Embarking on a New Journey

Wilderness

photo source

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness
    and speak tenderly to her.

There I will give her back her vineyards,

and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

There she will respond as in the days of her youth,

as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”

“In that day,” declares the LORD, 

“you will call me ‘my husband’;

you will no longer call me ‘my master’.”

- Hosea 2:14-16

Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

- Psalm 2:8

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, 

and afterward the spiritual.

- 1 Corinthians 15:46




...from Issachar, men who understood the times
and knew what Israel should do.

- 1 Chronicles 12:32

First the natural, then the spiritual.

Years ago, during the month long Life Revision Retreat that I attended in Rasa, Switzerland, our retreat director Hans Burki taught us the importance of periodically making a location statement. A location statement is simply that: a statement about your present location.

From that natural standpoint, you then take a deeper look within yourself, and begin to look at how your external location indicates your present spiritual position.

For example, naming each month as it ends is a location statement. I look at the events of the past days and weeks and find a common thread running through the physical and supernatural realms where I live.

In a few days I will be leaving the country together with four other members of our ministry team.

For all of us, this is not an easy undertaking,...and it comes at great cost. But we are responding to a kingdom call. When God said at the beginning "Let us make man in our image," it means that we are called to become image bearers of the God whom we serve.

The call to become increasingly conformed to His image cannot be ignored. 

Humble obedience is the fitting response.

For me, embarking on a new journey is true not only in the natural sense. I am embarking on a new spiritual journey as well.

My best friend Melanie went back to her home in Virginia a few days ago.

My beloved friend Trudi will be returning to England for good in just a couple of weeks. 

I will really miss them... but even though I want to spend more time nurturing my sadness, I realize that there isn't too much time for me to do that these days, because of the emotional and spiritual preparations required for the important ministry ahead of us.

The men of Issachar understood the times and the seasons, therefore they knew what needed to be done.

The timeliness of my obedience is of utmost importance.

After all is said and done, everything boils down to only two choices:

Will I build my own kingdom? Or will I build God's kingdom?

Usually it's a mixture of both - the profane thrown in with the holy. But I want to do better with each passing day... that when I'm confronted with an array of choices, I'll choose to be about my Father's business anytime.

And I'll choose to speak the truth instead of a convenient lie...

Arise when I hear Him calling, to spend time in the heavenly throne room instead of doing something else...

Extend grace and forgiveness instead of harboring an offense.

I don't want to be reluctant, or double-minded about accepting God's invitation. It is, after all, a rare privilege to be asked to join the Father in what He is doing. Many are called, but few are chosen!


This morning, at my friend Alberto's church, we watched a rare footage of the underground church in China. Thousands of  Christians meeting in abandoned farm houses, caves, or crowded in a building at a sweltering 120 degrees, all of them standing for hours because there is no room to sit, their bodies drenched with sweat, their faces wet with tears... so hungry to be fed from God's Word, oblivious to the discomfort and the heat, lost in worship and adoration for their God and King.




They love Jesus with such a passion.

Watching it gave me a different perspective. Who am I to complain?

So here I am, standing at the threshold of this new endeavor, feeling humbled and grateful to have been chosen.

It is, for me, another sacred journey. A higher calling... being an agent of healing... yet receiving healing at the same time.

And as I go through this "valley of Achor", God transforms it into a door of hope. And I know... He is preparing to give me back my vineyards.

In everything I think, do and say, my one desire is to give glory to my King.

May I request you, my dear blog friends, to please pray for me and my team.

You Are God Alone

by Phillips, Craig and Dean

You are not a God created
By human hands
You are not a God dependent
On any mortal man
You are not a God in need
Of anything we can give
By Your plan, that's just the way it is

You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
You are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne
You are God alone

You're the only God whose power
None can contend
You're the only God whose name and praise
Will never end
You're the only God Who's worthy
Of everything we can give
You are God
And that's just the way it is

Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That's what You are