Tub of ice cream vs. cute dainty bowl.

     I have a Brennen story for you. The other night I was eating salsa in these cute little cups. I just grabbed it because it was the first thing I saw that would hold my salsa. I took it into the living room and mom said, "Oh, I just love those little cups! That makes me want ice cream!" So after I finished gorging  myself on chips and salsa I get up to take it to the kitchen and mom asks me to get her some ice cream.

     She is expecting her ice cream in one of these:

     And I bring her this with a spoon in it. 

     Mom, of course, was disappointed in her daughter. Mom was expecting a beautiful ice cream creation with whip cream on top and a spoon placed perfectly in it. And I gave her a tub of ice cream and a spoon. Which, to me, was way better because with the little cups you get like 3 bites max. Which is a joke. And with the tub, you ain't gotta stop. 

     The thing about it is- we are like this with the Lord sometimes. We ask for something, and we expect it to come so pretty, neat, and without any work. And then He gives us what we want (in abundance) and we don't like it. We get up and go do it ourselves.  I'm not saying that my mother was not appreciative, she laughed when I brought her the ice cream. (She should of expected it, it's me!) And, there is nothing wrong with expecting things to be great. I believe that God does want to give us things with a cherry on top. But there are other things that He knows what is best for us. And he knows how much more we will appreciate it, take care of it and love it- if we do some of the work, waiting, and preparing. Ya know? It all links back to my post last night. 

     God wants us to take responsibility for the things He gives us. Same thing I said in this post- on how we have to be faithful with the little things in order to be faithful with the big things. Same concept. It all goes hand in hand. We've got to get serious about nurturing the things that God has given us. Our gifts, our family, our spouses, our children, our co-workers, our talents and our abilities. God has placed these people and things in our lives for a reason. And you are where you are "for such a time as this". God has been preparing you to be exactly where you are... and He's preparing you now [where you currently are] for where you are going. Cool huh? 

    Lord, I just say right now- that I will take whatever you give me. If it's pretty with a cherry on top or if it's just a tub of whatever you decide to give me. I receieve it! No matter how much work it will take. I want what you want me to have. Thank you Jesus! Amen. 

     

waiting......

     Timing is everything. That is my lesson that I am learning. Timing. It is also probably the hardest lesson I have learned. And I'm not even done with it. (great!) Just so you know this post links back to this post. I am still waiting for my gifts. 2, almost 3 weeks later. The good thing? One of em came in! My blow dryer! Yay, yay, yay! But there are still others that have yet to be released. The ones from the Lord. And tonight I had a lady speak into me about it.

     She said, "It's all in preparation."

     Man, if I get only get that word drilled into my head. Preparation. Life is a constant state of preparation. One preparation leads to another preparation. So my guess is, I better get this lesson learned and do it quickly. Because- I will deal with it again. 

     I am such an extreme person, all or nothing, do it and do it now, move from this to that. I can go from different things quickly. Which, can be good. And it can also be bad. Such as, when I am instructed from the Lord to wait. So wait I will. 

     The word "wait" is in the bible over 100 times. Think it was important? Psalm 27:14 says it best:

 ¹⁴ Wait for the LORD; 

       be strong and take heart 

       and wait for the LORD.

     There is beauty in the waiting. It's a time of leaning on the Lord. That is simply all I can do at this point. Is wait for Him. And in that waiting lies the preparation. He is preparing you for "such a time as this". He is preparing you to be where You are! God has big plans and He wants to use you where you are. He is preparing you. In the midst of preparation you can still act. You can still love, share, praise, and honor Him and others. 

     Waiting is not an excuse to kick back and relax and ride easy. Not at all. Waiting is a call to be on your knees in prayer and fasting. It is a call to kick the enemy in his face and tell him to go back where he belongs. It is a call to worship God even in the midst of waiting. It is a call to stand tall and firm in your walk with Him. Waiting really is a beautiful thing; especially if you do it God's way. The way that you choose to wait will make the outcome that much sweeter. 

Wait. Patiently. Fervently. Passionately. 

Prepare. Expect. Believe. Walk it out. 

Beauty. 

-B 

Me time.

     Can I please say that the past 2 days have been crazy? They have. Crazzzzzy. Well, crazy to me. I love to be around people and being busy, but I also love my Brennen time. And I need my Brennen time. Hence, no blogs the past 2 days. So sorry. But for me to stay sane.... I must have my time. Time to think, pray, daydream, kick my feet up, and spend time with myself.
     I don't think that I'm the only one. Didn't Jesus himself go up to the mountain to pray? Even Jesus needed His time. ;) For some of us, it is vital to our sanity and to the sanity of others that we sneak off and get some me time.
     So, what are you doing still reading my blog? Go get yourself some me time. :)

Resting until 11:22am :)

     I will shamefully admit that I just woke up. And I am blogging at 11:22. I say "shamefully" only because of my blogpost yesterday where I said it's time for me to get my hide out of bed. But there is one thing that I must say. Sleeping in until 11:15 is amazing. Especially if you haven't slept in in over 2 weeks. I love this feeling. :) And I'm sure some of you are criticizing me because I slept in until 11:22 on a Sunday. Well, this is when I personally will thank Pastor Jeff for having Promiseland Metro Church at 5PM on Sundays. I appreciate it so much. :)

     But the thing is, sometimes our bodies need rest. I haven't dreamed in a good little big, which is not normal for me. And guess who had 3 dreams last night!? Me! I love, love, love that God speaks through dreams. And guess who was singing in her dream again? Me! Maybe, one day, [please Lord] I will have a beautiful voice and get to sing loud and proud for real! I also got asked, while singing, if I knew Bret  Michaels. Weird?

     Anyway- this is a short post today. Just for kicks. I am enjoying my Sunday morning. May go for a walk. May not. May cook the family some lunch... and I may talk them into going and eating. Who knows? But I like this feeling. Thank you Lord for rest. And thank you that I don't have to rest my head on a rock. That I get a pillow. :) I love you Lord!

It's the little things.

     I am blown away this morning. The Lord is so good. I have been so blessed these past few days to be able to spend time with the Lord early. I really need to "get my hide out of bed and get going early", in the words of my pastor. (Don't worry, he only teases me.) But the thing about it, it's the truth. Mornings are so sweet with the Lord. It may take a few cups of coffee or a quick walk to get you going but you have the whole day to think of his promises. Check out what my reading was today:

...All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the word or life or death or the present or the future- all are yours, and you are of Christ and Christ is of God.  So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.   -1 Corinthians 3:22-23; 4:1-2

     Who's dancing!? Wayyyyy cool. I am of Christ. And Christ is of God. I am His and He is mine. He trusts me with the secret things. He trusts me with His secrets! How amazing is that. One of the biggest truths that I have learned ties right into the last part of the verse.

To be faithful with the big- you must be faithful with the small. 

     It's evident in the things of God. God will not give us a church of thousands if we aren't faithful with the church of thirty. God will not bless you with millions of dollars if you aren't smart and wise with a paycheck of $300. Same thing in lots of jobs. You start out small- then you work your way up. Same thing with the things of God. Not, by any means, that the Lord doesn't want you to be blessed, because he does. He works everything together for our good. (Romans 8:28) He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us. (Jeremiah 29:11) But God also will honor your faithfulness. He will honor your honor. He will bless your loyalty.

     If you are anything like me, you are struggling with this thought. I struggled for a while with it. Because I knew that God wanted/wants to bless his people. So if I have to be faithful with small things to get big things then that sounds like "working for salvation". But it's not at all. It is simply a time of preparation and nurturing. You don't give a newborn baby a ham sandwich and pretzels for lunch. The baby isn't ready for it. Same concept. Good news- the Lord is preparing us for it.

      It really is the little things that count. We just have to be willing to do the small things. Picking up trash on the sidewalk, helping someone who dropped their books....... get creative. If you see something that needs to be done.... do it! It all comes down to honor. Honor each other. Honor those above you. Honor those below you. And you too will be honored.

Jesus, teach us how to love, honor and respect one another. Show us where we need to be faithful with the small things. Prepare us for the big things! Give us open ears to hear the secrets that you have for us today. We love you Lord. Amen. 

Belated gifts.

       To make a long story short- for my birthday my parents bought Chelsea and I an amazing blow-dryer. Seriously, the best blow dryer. I love it! However, only one came in, so since Chelsea lives in Bowling Green she took the blow-dryer. No problem. I just had/have to wait for mine to come in. 

     Story 2. My sweet cousin Jonathan bought my sister and I Toms. Super exciting- except Chelsea's came in and mine did not. Sad story huh?

     So a week after my birthday I still am waiting on both of my presents. Which, in all reality, is not that big of a deal. But I was just curious as to why both of my presents were on order. So, I asked God. And he let a light bulb go off in my head. My presents in the natural are lining up with the presents the Lord has for me in the spiritual. 

    The Lord told me that just like I have 2 presents that are mine but just aren't here yet is exactly the same thing with my birthday present from the Lord. The Lord has it on order. It's just timing for it to arrive. He's made the order, paid for it, told it where to go, and it's just a matter of waiting. And not only does He have my birthday present but also just other gifts for me. They are to come. They've been prophesied, dreamt of, had visions of, hours of prayer over..... and they are coming. 

     Another thing that hit me- was I thought that my presents should come on my birthday. But just because I thought they should- didn't mean that they would. Same thing with our prayers. Just because we pray for something RIGHT NOW and then it doesn't come. It doesn't mean that the Lord won't give it to us. He will give it to us if it's in His timing. 

     And- those gifts are going to be so much sweeter now that I have waited for them! God is good no matter what. And his gifts are always good gifts! What gifts are you waiting for!?

     

Worldy to Godly.

     Live, Laugh, Love. Follow your heart. Only your heart can tell. Trust your instinct. If someone's on your mind then maybe they are supposed to be. 

     I mean, come on, you know you've heard these tidbits of advice from some people that mean a lot to you. Am I right? What are some other ones that people use often? That have some truth in them- but have a lot of truth that is missing. This morning I read John Paul Jackson's update and this is what he said:

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your spirit is out of focus."

     This is so true. It's the same thing with your heart. You can't depend on your heart if it's not "solely" His. You can't trust your instinct if your instinct is messed up by the world. You can't trust your mind if it is bombarded by evil/demonic/worldly thoughts. Can I get an amen?

     

     But so often in this world we are bombarded by this advice. Especially in my generation. Go where the wind takes you. Move with the flow. Follow peace. You know, all of that good stuff that makes me think of people dancing in an open field to the sound of the wind. Ya know? 

     Follow your heart. I so struggle with this. It is so easy to follow your heart. But my heart can be off sometimes. I mean if I followed my heart I'd be eating brownies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But just because my heart says it's okay doesn't mean it's good for me. Right? Beth Moore was the first one that really introduced this truth into my life. Our hearts have to be wholly and holy His. It has to be a heart that is completely surrendered to His will for our lives. Personal story? My dream and desire in life is to be a wife and a mother. And if I am honest- within 5 minutes of meeting a handsome young man that loves the Lord I have the two of us married, old, and gray watching our grandkids play soccer. (Please still be my friend, and don't get freaked out- lovely men in my life.) But I constantly have to take those thoughts captive and turn it to, "Lord, you have the perfect match for me. And only You can bring him to me at the right time. So I trust you..." and then I always add, "and give the poor guy some courage to marry me." :)

     Funny huh? Well, that is the realistic Brennen Gaddis. I will admit it. If you hang around me too long you will know that I have parts of my wedding already planned. (You're right, I don't even have a boyfriend.) There is nothing wrong with being prepared! :) 

     The thing is- I can't always trust my heart. My heart can lead me to some places that I am not supposed to be. I have to really search out what the Lord is telling me. I have to be sensitive to the things the Lord is showing me and see how it relates to scripture and obey what He says. So what am I trying to say?

     Get your spirit in focus. Get right with God. Quit wasting time, following your worldly heart and get it where it's supposed to be.  Look at what Philippians 4:8-9 says;

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

     It's the same thing I said a few posts ago about our desires.

Psalm 37:4 says Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

     What we sometimes forget is that- whenever we are truly delighting ourselves in the Lord, His desires actually become our desires. Just like with my crazy desire to be a wife. Yes, I want to be a wife, and I believe that it is a God-given desire, but it has now changed to "I want to be a wife when YOU want it and with who you want me to be married to." It's a daily decision I have to make to trust that the Lord will provide. 

     Obey the scriptures. Trust what the Lord says. He will bring it to completion. Just like I believe 100% that the Lord is giving my future husband courage right now. (In Jesus Name!) And just like I believe that the Lord will guide me into the next steps in my life- weather it's as a student, missionary, servant, or wife. Whatever it is, I have faith that the Lord will lead me to it. 

     Feel free to go where the wind takes you. If it's the Holy Spirit's wind. Go ahead, and trust your heart. If it's a heart that is wholly the Lord's. And- Live. Laugh. and Love. It'll make your life more enjoyable. Just take those tidbits- and add some Jesus to it. :) Change it from worldly to Godly. 

-B

Old Shoes. Firm Foundation.

     Okay, I am a little ashamed of myself. One, for actually posting a blog about this. Two, for it being a blog. And three, because I should be ashamed. This morning I got ready for work and needed a pair of flats. Why flats? Because not all 10 toesies are painted in the fabulous "flip flop fantasy" color that I adore. As you can tell by the picture below- I'm wearing a gray shirt. Cute shirt, huh? Props to my Aunt J.C.- fabulous gift giver. I have a few pairs of black flats- two of them have gold- so those were not an option, and the other ones hurt my feet. So out with those. (Comfort is more important than looks. Just saying.) I found some flats from when I was 15. That is 5 years ago! This is when I get ashamed. Because, I almost didn't wear them because they were 5 years old. And how could they be in style? Even though I thought they looked cute. (I'm sure I've lost some of my guy readers by now.)

     Even though they were 5 years old, I wore them. Proudly. Of course after I gave myself a pep talk that some things are still cute 5 years later. I wore them around the house, went to Hucks to get some water, and they held up for the few blocks I had to walk to get to work. And then, when I have 5 customers in the shop- what happens? The bottoms get loose. Check out the photo:

     How pitiful! My poor shoes- falling apart! One shoe has half of the sole off. The other is just plain flimsy. I can't count on it staying on there for much longer. The point of me writing about the soles of my shoe is more than just getting some sympathy and possibly a free pair of shoes to match my grey and silver clothes. (Size 7.5) ;) This totally relates to our walk with the Lord. 

     We have to have strong soles. Not souls. But soles. A firm foundation, so to speak. We have to have a strong foundation in what we believe. Check out what the Bible says:

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11

     Our Savior must be our foundation. All other foundations will fall, tear, rip apart, loose their glue, crumble or be crushed. Christ Jesus is the only One who can withstand everything. The lyrics to this song sum it up much better than I could. Take some time. Check it out. Let the words speak to you like they speak to me. 

God and me.

     Last night I went to sleep so excited. Why? Because I had absolutely nothing to do today. It's just a good feeling. To know that you can do whatever you want. I was daydreaming/imagining a perfect morning. Cup of coffee, bible, journal, perfect sitting situation, and complete focus. That's how your quiet time is supposed to be right? So I went to sleep and dreamt of Abercrombie jeans? What? I know, I don't think my right leg would fit in those. ;) And woke up around 7. Mad. Why was I awake at 7? "Go back to sleep Brennen!" So I went back to sleep to wake up at 8:30. Not as bad as 7, but still way early. I think I have lost my ability to sleep in.
     So I got up- grabbed my bible study "stuff" and off I went to find the perfect spot. So this is what I got:

     Perfect. Look at it. I'm in the shade. I have my table to set everything on. My California coffee cup that Katie Sottile gave me, my post it note highlighter. Journal. Bible. 2 study books. I'm on a roll right?
I begin my study- things are going great- then I get a text. Of course, I shouldn't have brought my phone out- but what if someone REALLY needed me? Then about 10 minutes later, I have to pee. I then drop my highlighter. I'm getting uncomfortable in the seat I chose. And I'm loosing focus.
     A fly goes into my coffee. I still can't get comfortable. Then, of all things, my perfect morning that had the perfect temperature outside- it began to get hot. I hate sweating. Girly huh? So up I went. Got all my stuff and moved here:

     I have now added a cup of ice water, and by the time I decided to take this picture- I had eaten a bowl of honey nut cheerios. Where's my journal? Oh yeah, I had been to the couch as well. So it's still on the couch. And my other study book. 

     So what's my point in telling you my quiet time frustrations? Just to assure myself that there is no perfect way to have a quiet time. There is no perfect spot. No perfect journal. Not even my highlighter that has post it notes built in. All my quiet time requires is me and God. That simple. I get so worked up over being comfortable- having a good study time. Something normal. But what if God designed us different? God designed me to be eating cheerios, drinking water, and still spending time with God. And that was just this morning. Some mornings it's nothing more than laying in my bed and talking (yes, out loud) to him. Sometimes- I use my computer so I don't get hand cramps. Whatever it is how you worship and spend your time with the Lord is perfectly fine. All He cares is that we are spending time with Him. It doesn't take a journal, Bible, 2 studies, and a cup of coffee. All of those things are great. And great tools. But it is simply you and God. Soaking him up. Listening to what He has to say to you.

Jesus! You alone are all that we need. Forgive us for trying to set up a perfect way of being in Your presence. Continue to teach us that You are always with us. It is simply being with You that we need. Thank you Jesus for how simple it really is. We love you with our entire beings. Amen. 

Post Birthday Love.

     God is good. Yesterday morning I laid in bed- and said a simple prayer- "Jesus, thank you for my birthday! I can't wait to see what you are going to give me today!" I'm sure some of you think that I'm all about some gifts- but you'd be surprised to find out that on the love language chart- gifts is my lowest. :) Jesus did some amazing things for me yesterday on my birthday. I love that He loves to bless us. 

     

20th Birthday Memories:

1. Berry Smoothie from Smoothie King- I think I am now addicted. 

2. My Pappy looking ridiculously cute eating pizza with a towel on his head. (Mom was about to cut his hair, nonetheless, it made my day.)

3. Sushi with Pastor Jeff, Melissa, Jordan and mom. So blessed to have them in my life.

4. Fun car rides.

5. Buying 2 cans of Coca Cola Classic. 

6. Ashley Abney and Candice Houvener. Sweeet girls. 

7. Logan's Steakhouse paying for our entire groups meal. Yep. 14 of us. (Hallelujah!)

8. Birthday blessings and prophesies on the way home. 

9. Being with my twin. 

10. Post birthday breakfast with some amazing women in my family. 

11. Some amazing friends that were so sweet with their birthday wishes.

     The Lord was truly good to me. He whispered love and joy in my ears all day. I felt his presence all day. I'm pretty sure He was hugging me all day long. He gave me good sleep and a fabulous dream. He gave discernment. My God is so good to me and I am so thankful. 

Birthday Post!

     I woke up this morning so excited. Why? Because there is nothing better than having a day that is all about me! :) Just being honest. And then my thoughts went to my day- which meant that a smoothie was on my mind. I persuaded mom to take me to get a smoothie.... with her money! :) I love getting paid for, sounds pretty gold diggerish huh? But when you pay for your own stuff, it's always nice to have mom pay for something every now and then. So on my birthday, I get free smoothies from momma! After logging onto facebook and being overwhelmed by the birthday love I thought about you all. My blogging buddies. And I immediately wanted to post a birthday post. :) 

     As I was reading this morning- I got so excited when I came across this scripture:

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me; 

the breath of the Almighty gives me life. 

     He chose to make me! He knit me together in my mothers womb. And He is enthralled by my beauty! (Ps. 46:10) I love how beautiful and special the Lord makes me feel. The confidence He has given me. I am so, so, so thankful for that. 

     So blogging friends, you are now reading a woman's blog. I am no longer a teen, but a confident 20 year old that can't wait to see what God brings this year. I know it will only be good things. 

     So I thought I would share 19 life lessons from my 19th year in life:

1. You must love God before everything else. Everything. It works best that way.

2. Complete obedience is so key in your walk with Christ.

3. Never take bacon for granted. Or mashed potatoes. 

     A year ago today [in Panama] my favorite present was mashed potatoes! 

4. Just because you go over seas and do missions does not make you a superstar. It's about how you live when your at home.

5. The Holy Spirit and the gifts are for today. And when you work in them get ready! 

6. Love people. No matter where they are in life. Just love them. 

7. Never take for granted family. 

8. You really can be too cool for school. ;) 

9. God places you in divine places for a reason. You never know who you are going to impact.

10. Never go a day without smiling, laughing, or giving someone a hug. 

11. My life is not my life. It is a life I have been extremely blessed to have, and it must be lived for Jesus and His glory.

12. The devil ain't got no thing on me. I'm taking back my authority.

13. Constant motion is a necessity. 

14. God speaks through my dreams at night. 

15. Butterflies = transformed life. 

16. Bangles and big ear rings make you look put together. 

17. Caramel is the best compliment to coffee. 

18. There is no better feeling than being exactly where God wants you to be. 

19. It is a choice to love life even if it sucks sometimes. 

 So- happy birthday to me! 

Happy birthday to my beautiful twin sister! 

Me- Age 20! Look different!?

And on a side note:

Yesterday I posted on "more" and desires. And last night Pastor Jeff Phillips said something that went right along with it- "Can your character stand up with your desires?" Smack! Right in the face. Think about it!

All Who Are Thirsty

I had a friend, Stephanie Wright, you can check her out here, and she asked me to do a post for her blog. And she would feature me. Fabulous! I love it. How fun. I'm a guest blogger. Hehe! However, I still wanted to share it with you all! So my lovely blogging friends, enjoy my All Who Are Thirsty post! :) 

All Who Are Thirsty

     What is funny about my blog title is that my personal blog’s name is the opposite. All Who Are Weary. But I think that in all reality they go hand and hand. Weary and Thirsty. To sum up those words; you just want more. The other night I was praying over a friend and the Lord brought that word to my mind. More. Defined by Webster more means greater, additional, further, adding to. When we are talking about our relationship with the Lord- more is never a bad word. In fact, it’s biblical. The Lord created us for more. To be constantly moving forward in our walk with the Lord. To be adding to our relationship. 

It’s how we are designed. We are designed for a constant state of more. To be expecting what is to come. Yes, we are to be thankful for what the Lord is doing, but we are also to be expectant. Never putting God on a “this is all you can do” level. Jesus tells us himself in red letters:

‎"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear." 

John 16:12

He always has more to tell us. What the Lord is revealing to us now is preparing us for what He will reveal to us next. Glory, Hallelujah, and Amen! I am so thankful that the Lord wants to continue to teach, show, reveal and release blessings and direction into my life. Come on! That gets me so excited. The Lord not only wants to say more to us he also wants to take us from glory to glory. 

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another.” 

2 Corinthians 3:18 

This scripture came to me today in my daily reading. I was reading “Daily Secrets of the Christian Life” by Hannah Whitall Smith and she said it like this, “Our work is to ‘behold the glory of the Lord,’ and as we behold, the Lord effects the marvelous transformation, and we are changed into his likeness.” She continues to say that we must behold the glory, and that the glory is His character. I see the same thing with Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” When we begin to delight ourself in Him, our desires actually become His desires. We begin to desire the very thing that He desires for us. (Only good things!) That’s one of the prayers I constantly am praying- Lord, make Your desires my desires! Such a simple prayer, but it can change your look on life. You begin to see things in your Holy Spirit eyes. Your heart and your desires change. 

After I returned from Panama,
after 6 months
of not seeing each other!

Let me tell you a little about myself. I graduated high school in 2009 and with graduation comes a multitude of decisions. Life hits you like a ton of bricks once you graduate. In our society, you are expected to know what you are going to do with your life. I have always been ready to go against the flow and be different, but I never would have guessed where the Lord would take me. I graduated in June and by mid July I was in Panama, Central America for 5 and a half months doing a Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission. (I highly recommend to anyone wanting more in their walk with Christ.) I have a best friend, who happens to be my identical twin sister, and I left her for the first time for more than 2 weeks. My freshman year of high school I never would have guessed I’d be in villages and the streets of la Ciudad de Panama sharing the love of Jesus. What I am trying to say is that almost a year later I still am in that same boat. I don’t know what I want to be [technically/career wise] in my life. But what I do know, is that I am under the authority of Christ and I will do whatever it is He tells me. My desires have changed from wanting to have a 6 figure income to simply wanting to go where He instructs and serving where it is needed. 

Am I saying that college is bad? No, not at all. My twin is exactly where God has placed her in a public university studying math. (How that is biblically sound, I have no idea. I call her crazy. ;) She assures me she is sane.)

The bottom line is- each of us have to make a decision that we want more of Jesus. We want more gifts, we want more discernment, we want more worship, we want more intimacy with Him. And all it is is a decision. After we decide- it’s a hunger and thirst for Him that we pursue. We simply become thirsty. And he is our ultimate thirst quencher. Gatorade ain’t gonna do ya any good this time around. Dive in, go deep, hunger, thirst, and let the Ultimate Provider supply your every need. 

Shout of Faith.

     (First note- if your new to my blog I would suggest you go back and skim the past 2 blogs! You'll appreciate this one more.)
    
     This morning as I was reviewing my last blog to see where I left off I realized that we aren't done with chapter 5! I left out some interesting stuff! From Joshua 1-5 we understand the importance of obedience, taking authority, faith, stepping into out Jordan, and change. Yep, I said it... change. The thing I left out is so key to this last point. After the Israelites crossed the Jordan, Joshua was commanded to circumcise at Gilgal. The reason why?

     "Joshua 5:4-6 Now this is why he did so: All those ho came out of Egypt- all the ment of military age - died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt died, since they had not obeyed the Lord....."

     After they obeyed the Lord- He removed the reproach of Egypt from them. Hallelujah. The Israelites are camped at Gilgal and they celebrated Passover. The day after- the manna stopped. This is where change comes in. The Israelites were used to the manna, everyday they knew they were going to eat it. It was regular, scheduled, normal. Then.... manna stopped. It doesn't go into any detail on their reaction to the manna stopping, but I can only imagine. Think of how we react to change and I'm sure that their reactions had some similarity. It was time for a new thing. The Lord was about to take them from something they were in and move them into something greater. When you are in the midst of change, letting go is neccesary. Letting go is not always a bad thing, it can lead you into greater and better things. Our relationship with Christ should be a constant moving forward. With this constant "more of You Jesus" attitude we will go through change. It is inevitable. And it is good. Dr. Phil Brassfield said this statement this past weekend at a Destiny Ministries Conference at Promiseland Metro, "The role of a leader is to manage the motion of change while moving in advancing IN the Kingdom." Good stuff huh? If you are a leader- then get your boots ready- because your gonna be changing. The manna stops, change is coming, the Lord provided. 

     Fall of Jericho..... here we go! :) The Commander of the Lord's army visited Joshua- Joshua fell face down (act of humility and reverence) and the Commander said- this is Holy Ground. Joshua was moving into the will of God- he was stepping into Holy Ground. When we obey the Lord and step into the things He is calling us to- we are also stepping on to Holy Ground. 

     Israelites are moving toward Jericho. Jericho is tightly shut up. Noone is entering or leaving. Walls are bound. The Lord instructs the Israelites to march. March around city with all armed men for 6 days. On the 7th day, march 7 times. There was lots of other "rules" that were given. And what did the Israelites do? Complete obedience. Did exactly as the Lord commanded. Which impresses me, because if the Lord told me to walk around a city 7 times in one day.... I would laugh. (Just saying.) So they marched.... in silence (that would make me laugh too). And on the 7th day, 7th time around, after the long blast..... the Shout of Faith occurred! They let out a shout as the Lord commanded them and the walls fell. Notice that the walls didn't fall after they walked forever. The walls fell when in faith they shouted that those walls were going to fall. And what did the walls do? Fell. Funny how God does what He says He will do. ;) Hehe. 

     The Lord also warned them that when the walls did fall- that they were to be careful to stay away from the devoted things and to spare Rahab and her household. Whenever we receive our breakthrough we still have to be on guard for the "devoted things". The city was burned down so that nothing tempting would be there. Sometimes- our obedience is radical. And thats how it's supposed to be. We have to do whatever we have to do to obey. The last verse in Chapter 6 says "So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread thoughout the land." Hallelujah!

     My challenge.... what is our Jericho? What do we need to have a shout of faith for? What are the things that we need to burn down so we aren't tempted anymore? Will we embrace the change that will come with it?  My tip? Complete obedience. Complete faith. Radical faith. Shout it out. Shout it down. And live in freedom with the Lord. 

<3B. 

Step into your Jordan.

As I continue to study Joshua the Lord continues to teach me new things. I am by no means a bible scholar- but I do want to learn as much as I can about Joshua and his journey with the Lord. From the last blog post we know that the Lord promised Joshua some pretty big things for his life. And Joshua took them and obeyed them. He had 100% obedience. (Something I need to learn; not just 80% or 50%, but 100%.) The Lord gave Joshua a pep talk- which I love. (How cool is that?) preparing Joshua to cross the Jordan River. 

As you continue to read in Joshua 2 you find out that Joshua sent two spies to check out what they were going to be coming up against. The spies stayed with a prostitute Rahab so they wouldn’t appear suspicious. I am still chewing on the significance of them staying with a prostitute. According to my commentary in my bible it says that, “It was not unusual for strangers and foreigners to go to Rahab’s house... God did not bless Rahab for lying, but for her faith in the report that the spies gave.” So, if you have any insight on this then fill me in. I do believe, that no matter what you have done in your past that God can use you to advance the kingdom. The past is the past and when you became a Christian you have a new identity. You are no longer a sinner. You have been saved from your sin. And you are a new creation. Joshua was Hoshea before being commissioned by God. So, feel free to make up a name of your old self, pre-Salvation, if you’d like. I think it’s a fabulous idea.

So after the spies confirm that the Lord is giving the whole land (2:24) then the crossing into the Jordan begins. This is where it gets exciting. So if you’ve been bored- get ready. This is my favorite part. 

Joshua takes authority and they leave Shilting to go to the Jordan River, they camped for three days and then the orders were given to follow a new path. They are to follow the ark of the covenant. Now, I read this and had always passed up what the ark of the covenant was, so I got out my Bible dictionary and this is what I discovered. The A.O.C. is a sacred chest where the mercy seat (the resting place of God) and the cherubim (winged angelic beings) were seated. To me this means that when we are called to a new path, our own Jordan River, we are to pursue the resting place of God. Cool huh? 

The Lord continues to speak promises over Joshua in 3:7 that he would exalt him like He did with Moses, so they know that the Lord was with him. Then the cool part comes. Drum roll please....... They reach the Jordan. So in my head I can picture this huge army of men reaching a flooded Jordan River, the priests in the front. The waters are rough and they have to get across. I’m sure doubt was creeping in on at least one person in the group if not all of them. But someone had to have the faith to step into the Jordan. And when the “foot of faith” stepped into the river, the river parted. (I’m ready to dance and sing Hallelujah now.) Can you imagine the joy that must have came over them. Relief that they didn’t have to do anything but walk across, no building a boat or blowing up a water raft- simply walking into what the Lord had promised them. The priests were required to put their faith into practice. They had to take that step of faith into the Jordan. And according to my commentary- the Jordan no longer floods like it once did. The entire nation crosses the Jordan (on dry ground). 

With a single step of faith, God can turn your wet and mucky ground to dry and solid. It requires faith and it requires obedience. In 4:10 it says that they did everything that the Lord commanded. Another thing that was revealed to me, was how scared their enemies must have been when the Jordan River parted. When you do take that step of faith and your ground turns to solid- you not only receive breakthrough but your enemies are also defeated. They lost courage when they saw what kind of God they served and what He could do. Your step of faith brings about more than just the obvious. It defeats your enemies. 

From Chapters 2 and 4 we learn so much that we can apply to our lives. We must take a step of faith to get major breakthrough. We must step into our calling. We must take a first step. You know, everyone had a first day at their job, school, university or whatever they do. They had to learn the ropes. Everyone was once a beginner. So what are you scared of? What is holding you back? Fear. Pride. Jealousy. Bitterness. Selfishness. Fear? I don’t know what it is for you, but we must break those thoughts that we can’t do it, we’ll be rejected or that someone else will do it.The time is now- step into what God is calling you to. Step into your Jordan, and that Jordan will part. With God- all things are possible.

There’s a song that we sang in Panama that says- if you tell that mountain to move with just a mustard seed size of faith- that mountain will move. MUEVETE! So tell that mountain to move. Tell that Jordan to part. And tell those walls of Jericho to fall. And watch what God can do.