2010: Joshua Moves Forward

Greetings in the Lord!

2010 is here--yippee! But before we move on, how many of you were wondering if you were going to get out of 2009 in one piece? Me too, I must admit. It was a curve ball right from the beginning when I found myself grappling with a sudden job loss. And while the Lord had been preparing me for that to happen, I resisted it every step of the way. Why? I believed it was my "dream job." Yes, I was happy as a bug in a rug and then it was gone! In a blink of an eye--with salt thrown in for good measure--I left blurry-eyed and angry. "It was an assignment, not a career move," the Holy Spirit confided to me.

"Well, OK, if you say so," I said, but in my heart was sad and mad and learned again another very important lesson with God: Sometimes worldly loss produces spiritual gain. After allowing me time to grieve and just sit in His presence saying nothing--for I had nothing to say--He gently began to console me and woo me back, teaching me anew about His mysterious ways. You know it's funny, I felt far from God during that time of trouble and wondered how He could have let such a terrible experience unfold as it had...I felt this trial had tested my faith. However, with careful reflection He shows me that it had actually revealed my faith, and instead, it was during the time of my "prosperity" that my faith was tested the most. It's true; unbeknownst to me, I began to envy others who had the kind of (worldly) success in basketball I had dreamed about and worked hard for, only this time at the coaching level.


"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9



So, the Lord completely shifted gears (no pun intended!) and sent me to work completely outside of anything I had ever done before: testing and inspecting cars for emissions air quality! Honestly I had to laugh at that, but when He showed me the spiritual bondage going on with the workers there, I knew I had to go.

So, for the next six months I worked with a group of people that the Church would currently never see: foolish, hate-filled, angry and disillusioned young males whose sole thought was to satisfy their desires as they saw fit. Most of these guys had some familiarity with God and His ways, but did not realize how often they gave into the demonic presence influencing them at that work site. This ministry season reminded me a lot of when I worked at a homeless shelter in Michigan. A tough crowd for a tough God--One that would not give up on reaching them with His messages of salvation, truth, and love no matter how fast they tried to run the other way.

And now 2010. New year, new agenda. In addition to finishing my book, the Lord put on my heart in October to get a diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language. So, as of January 12th, I will be heading overseas to do just that!
"When Joshua was old and well advanced in years, the Lord said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over." Joshua 13:1

Every time the Lord gives me that verse I can't help but to pause just little while on the "very old" part. Yep, I do feel old, worn-out and tired at times and have to pray more fervently, "Lord, give me the strength to do all that you called me to do." But I also hear the command and urgency in His voice: "...there are still very large areas of land to be taken over," and find myself being called to attention, to readiness, to action, to move ahead and take the land that He has allotted for me to conquer.

For 2010 I want to encourage each of you to move ahead to take the land the Lord has allotted for you. And we must do this together. Factions, broken friendships, splinter groups competing with each other can be no more. Make every effort this year to renew old alliances, friendships, and ministry partners; lift each other up in prayer if nothing else. Pray for your enemies and for those who have abandoned or rejected you, for this is a year of restoration and renewal...and for moving forward to take the land the Lord has allotted for you.

~Be blessed in 2010, and be a blessing to others.

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