"I know the Plans I have fore You," Declares the Lord!

I have wanted to start writing out what the Lord is teaching me for a long time and usually write one post then end up deleting it or losing where I wrote it. I remembered that I had this blog on another account and thought I'd bring it back to life and give it another try. I don't know if anyone else will ever read this, but I love to look back at what God has done in this crazy adventure of life anyway. Although I keep a much more detailed private journal, I feel like I am to start this less personally detailed one as well and if some random person comes across it and reads it and is encouraged spiritually, its served its purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

           Looking back at the date on my last post gave me very mixed emotions. I was waiting for God to give me an adventure. Little did I know, an adventure was just around the corner. It was beautiful and exciting and seemed to be exactly what I had prayed for. It had so many reflections of Jesus and He was so involved but some adventures are only chapters in the story God has written. God asked for the the pen to my entire life story quite a while ago, and although I sometime try to take it back, He never fails to give me the grace to let go of it again. At the end of January, I heard His still small voice asking me to give Him back the pen again, to relinquish my dreams, desires, and adventures back to Him. I remember a pastor once saying that we are to come before God with our hands open, grasping onto nothing, asking Him to give and take anything in our life as He pleases. That very day I let go of everything and a crazy indescribable peace took over my heart. A new adventure began...a spiritual one. God was calling me back to His set-apart life. I won't go into detail of the ways I had let my flesh take over in the last couple years, but God began to show me things that needed to change and be removed from my life to allow Him to have full control and unhindered access to my heart. As my relationship with my Heavenly Prince grew, He revealed that He didn't have that full access yet. Some things were still taking my focus from Him. I prayed one day that God would become the most important thing in my life and that He would be the focus of my heart above all else. A short time later, God penned the final words of that chapter’s adventures.

I have been absolutely in awe of God during the start of a brand new chapter! The former chapter was filled with joy and pain, but never once did God quit being good. He still has never failed or left me. And He faithfully has and is using His Word to remind me that He is in control of everything. He has used the past and current adventure to reveal Himself to me in ways so far beyond what I have ever experienced before and to call my heart closer to His! He is teaching me to trust Him endlessly with every single thing and is giving peace and grace to accept whatever He does.

I read a quote by Elisabeth Elliot recently. She said “Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God's story never ends with 'ashes.”

           Sometimes things look pretty much like a burnt up heap of ashes and if we try to fix things ourselves, all we will get is more crumbled up pieces of ashes (and make ourselves a really big mess in the process). But if we let God be the author of the story, He does what only He can do...He makes something beautiful from the ashes. Although I hadn't noticed, God had already been starting a new adventure in my life as He was bringing the previous adventure to an end. I am excited and expectant to see what He has planned for this chapter of my life story as He becomes more and more, the focus of my heart and existence.

“We mustn't claim to stand for our King but then deny Him by living a fleshly existence. Our King's Mighties don't shy away from the blazing searchlight of God's Word, but rather, willingly expose their souls and cry, 'Dear King, if there be anything that stands between You and me, if there be anything that shrouds Your glory, if there be anything that will weaken my sword in battle, purge it, slay it, utterly destroy it!” -Eric Ludy, Wrestling Prayer