will be in Israel! I began counting down at 127 days and it is hard to believe that it is finally here. Words cannot express how excited I am for this adventure. My friend Sharon whom I met in the states right before she went back to Israel had invited me over to Israel and I told her that there was no way that I could afford a trip like that. It would cost me way to much money, I had estimated the trip airfare and all to be around $3500. I told her that I was dead set on paying off debt right now and it would probably be a few years before I could do something like that. God is so awesome! When I got the information from Chosen People off the website it said the cost was $3500, I immediately wrote it off saying that I could never come up with that amount of money and that I would settle for the internship. The rent in NYC for the internship is only $300 a month and a metrocard is $81 a month. I could make that happen. Much to my amazement God had both planned for me. (Subsequently I learned this wasn’t about me making anything happen but about my Heavenly Father showing His mighty muscled arm! (Isaiah 52:7-10) My first donation was a buddy pass which brought my trip down to $2400, making me much more confident that this was God’s plan not mine. I told God early on that if this is what He wanted me to do that He was going to have to make it happen. I am a person that has a tendency to force things and I am growing weary of that way. Well, God manifested it all! I currently have all of the money raised for my trip as well as 1 mos. rent for the internship. My Heavenly Papa continues to wow me.
I can’t even begin to imagine how God is going to work in my heart through this trip. I have been reading the Gospels and am thrilled to soon be standing where it all took place. Justin Kron, the leader of the trip sent us a couple books to read before we take off and one of them is, The Gospel According to Moses by Athol Dickson. I encourage everyone to read this book. It is really changing my perception of how Christianity fits into Judaism or vice versa.
Lately, I feel that the enemy has really been on my case. I was really struggling with a few things and gave God a week to fix things or I would handle them the only way I knew how even if that meant giving up all these blessings He is raining upon me. I was done. I know that we are never supposed to give God ultimatums but I could no longer emotionally handle what was going on. I felt powerless and was struggling to keep afloat. The next day when I began to struggle I handed it all over to God and told Him that I was no longer going to try to fight the enemy because I just couldn’t do it any longer. I was weak and tired. It says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." We often confuse this with meaning He will not give us more than we can handle but when I actually looked the verse up in my moment of crying out to God I found it to say, “tempt” He will not tempt us. I found this to have a wow moment factor for me. He doesn’t guarantee we won’t be tempted, but He does guarantee a way out. However, not just a way out but the word says, "He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." It takes a lot of power to stand up under temptation. I think of the worlds strongest man competitions where the men pull cars by belts tied around their waists. This strength has always amazed me, most definitely because I am little and however strong I may be I will never be capable of achieving The Worlds Strongest Man title. (also because I'm a girl ;) but what I find amazing is that through the strength of our Heavenly Papa we are able to lift the semi of temptation above our heads and stand up underneath it. We have arms like Popeye! I began to claim this verse and when I went to bed that night I had a dream that I would like to share with you. I was cycling up Helen mountain up by my parents house and as dreams often do the turn for Toco Hills (the Jewish area of Atlanta) was right there. I had missed my turn and began to hit the steep part of the mountain. There were a few people walking at the base of the mountain but eventually I passed them and it was just me and the road. I usually enjoy rides like this but this ride was growing increasingly more difficult and just ahead of me was a tall, dark and attractive man. He was wearing a smile that was incredibly uneasy and was standing next to his bike. I cycled past him and kept struggling up the mountain and he and his icy smile began to follow me. I quickly remembered I hadn’t seen anyone in awhile and that I was headed to the top of this mountain and I would possibly be alone with him and I wasn’t sure I could protect myself. So I turned around and headed back and he was in the same place I had passed him. He tried to get in my way and I dodged around him and then skidded my bike to a halt. I turned around and told him with authority, “You need to go the other way.” I woke up right after that and my whole attitude has changed since then. I believe God gave me that dream to help me realize something I think a lot of us miss. We have power through Christ Jesus! We are not sitting ducks! The blood of Christ has redeemed me and the enemy has no stronghold over me. I am free and he is jealous of that. I find peace in him chasing me. That means that God is doing awesome things. It’s when I’m not being tempted that I should worry. When blessings are coming there are struggles beforehand. Yet, we were bought with a price, the price of God’s beloved Son. I have the right through that blood to tell the enemy to pick it up and move along. He has no dominion over me! We need to embrace that, hold tight and not let go! We serve a living God! A God who openly welcomes our questions, our fears and our cries to Him.
I am so grateful for what each one of you are contributing to the body of Christ. Whether I know you well or really not at all. I am blessed to have you in my circle and in my family of believers. I pray that each one of you are blessed through the works that our Heavenly Father is doing. May you walk in peace knowing that through the blood of Christ you have power. May you have the courage through that peace to tell the enemy to, “turn it around” with full knowledge that the power that lives in you is greater than the force that wages against you. Shalom.
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