Prayer

This will be a short blog but one that had me tearing up on my walk to work today.

I donate to mission organization called Gospel for Asia which is an amazing organization that goes and preaches the gospel in the slums of India!! About 7 or 8 months ago I donated some money that helped buy mosquito nets  for house and beds. I donated the money and didn't think twice about it! Then today in the mail I get this hand written card!

It  says:
 Chelcie, Thank you so much for your prayer and support for the work of the 7 Gospel for Asia ( nets) 
I had the privileged to pray for you today.
                                                                                       -Joy


It made me tear up that the nets that I had donate had done some good and that one of the girls or someone over there had bothered to write to me and thank me and PRAY for me!

......The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 

Over-joyed!!

So today has been a day of me being totally and completely worn out. From about 8am until right now I have been trying to figure out how I will be able to raise the funds that I will need in order to go and do what the Lord has called me to do. 

Also today has been a day of confirmation that this is in fact what the Lord wants me to do and I am truly excited to know that I am in the Lords will doing exactly what he wants me to do. 

I know that I am truly blessed, though every thing seems to be stacked up against me I know that the the Lord is 100% in control of everything. I know that I have amazing friends that I love and car for dearly and are always there for me when I need them.

I know that through this ministry the Lord will bring new friends into my life that will be there to help build me up in the way that I should go and that through my life will be a living testimony to his awesome and AMAZING grace!!!  That he would use me!!! Some one that HATED his guts 4 years ago, and he changed my heart and my life and it has  truly never been the same since that moment. He called me his child to go out and tell of the great news of his kingdom and I am beyond honored and humbled to fulfill his calling!!! 

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.... Matthew 28:19 

This is just something that I thought was super sweet!!! Aubree is a girl that is on the mission field doing the exact same thing that I will be doing next year. She wrote this card to help encourage me!! What makes it even better is I have only meet her once and for a brief time! God is so amazing!!! 

Matthew 14:1-21

So today while waiting for my college bible study to start I was reading through my bible plan for the day. The first section that I needed to read was Matthew 14:1-21. I have Matthew dozens of times before and I truly didn't expect to get much out of this time. However, when I began to read I started to realize something, something that I had never seen before. Let me give you a break down of the text before I tell you what hit me. In this text Herod was in charge and he had heard of Jesus and he knew that Jesus's friend John the baptist was in prison. He himself had sent John the Baptist to prison for the sake of of Herodias his brother Phillip's wife. All this is because John had been telling him that you can not have another mans wife. On his birthyday Herodias daughter danced for Heord and her dance was so, let's just appealing to Herod that he promised her everything and anything that she wanted. She wanted john's head on a platters and she wanted to brought to her. He didn't want to do but since he made the promise he kept it and killed him. This news got back to Jesus and he removed himself from the group to pray however, crowds followed him as he fed them and healed thief sickness .

The thing that I wanted to show y'all is that even though Jesus's best friend had been killed for nothing. He still put himself last and put the needs of many before himself, and the question I have for you even if things are going tough times do you still put yourself first or do you put others first

Depending on you

So today I received an e-mail from Campus Crusade for Christ saying that Friday April 20th I will officially have to start raising support for my internship with Campus Crusade for Christ. I have to raise a certain amount of money before August 1st so that I can keep my internship.

My heart sank. Then my mind started racing as to how am I going to raise that much money so quickly.

Than  I realized one thing. I am deathly afraid of trusting God . I have always had a back up plan just in case God didn't follow through with MY plans.when MY plan doesn't work I just run to him like he is some type of Holy ATM. Instead going (more like running) to HIM and asking HIM to help me do it and TRUSTING that he will do it. I know that he hasn't brought me this fair in life just to leave me where I am.

I know these next few months will be both trying and the most joyful in my whole life.

Fulling depending on God and knowing that HE can AND WILL get me through this.

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.   Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, butour sufficiency is from God,  who has made us sufficient to be ministers ofa new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, butthe Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (ESV)

Joy

So yesterday afternoon at 2:55pm I was informed by Campus Crusade For Christ that I had gotten the full-time internship. 

I was beyond ecstatic I blasted my happy song which is Walking on Sunshine (in case you were wondering) and I danced around the living room for the duration of the song. After Completing that and realizing how out of shape I was, I thanked God and then I immediately asked for forgiveness for doubting him in the first place. I was scared that he had taken so far in my journey that he was just going to drop me off and leave me. Which I know it says in his word that he... will never leave us or forsake us Hebrews 13:5

I know that is seems like such a small thing but doubting God is sin. I know that with me being a missionary full time I need to have full depends and trust in God in what he can do and not put him in box like I so used to doing.

God can do anything, if he wanted to have the world spin on its side in the opposite direction he could do with a snap of a finger. He can part seas, he heals the blind and he can walk on the water. So I should never doubt my God and what he can do. I know that his promises are true and if I trust in him everything will go according to his plan.

But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness  and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33. I find my JOY and COMFORT in him and when I rest in him I know that I am on the right path.

Now for a funny picture that has nothing to do with my blog:

 This ladies and Gentlemen is our Easter 2012 Family photo!! I just really wanted to show y'all this

Therefore do not worry

 As some of you may know I am applying for an internship with Campus Crusade for Christ and the waiting is killing me. As each week goes by I become more and more impatient on what the Lord has for my life. Does he want me there or does he want me here. The more I keep asking myself this the more as I realize that I am trying to play God and that I am kicking him to the curb when I need him the most.

The more options that come my way the less that I depend on God and what he wants me to do with my life after I graduate.

I have noticed this over the past 4yrs that I have been a Christian that when I have various options in my path the first person I turn to for answers is ME not HIM. Now I am not saying that I don't pray about my life after I graduate but its more of a reflex than me actively seeking out what the Lord wants me to do. I find that the  more I pray out of habit rather than praying because I want to hear his voice and his direction. I don't grow any I stay in the same place and no fruit comes from this.

I find that when I make myself God I worry way to much. I am constantly second guessing myself and back tracking to make sure that everything follows up with my will and that it all looks good to ME, instead of trusting in him and making sure that MY life matches up with HIS will for my life.

My life should look more and more like his everyday instead of looking more and more like what I want.

In this time of waiting and searching for answers I need to humble myself and and realize that 1) I am not GOD 2) All Power and Glory belong to him and 3) His WILL is perfect for my life.

Now that these things are starting to sink in life gets a little easier and when I cast my burdens upon the Lord and know that he is God almighty and that he will make straight my path, I see that there is no need to really worry about anything. He is there with me and with you guiding our paths and making them straight as long as we lean on him for understanding.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6


Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved. Pslam 55:22


 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 


Be blessed,
Crivers