the garbage because they're not needed anymore. I can't even study in the Union in the evenings anymore because the whole place is filled with Bible studies. No exaggeration. Seriously. It's almost frustrating, but the reason is way too amazing for me to complain. And worship nights happen almost every night.

This city is getting rocked.

And it doesn't stop here.

It takes one person.

One person being so passionately filled with the Holy Spirit that they will not stop seeking a move of God until they get it. The thing you need to remember is that the supernatural realm is God's natural realm. And that's the realm we are commanded to operate in. We trust God so much that we can jump head-first into a situation where we will fall flat on our faces unless God shows up. Give Him that kind of faith, and I promise you, He will show up.

One person.

One person to be Jesus to one other person. To refuse to stand by and be the "average" Christian who goes to church and reads their Bible and sticks to their little comfort zone of "Christian" friends. To bring one other person into an encounter with the living God. To be the channel God uses to change one life.

And then that person takes it to the next.

Repeat.

See a pattern?

It doesn't take long for a fire to spread.

Just one person willing to burn.

Other cities in North Dakota are catching fire. It's spreading. Northern Cali is getting rocked. An entire culture is being transformed because we have a generation of people who are so hungry for a move of God that they refuse to wait any longer.

In less than a generation, the early church moved throughout the known world and proclaimed the name of Christ. They brought healing, deliverance, freedom, and salvation. They ROCKED their cities.

We have more people. And the same Power.

What's our excuse?

And this is called procrastination...

Okay, so actually I'm not procrastinating anything. For once in my life, I don't have a ton of homework to do tonight. But I'm too brain dead to actually put thought into a post, so here's a lil fun-fact quiz for ya.

80 Things You Didn't Know About Me Until You Read This:

1. What Color Is Your Toothbrush?

White and blue
2. Name One Person That Made You Smile Today?

Ashley

3. What Were You Doing At 8 AM This Morning?

Sitting in class. Praying we wouldn't get yelled at again. And that I would stay awake. :)

4. What Were You Doing 45 Minutes Ago?

Getting a back massage from mi madre ;)

5. What Is Your Favorite Candy ?
Yuck.

6. Disappeared, Idk what happened....

7. What Is The Last Thing You Said Aloud?

"That's from Narnia!" (soundtrack started playing on my computer, and I couldn't figure out where it was coming from...)

8. What Is The Best Ice Cream Flavor?

Half baked!

9. What Was The Last Thing You Had To Drink?

Water

10. What Is The Longest You Have Gone Without Sleeping?

Mmm...... probs 36ish hours? Mayhaps longer...

12. Have You Bought Any New Clothing Items This Week?

Nope

13. The Last Sporting Event You Watched?

TV or live? Live, Bison volleyball game about a month ago. TV? Oh gosh, probably the first quarter or so of the Super Bowl, like 3 years ago. Blech.

14. What Is Your Favorite Flavor Of Popcorn?

CARAMEL!

15. Who Is The Last Person You Sent A Message To On FaceBook?

My sister :)

16. Ever Go Camping?

Of course.

17. Take vitamins daily?

When I remember...

18. Do You Go To Church Every Sunday?

Yup!

19. Do You Have A Tan?

Yes

20. Do You Like Chinese Food Over Pizza?

Depends on the day.

21. Do You Drink Your Soda With A Straw?

No

22. Who Are You Currently Talking To On AIM?

Nobody...

23. What Are You Doing Tomorrow?

Are you really asking that? The only thing I ever do - homework! (Okay lie, I do have other things to do..... like..... ummm......)

24. Where Is Your Dad?

No clue

25. Look To Your Left, What Do You See?

A bookshelf. Full of textbooks and papers. Telling me to quite wasting time.

26. What Color Is Your Watch?

Blue.

27. What Do You Think Of When You Hear Australia?

Someday I will be there.

28. What Is Your Birthstone?

Don't remember?

29. Do You Go In At A Fast Food Place Or Just Hit The Drive Thru?

In.

30. What Is Your Favorite Number?

7

31. Who's The Last Person You Talked To On The Phone?

Best friend :)

32. Any Plans Today?

Finish homework. Go to bed. Story of my life.

33. Health Freak?

I try to eat healthy stuff, but no def not a health freak.

34. Biggest Annoyance In Your Life Right Now?

Classmates. Nuff said.

35. Last Song Listened To?

"We Have Overcome" by Elevation Worship. Never heard of them? Check. Them. Out.

36. Can You Say The Alphabet Backwards?

Yeah... One of the many random and useless talents and facts about me...

37. Do You Have A Maid Service Clean Your House?

Pfft, right.

38. Favorite Pair Of Shoes/Boots You Wear All The Time?

Black Champion slip-ons mi madre got me for Christmas last year. Which are currently at the shoe repair store b/c one started ripping (inducing the shedding of many tears by me until I found out it was fixable). I can't wait to have them back.

39. Are You Jealous Of Anyone?

Not really.

40. Is Anyone Jealous Of You?

I wouldn't know

41. Do You Love Anyone?
Of course.

42. Do Any Of Your Friends Have Children?

Yep...... wow that makes me feel old.

43. What Do You Usually Do During The Day?

School. And homework. Oh, and school. And more homework. (Okay just for the record, I do actually do other things throughout the day, such as spending lots of time with Jesus. But school is kinda my life at the moment. So Jesus comes with me.)

44. Do You Hate Anyone That You Know Right Now?

Noooo...

45. Do You Use The Word “Hello” Daily?

I doubt it

46. Would You Rather Be Alone?

If I'm on people-overload.

47. Do You Like Cats?

NO - and I'm allergic to them anyway

48. Have You Ever Been To Six Flags?

I wish

49.Where Did You Get Your Worst Scar From?

Appendectomy when I was 9. Before they started doing them laproscopically, so I have a nice 4-inch gash.

50. Hair Color?

Brown

51. Last CD Played?

"Be Lifted High" by Bethel. Again, AnOiNtEd worship.

52. Last Bubble Bath?

Have I ever taken one?

53. Last Time You Cried?

This afternoon.

54. Last Meal?

Parentals took me out :)

55. Text Or Call?

Depends. Quick question, text me. Close friend, CALL me - I wanna hear your voice!

56. Favorite Animal?

Lion

57. Girlie Girl Or Tomboy?

Both. Depends on the day. But more tomboy than girlie girl. Usually. Sometimes.

58. Have You Ever Lost Someone?
Who hasn't?

59. Have You Ever Slept Until 1 PM?

I can't even sleep past 8:30am anymore! (But maybe when I was sick)

60. Have You Ever Been Drunk And Threw Up?

Umm. No.

61. List Six People You Can Tell Pretty Much Anything To:

No. If you're one of them, trust me, you know it. :)

62. List Three Favorite Colors/Shades.

Blue, green, black.

63. Have You Ever Laughed Until You Cried?

Heck yeah.

64. Went Behind Your Parents Backs?

Shhh

65. Where'd this one go to.....?

66. Gay Marriage?

No.

67. Lowering The Drinking Age?
Shouldn't be such a huge controversy. If a kid's gonna drink, they're gonna drink. I'm not. Ever. Therefore. Doesn't apply.

68. And again with the disappearing numbers!?!

69. Who is the best hugger that you know of?

Irena. Or Carlina. Or Emily. Orrr.... yeah I can't decide. My friends rock. :)

70. Do You Believe In Love At First Sight?

I suppose so

71. Is There Something You Want To Tell Someone?

Oh there's a lot I would love to tell a number of people

72. Are You A Flirt?

Wow, way to cross boundaries. No.

73. Are You Easy To Read?

To my best friend. Otherwise, no way.

74. How Many Kids Do You Want To Have?

A lot? 5 or 6 at least. If I have a family.

75. Do You Want To Change Your Name?

No

76. Last Time You Saw Your Father?

Coupla hours ago?

77. What Time Did You Wake Up Today?

Wake up? Or get out of bed? Wake up, probs around 5. Out of bed, 6. In the morning. Which is significantly later than most other days.

78. What Were You Doing At Midnight Last Night?

Attempting to sleep. (Favorite pastime at night - now if only I could turn it into actually sleeping)

79. What Is Your Favorite Thing In Your Room?

My Bible and my iPod

80. Where Is Your Best Friend Right Now?
In bed, I hope. She needed to sleep tonight.

Annddd there you have it! Random facts about Andrea :) Other questions? Comments? (Hmm... maybe I retract that last question...)

Arms Wide Open

"What does Love look like?"
Is the question I've been pondering
"What does Love look like?"
"What does Love look like?"
Is the question I've been asking of You

I once believed that love was romance
Just a chance
I even thought that love was for the lucky
And the beautiful
I once believed that love was momentary bliss
But Love is more than this

All You ever wanted was my attention
All You ever wanted was love from me
All You ever wanted was my affections
To sit here at Your feet
Then tell me

"What does Love look like?"
Is the question I've been pondering
"What does Love look like?"

If all of life comes down to love
Then tell me
"What does Love look like?"
Is the question I've been pondering
"What does Love look like?"

Then I sat down
A little frustrated and confused
If all of life comes down to love
Then Love has to be more than sentiment
More than selfishness and selfish gain

Then I saw Him there, hanging on a tree
Looking at me
I saw Him there, hanging on a tree
Looking at me
He was looking at me
Looking at Him
Staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes
Then I began to weep and weep

He had arms wide open
A heart exposed
Arms wide open
He was bleeding
Bleeding

Love's definition
Love's definition was looking at me
Looking at Him
Hanging on a tree
I began to weep and weep

This is how I know what Love is
This is how I know what Love is

And as I sat there
Weeping
Crying
Those beautiful eyes
Full of desire
And love
And He said to me
"You shall love Me
You shall love Me"

With arms wide open
A heart exposed
Arms wide open
Bleeding
Sometimes bleeding

He said
"You shall love Me
You shall love Me"

Life... As A Rollercoaster

I have recently come to the conclusion that life is similar to one long rollercoaster. Sometimes you find yourself pulling yourself up a mountain. It’s hard, and there are times when you feel you can’t go any further. That’s when you stop and realize that all you have to do is cry out to your Father, who is always there to pull you the rest of the way. “For it is the Lord who will fight your battles for you.” And once you give the control over to Him, you realize how much easier life is. There are times when, instead of pulling you up, He will simply give you the strength for you to do so. In these instances, you are faced with a choice. You can decide that it’s too hard, you’re not equipped, or not qualified enough to do it; so you stop pulling, stop climbing, and go into “neutral” mode. But you are never stationary, because if you quit pulling yourself up, gravity will automatically begin to pull you back down, and you end up worse off than when you started. Or you can choose to believe that God will give you enough strength, mercy, and grace to summit the mountain. I won’t say it’s easy or that it’s not painful, but in the end, you will find yourself victorious and stronger for it.

Sometimes you can find yourself flying down the other side of the mountain, twisting and turning and flipping upside down at breakneck speeds. It can be fun. I, for one, happen to love rollercoasters. The feel of the wind whipping past your face; the adrenaline rush, the way your car (and subsequently your body) go flying through the air at speeds and angles it probably shouldn’t be allowed to do. Life can be like this. Sometimes God’s grace and favor are so obviously upon your life that all you can do is throw your head back and say “Wow is life good!” The adventures He takes you on are sometimes so amazing that you wonder how you could ever not love this life He’s called you to live. The joy overflows from your heart, and His love poured out on you touches you to your core and reaches those around you. You watch God work through you – and often in spite of you – and are filled with wonder at how even the smallest details are not lost on Him.

But sometimes those drops aren’t so fun. Sometimes you are plunged into a long, dark tunnel, where there are drops and twists that leave you breathless and aching, because you didn’t have time to prepare for them. You can’t see your way around, and you sometimes are reduced to throwing your hands in the air and screaming “What’s next?!”

However, at the end of the day, God is still the Master Designer of your life – or, for the sake of this post, your rollercoaster. Nothing will ever come your way that just slipped by God. Though the enemy does everything he can to throw things at us to make us doubt our Maker, God still has the last say. He will never allow any drops or twists or loops in our lives that would cause us to go careening off course and destroy us. Unless we willfully decide to bail out on God, we are perfectly safe on His course for our lives.

And there’s a really cool thing that happens at the end of a drop. Because of the speed and force with which you have been traveling, it pushes you up the next hill. When we choose to trust God and grow stronger through the trials, it is a springboard into the next season of our lives, and we can hit the ground running.

This has been so clear in my life lately. This past month has been an adventure in and of itself. There have been days that are so incredibly amazing and full of God’s presence that I am left speechless and awed by His greatness. And there have been days where I feel like my heart has been wrenched out and torn to pieces.

Life is full of ups and downs. Good times come and go. So do the bad. Yet this one thing remains: God’s love never fails.

In Me

The chasm was deep
The debt was so great
And there on my hands, lay the blood that condemned me

Wracked with my guilt
Left without hope
I stood as one lost, left there to die in my sin

As I waited
For the verdict
I heard a Voice say "Come find forgiveness in Me"

"My blood has paid your debt
My Son has set you free
For the crimson that stained you
Has been pardoned forever
Washed clean by a perfect sacrifice
Now come find your rest
Come find your peace
Come find your life in Me"

As I listened
I heard Him say
"Now come with Me into the lives of the broken ones"

"Share my peace
Share my love
Share the forgiveness I offer to everyone"

Forgiveness made a way
Forever I'm made new
And as I live in Him
I will not e'er forget
The day that Love called my name
So I'll live to make Him known
And long for the coming day
When I'll see Him
And be like Him
Forever spend
Eternity in Him

Don’t Resurrect Your Giants

Have you ever been given victory over a giant in your life, only to face the same thing later on? I have. Many times. And right now is no exception.

Last night at Chi Alpha, my friend and brother Nate shared a sermon on being a giant killer. He took the well-known story of David and Goliath and was able to apply it to the giants we face in our own lives. Basically, he gave 4 characteristics of giant killers:

• Giant killers don't start out as giant killers.
  
  • David started out as a shepherd. He was faithful with what he was given, and that prepared him for the challenges he would face later.
    
• Giant killers don't listen to doubting critics.
  
  • They choose their influences wisely. What would have happened if David had listened to his brother or Saul? He likely would have backed off in fear, and we wouldn't have the story of a young man putting the entire Philistine army to shame.
    
• Giant killers are ready for giant challenges.
  
  • When the time came for David to fight, he didn't put it off for another day. He had prepared himself by daily being in the Word and in prayer, so when his time came to take a stand for the name of the Lord, he was ready.
    
• Giant killers help others defeat their giants.
  
  • You cannot help someone else take down their giant unless you've taken down your own.
    

That last point hit home last night. Right now God has put me in a position to walk someone through a situation that I recently dealt with. I came through victorious, though not without bumps and bruises along the way. But because of this situation we're facing right now, I have been reliving that battle almost on a daily basis. It has been getting hard lately, but last night I almost had to laugh as I could hear God saying "Andrea, you've already taken down this giant. Don't resurrect it!" It is beginning to sink in that He didn't bring this situation into my life for me to relive last year, but to help someone else be victorious. I've heard so many times before "You minister most effectively in your area of brokenness," but for once I'm seeing it in my own life. What a great privilege and responsibility.

So my questions to you are this: What giants are you facing in your life today? Maybe it's bitterness; or perhaps insecurity. Maybe decisions that need to be made, or a family that is falling apart. I don't know what you may be facing today, but whatever it is, I encourage you to arm yourself for battle by being in the Word and in prayer constantly. He will give you victory. All you have to do is ask. My other question is: Is there someone in your life who is battling something you've already gone through? God just may be calling you to help them take it down. Ask Him for wisdom, and for opportunities to give away the victory you've been given.

Finally, when you have taken down a giant, leave him there. Once he's dead, go on with life and don't pick him up and try to carry him around with you.

Don't resurrect your giants.