Sunday, January 31, 2021

Trusting God or TWA

 



Years ago, in 1985 we took a giant step of faith that would lead to more steps as we journeyed on with the Lord. 

My husband had a great job with Trans World Airlines, TWA, remember them?  He had 20 years invested when God begin to work on his heart about being full time in ministry.  For those 20 years we trusted TWA to pay his wages when he put in his hours loading cargo and suitcase on planes.  So going into ministry and trusting the local church where we went on staff to supply our needs was different.    My fears were at their height during those early years. 

Learning to trust the Lord is a daily spiritual mental exercise of faith.      

After that big step God was not through offering us other ways to grow our faith.   One day we were getting our car worked on and as we waited,  my husband said, honey, I think God wants us to go into over seas mission.  I can't say I was surprised, I knew a change was coming our way, God was preparing my heart as only the God of the universe can do.  

We had several years of trusting the Lord for our needs as we ministered at a local church in Kentucky   I learned to trust for giving to a missionary when  I supported one for five dollars a month and God supplied it every time.  Sometimes it was from babysitting, sometimes a rebate in the mail, sometimes I would have money left over from my budget for grocery or a birthday gift.  It became exciting to wait and see how God would supply. Each time I raise the amount another step of faith.  

Being on the receiving end is scary, humbling and exciting and a much wider step.  So our faith grew deep and wide.  

That song Deep and Wide just popped into my head as I type that,  there's a fountain flowing deep and wide.  God's fountain is the deepest and the widest, much more then TWA's.  God never goes out of business, He is always on the throne and never says, don't bring your prayers of need to me.  

Let me relay a story I just told someone today.  We ended our training with the mission school owing 8 hundred dollars.  After graduation we left the school for our home church in Ky. with a promise to stop by a friends church that Sunday. He wanted us to meet his pastor and maybe get a chance to share our hearts.  The pastor gave my husband 5 minutes from the pulpit to share.  Our friends  church put us up in a hotel and our friend pass on an envelope from the church when he dropped us off at the hotel.  It had 8 hundred dollars in it.  OUR FRIEND DID NOT KNOW WE OWE MONEY TO THE SCHOOL. We had  told no body except  our two children when we prayed for that debt before leaving the school.  

What a start to learning how deep and wide God wanted our trust to become.  We have served in two countries, Bolivia, South America and Papua New Guinea and not once have we done without our needs.  Food has always been on our table, shoes on our feet, clothes on our back. We have always had a car to drive, a bed to sleep in, money to fly home when needed.  And money to help others when needed.  After years of trusting Him, I think I can trust Him for the rest of our years.   

  • So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

  •  –Matthew 6:31-33
  • Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. –1 Timothy 6:17
WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING GOD FOR TODAY?
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Sunday, January 10, 2021

Dwell Deep






For the last two years my word has been deep, go deep with the Lord.  This year I am going to stay with the theme and chose the word, Dwell.  It's one thing to go deep but to stay there is another.  Life has a way of forcing us to rise to the flesh and make decision and choices from  an earthly mindset.  

When I was young in the Lord, I heard this saying, don't be so heavenly minded you are no earthly good. 

At  that stage of my journey with God I thought, yeah, that's right, don't want to drive people away from me by being a Jesus freak.      Now after walking a few miles with Him I know, believe, that when I lean on Him and not my flesh or the worldly wisdom I am content, and make fewer mistakes. Don't misunderstand me, I am never perfect but He who lives in me is.  

Maybe it's because I am older, and not as busy as I was when younger that I have more time to wait and respond instead of react to what comes into me that I can stay dwelling deep with Him.  I am more heavenly minded in a serious way.  

I think it's because I have more understanding to God's ways then I did when I first started this journey.  My prayer in my early years was, teach me Lord, give me wisdom from above, teach me your ways.  And as best I could when I knew His way I have tried to walk on Calvary's Rd. , knowing I would slip off at times but His ways would light a way back on the Road with Him.  

Here I am a few days from 74 still praying the same prayer, take me deep Lord, help me to dwell there with you.  Deep is where the sweetness is, the pure wisdom from The Lord. One cannot stay in the shallow end of life and grow, mature, be all God's wants us to be.  

To dwell I must pray, pray, pray. 

I humbly hand over my heart to You, and I say, “Lord, here’s my heart, search me and know me, show me anything in my life that is keeping me from being as close as I can be with You.”

“Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV)

As You show me these things in my heart and in my life, Holy Spirit, will You show me what You would like me to do? Will You show me how to let go of these things? Will You show me if there is any unforgiveness or pride in my heart?

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12 NIV)

Anything I am hanging on to that belongs to You, anything that I have willingly allowed into my life that is not in alignment with You and Your ways, I lay it down at the foot of the cross. I surrender all to You, Lord Jesus. Thank you for taking these burdens, Lord. Thank you for what You did on the cross to set us free from death. In You I have victory! I praise You, Jesus!