Well evidently I haven't written anything since Christmas break, and God has done SO much since then so I'll try to kinda summarize a little. Praising God for it all.
February:
This semester I took Intro to Biblical Counseling. Oh. My. Goodness. I wish everyone could take that class! I would seriously leave and just be in awe of God, the gospel, His Word, the Holy Spirit, everything! I couldn't even really put into words everything I was learning, and I still can't. What's so amazing is that even though He has taught me so much through that class He is STILL GREATER, because He is infinite. I could have moments like that every second for the rest of life, and for eternity and I still wouldn't come anywhere close to comprehending Him, because He is infinite. SO amazing! Anyway, a huge thing God taught me through that class was about idolatry. We read through Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick and I seriously recommend that book to anyway. It'll blow your mind in the best way possible. One thing that was a huge theme that God was teaching me this month in particular is that He is worthy of worship, and I'm worshipping all the time. Whether I'm worshipping Him or an idol of my own making. It's sobering. It's all about worship of Him. One verse that I really thought about during February was Romans 11:36, "For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things to Him be glory forever. Amen."
March:
Wow. How do I even begin to summarize? The Lord revealed to me a truth that I had heard but hadn't really understand in a personal way, which seems funny because it's such an essential part of the gospel. All the sudden for the first time I ever I began to think about the fact that because of the gospel, and Christ's atoning work I have been set free from sin! He said "it is finished" He conquered sin and death! I read through Romans 6 a lot, and was amazed. I felt like all the sudden my thinking about how sin and sanctifcation and struggling in general was all the sudden revolutionized! I began to really think about the reality that Christ has freed me from sin. I am not a slave to it anymore. I'm free from sin, and now a slave to Him. When I sin I'm choosing it, and I'm choosing to place myself under the bondage of sin, when Christ has set me free from it. My mind is still whirring thinking about this truth. All of Romans 6 amazed me, but in particular Romans 6:20-23 struck me,
"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
April:
I was so blessed this month. I got to spend Easter weekend in Carpenteria with my friends Jessy and Rachel from school. It was SUCH a blessing. I felt like the Lord really grabbed my heart that weekend, and showed me areas that I really needed to deal with, and to worship Him more wholly. For my Old Testament class I was working on summarizing the book of Isaiah which was AWESOME. It went perfectly along with everything I was learning about idolatry in my Intro to Counseling class. It's all about worship. God created us to worship Him, He is worthy, and there is nothing sweeter than delighting in and knowing Him intimately. That's what He wanted from Israel but because of their idolatry He punished Him, but then He promised them comfort and peace. I'm not even doing it justice in my explanation but just read Isaiah and God's Word will speak for itself. A few verses in particular that God really used this month to teach me were Philippians 4:11-13,
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
There were a lot of circumstances and things going on, and honestly I was struggling with being content. It was hard, but the Lord kept bringing that verse to mind.
Another verse that I thought was incredible and encouraged me to trust the Lord was Isaiah 26:3-4,
"You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock"
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever,
for the Lord God is an everlasting rock"
May:
The semester was winding down, and the Lord did something AMAZING. For the whole year I had been wanting to do research on ministries that reach out to human trafficking and prostitution, whether in the US or not, and through a few school projects I started researching a little bit. Along with that I really started to think about Thailand, and the world in general. The Lord's plan of redemption is universal! It's big! All the sudden I had this strong desire in my heart to learn more about Human trafficking, and Thailand, and to go there. I have no idea what the Lord will do with all this, but all I know is I have been praying so much and have already started researching more. Regardless I know He will use it in an amazing way, because that is how God works. Regardless of whether I go to Thailand or not. Right now I'm just praying that He will make my will and my desires His own, and that He would direct and guide me. I'm excited though because He is so good! It's been heart breaking to read about Human trafficking statistics in Thailand, but what's incredible is that the gospel is the power to save, and so I just keep praying God will make His Word known in that nation and specifically to the women and children who are trafficked with literally no hope. Revelation 5:9 has been on my heart,
"And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,"
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,"
Love. He will save out of every tribe, tongue, people and nation. And we will one day all be praising Him before the throne.
I'm just so excited to see what the Lord will do. I'm praying He continues to humble, prune, and refine me, because I know I desperately need it! I started to read "Through the Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot and that has been great so far, and I'm SUPER excited because I also got the biography she wrote on Amy Carmichael and I can hardly wait to read it. Well dear blogging friends, if you think of it pray for me. Pray the Lord continues to humble me, make me a weak thing, and breaks me down so that His power and glory can be displayed through me. And pray for Thailand, pray His name would be made great among the nations, and that the gospel would be proclaimed. Praise Him for the hope we have in Him.
"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds." <3 Psalm 36:5
your faithfulness to the clouds." <3 Psalm 36:5
