The Word of God is full of story after story of God calling His people to a certain purpose (usually something that seems astronomical and impossible) and every single time proving faithful and fulfilling His promise. And the coolest part of all: God never does it the same way twice. He had Abraham go on a mountain, tie his son to a log, and prepare to put him over a fire as a burnt offering. Because of Abrahams obedience to this command, The Lord just happened to put a ram in a bush for Abraham to give as an offering instead right in the knick of time. Like what? Or what about Daniel. Daniel stood firm in his faith to the point where his life was at risk and it landed him into a pretty sticky situation. He was locked in a lions den and left to die. Seems pretty hopeless right? Come morning time when the king who put Daniel in there came to check on him, Daniel was still alive without a single scratch. His explanation? "My God sent His angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions'." (Daniel 6:22). I bet Daniel didn't see that one coming, I certainly didn't. One of the most bizarre is the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho. God told Joshua to have armed men march around the city surrounded by a great wall once each day, for six days. The priests were to carry the ark, blowing trumpets, but the soldiers were to keep silent. Imagine being an onlooker in this situation! You would think these people have lost their minds. Even the soldiers and priest probably called Joshua a weirdo behind his back. On the seventh day, the assembly marched around the walls of Jericho seven times and at Joshua's command, the men gave a great shout, and Jericho's walls fell down flat! The Israelite army rushed in and conquered the city. Once again God took the impossible and flat out crazy and positioned it in a way where only He would get the glory while also showing Himself to be faithful beyond belief. In Daniel 6:17 it was stated that "A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. " Daniel as well the other two men were put in do or die situations with something huge at risk if God did not pull through. But HE DID!!!!!!!!
I find myself in a semi-relatable situation. The Lord has called me to take another year of of school and do mission work with an organization called YWAM. This is a 6 month mission trip that begins in September and ends in March. Shortly after I returned from Africa at the end of May, it became very real that I would not be returning to school for another year and some how had to raise $10,000 for this trip in about five months. I've sent out letters and have had very few responses, I have three jobs but it's still not cutting it, and I don't have a church I call home which could probably help out a lot. With each passing day the weight of this financial burden seems to drag me down until it's crippling. How on earth am I going to get this money in time? What if God's faithfulness isn't applicable to my life like it is to these people in the bible? What if I messed up along the way and didn't hear God's voice correctly? Or even worse, what if I messed up along the way and drowned out God's desire for my life with my own desire for my life? What happens if I don't get the money in time? The never ending anxious questions and feelings go on and on in my head every day.
For the first time in my life (and in my year and four month walk with Jesus Christ) I am in a situation where I am one hundred percent walking out in pure faith, fully relying on God's sovereignty, provision, and faithfulness. It is such a large amount of money in such a short time that it is financially IMPOSSIBLE for this money to come in if God does not provide the means for it. If for some reason God is not faithful in my situation, I will fall flat on my face. Although this is a very terrifying idea most of the time, God has revealed to me the beauty of fully relying on Him. The last few days The Lord has really spoken to me and showed me the bigger picture of my situation. If the funds do not come in then it is not His will for me to go to YWAM at this time, simple as that. Although I want to go so badly and have forgone a year of my education for this opportunity, if it is not His will for my life, then I do not want it either. I am serving the God of the universe. He breathes the stars into being, He tells the ocean where to stop, He knew me before I was even born, He knows what I am thinking before it comes out of my mouth. He is all knowing and all powerful. He's got this. Whatever He has planned for me is far greater and better than anything I could ever plan on. Being in the center of God's perfect will sometimes (most of the time, lets be honest) means that I am not always going to get what I want, but I am sure that I will get what I need. When my anxious thoughts consume me, I am learning to find rest in His sovereignty, mercy, love, and faithfulness in my life. As I mentioned earlier, God has a pattern of bringing people into situations where they must fully rely on Him. He usually reveals His sovereignty in a way where only He will get the glory because no human situation could have ever ended up like that without His presence. Some days I rejoice leaning completely on Him because I know that I am serving an able God, but other days I break down and lose it. In these difficult moments, the words of Jesus echo in my head ... "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26). Why am I so afraid? My fear is empty and meaningless, caused by my earthly perspective, not my eternal perspective. When I shrink the size of the God I am serving, my problems become a whole lot bigger. I know this truth, but I will still fall into the lies and that is why I find myself daily at the feet of Jesus with a whole new appreciation for my compassionate and relentless Savior Jesus Christ who "... got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8:26 continued).
I ask you to partner with me in this mission. Part of God's provision and plan for our lives involves using other people as a part of His means and expansion of His kingdom. I cannot do this without your help. Above all else, I ask you to pray with and for me.
I need about $9,000 more dollars. I need $4300 by September 26th and the rest by mid November. If you feel compelled to give, the please make checks payable to Emily Montes and send the gift to me at Emily Montes, 6 Crowningway Drive, Asheville, NC 28804. You can also go to the following website https://apply.uofn.edu/OnlineAppDocs/OnlinePayment.cfm and donate safely via credit card. My email address is emilyelisemontes@yahoo.com, my birthday is 02/11/94 and my school name is DTS – Compassion Ablaze starting in September 2013 and you choose either the Tuition or Outreach option.
I went into very little detail about the work I will be doing during this six months so if you have any questions please feel free to call me at 1-828-545-8672 or email me at the email address listed above. Thanks for your support!!!!! God bless.
I find myself in a semi-relatable situation. The Lord has called me to take another year of of school and do mission work with an organization called YWAM. This is a 6 month mission trip that begins in September and ends in March. Shortly after I returned from Africa at the end of May, it became very real that I would not be returning to school for another year and some how had to raise $10,000 for this trip in about five months. I've sent out letters and have had very few responses, I have three jobs but it's still not cutting it, and I don't have a church I call home which could probably help out a lot. With each passing day the weight of this financial burden seems to drag me down until it's crippling. How on earth am I going to get this money in time? What if God's faithfulness isn't applicable to my life like it is to these people in the bible? What if I messed up along the way and didn't hear God's voice correctly? Or even worse, what if I messed up along the way and drowned out God's desire for my life with my own desire for my life? What happens if I don't get the money in time? The never ending anxious questions and feelings go on and on in my head every day.
For the first time in my life (and in my year and four month walk with Jesus Christ) I am in a situation where I am one hundred percent walking out in pure faith, fully relying on God's sovereignty, provision, and faithfulness. It is such a large amount of money in such a short time that it is financially IMPOSSIBLE for this money to come in if God does not provide the means for it. If for some reason God is not faithful in my situation, I will fall flat on my face. Although this is a very terrifying idea most of the time, God has revealed to me the beauty of fully relying on Him. The last few days The Lord has really spoken to me and showed me the bigger picture of my situation. If the funds do not come in then it is not His will for me to go to YWAM at this time, simple as that. Although I want to go so badly and have forgone a year of my education for this opportunity, if it is not His will for my life, then I do not want it either. I am serving the God of the universe. He breathes the stars into being, He tells the ocean where to stop, He knew me before I was even born, He knows what I am thinking before it comes out of my mouth. He is all knowing and all powerful. He's got this. Whatever He has planned for me is far greater and better than anything I could ever plan on. Being in the center of God's perfect will sometimes (most of the time, lets be honest) means that I am not always going to get what I want, but I am sure that I will get what I need. When my anxious thoughts consume me, I am learning to find rest in His sovereignty, mercy, love, and faithfulness in my life. As I mentioned earlier, God has a pattern of bringing people into situations where they must fully rely on Him. He usually reveals His sovereignty in a way where only He will get the glory because no human situation could have ever ended up like that without His presence. Some days I rejoice leaning completely on Him because I know that I am serving an able God, but other days I break down and lose it. In these difficult moments, the words of Jesus echo in my head ... "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26). Why am I so afraid? My fear is empty and meaningless, caused by my earthly perspective, not my eternal perspective. When I shrink the size of the God I am serving, my problems become a whole lot bigger. I know this truth, but I will still fall into the lies and that is why I find myself daily at the feet of Jesus with a whole new appreciation for my compassionate and relentless Savior Jesus Christ who "... got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8:26 continued).
I ask you to partner with me in this mission. Part of God's provision and plan for our lives involves using other people as a part of His means and expansion of His kingdom. I cannot do this without your help. Above all else, I ask you to pray with and for me.
- That I keep my eyes fixed on the true living, faithful, and sovereign God, not on the warped image of Him I create in my head.
- That the hearts of the people who received my fundraising letter may be softened and that they feel compelled to give generously to the expansion of God's kingdom.
- That opportunities and situations arise that will help me raise more money.
I need about $9,000 more dollars. I need $4300 by September 26th and the rest by mid November. If you feel compelled to give, the please make checks payable to Emily Montes and send the gift to me at Emily Montes, 6 Crowningway Drive, Asheville, NC 28804. You can also go to the following website https://apply.uofn.edu/OnlineAppDocs/OnlinePayment.cfm and donate safely via credit card. My email address is emilyelisemontes@yahoo.com, my birthday is 02/11/94 and my school name is DTS – Compassion Ablaze starting in September 2013 and you choose either the Tuition or Outreach option.
I went into very little detail about the work I will be doing during this six months so if you have any questions please feel free to call me at 1-828-545-8672 or email me at the email address listed above. Thanks for your support!!!!! God bless.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." (Matthew 6:33-34)
No comments:
Post a Comment