I am a woman of faith, in the name of Jesus Christ.

I believe that 2018 is going to be a powerful year for me. I know that 2018 is going to be a powerful year for me. I speak into existence that 2018 is going to be my year, in the name of Jesus Christ.

You may be wondering why I am writing these declarations. The Word of God is written in 2 Corinthians 5:7:

~”For we walk by faith, not be sight.”~2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV~

~”For we live by faith, not by sight.”~2 Corinthians 5:7, NIV~

I am a woman of faith because I not only speak faith. I live and walk by faith: daily, in my walk with Jesus Christ. I don’t have to prove that to anyone because my faith in the Lord is personal and exhibited in my actions. I just have to be still as the Spirit of God does His work in and through me everyday.

Notice that I say everyday. Let me provide you with real-life examples.

In the past, I have been on two missions trip abroad——–one to Lebanon and the other to Japan.  Just going to serve in both of these countries is simple (at least for me). Preparing to go is the hard part. For me, you have to die to yourself: mentally, physically, and emotionally, so that you can be ready spiritually to serve for the Kingdom of God (in my case, abroad). This is all a part of a Christian’s daily walking and living by faith and not by what they see in front of them.

~”For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”~Philippians 1:21, NIV~

When anyone prepares to go and serve locally or abroad, it takes A LOT of prayer. It takes A LOT of walking and living by faith so that that person can be in the best mental, physical, and emotional shape so that that person can be ready to spiritually serve the community that he or she is placed in. This was my case as God was preparing to send me to Lebanon and Japan.

~”For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”~James 2:26, ESV~

Lebanon

As the Spirit of God was preparing me to go to Lebanon in 2016, I asked God for a confirmation that I was meant to go to Lebanon. I was reading from my King James Bible one morning and read Psalm 29 and the word, “Lebanon,” caught my eye from the page from verses 5 and 6:

~”The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars: yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf: Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.”~Psalm 29:5-6, KJV~

I stepped out on faith and asked a good friend of mine, Michelle, how I know if what I experienced was a divine act of God or a coincidence. She told me, “Ask the Lord for a sign.”

During my lunch hour at work, I went into my car, read my Bible, and prayed. Another Bible verse (I cannot remember which one.—-I’m sorry)—–caught my attention, as the Spirit of God directed me to it, with the word, “Lebanon,” in it. I underlined and highlighted this Scripture.

As the weeks passed, the Spirit of God continued to show me confirmation after confirmation that He chose me to go to Lebanon. Bible verse after Bible verse popped up and in the Old Testament of the Bible with the word, “Lebanon,” jumping out at me.

As the weeks passed, I faced spiritual warfare throughout the time I was preparing to go: from family, friends, and co-workers. In my excitement, I told my family, friends, and co-workers that I was going to Lebanon to serve and some of them reacted because they thought that what I was convicted that God called me to do was absurd and ridiculous. One family member ( I will not say which one) doubted that God had called me to go abroad to Lebanon for reasons that I saw were selfish and not selfless (I choose to not explain).

In the midst of the chaos of the spiritual warfare, I stepped out in faith……and went to Lebanon. God was so good! I had my church family praying for me as God prepared me and other friends praying for me as God was preparing for me to serve abroad in Lebanon. Overall, Lebanon was a successful missions trip and God grew me: mentally, physically, and emotionally, as I served my best spiritually there. 

Japan

I also remember when the Spirit of God showed me that I would be going to Japan to serve there for two months.

One night, I went to the International House of Prayer in Atlanta to pray for many hours in December 2016 (six months before the missions trip) and as I prayed the Spirit of God showed me a vision (I am sharing this vision as if I were sharing a part of me with you, dear reader. I normally do not share what God shows me unless I am led to by the Spirit. So, just keep reading. 🙂 ):

~I was walking in a field and giving out seeds to Japanese women and children. They received the seeds that I gave them. A sun rose in the background behind the mountains that were in front of the field and it was as if the glory of God was shining on the field and the goodness of Japan (the sun rising in the background is symbolic of Japan since the country is known as the, “Land of the Rising Sun”).—————–this was how I knew that the country was Japan and that God called me to go there. Glory to God!~

So, I was excited and stepped out on faith……..I told my friends and my family.

Little did I know the spiritual warfare that I would face as God was preparing to send me to Japan. Crisis after crisis came up. Two of my best friends from college left me, breaking my heart to trust God more in that moment of brokenness of my life even though my understanding of why He allowed this to happen was little as He was preparing to send me to Japan. I was barely getting by financially (I trusted God as He provided me with student loans as as I was studying for my Master of Arts degree in that season of my life by His grace). A family member questioned me and what I was convicted that God had called me to do and wanted me to serve in the states for reasons I thought were selfish instead of selfless as I was praying and seeking God in this season of my life (Please note that I don’t have anything against my family, which is why I am writing this. In fact, I love my family very much, but when it comes to what God is calling me to do, I stand by that because of what the Word of God says as in the Gospel of Matthew 10:37-39):

~”He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”~Matthew 10:37-39, KJV~

At this time of my life, I was diligently studying for my Master of Arts degree in Global Studies from Liberty University online in the midst of the spiritual warfare. I also had a medical crisis occur in my life (I will not go into what happened other than that God was good and that by His grace that what the devil meant for bad to happen to me that God turned it for good in that He continued to pave the way for me to go to Japan). It was with all of this I learned that life is not guaranteed, but God saw my life as VERY VALUABLE, which is why I believe He allowed me to survive what only made me stronger to serve: mentally, physically, and emotionally to that I could serve God and Japan at my spiritual best.

And it was with that that I went to Japan: for two months with God by my side. God blessed me with opportunity after opportunity to meet many people in Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and Miyazaki, Japan. Even the Japanese were blessed with the time I spent with them there.  🙂

Now, I want to close in prayer for you, dear reader, if you as are preparing or if God is preparing to send you to serve locally or abroad, in the name of Jesus Christ:

Dear God,

Thank You for the reader, who is reading this blog post and is taking the time to prayerfully consider serving in missions locally or abroad. Thank You that Your hand is upon each reader’s life and that by Your grace, he or she is going to serve. I speak Your truth by what is written in Matthew 20:16 (NIV): “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” You have called this reader to walk into his or her purpose that You has for his or her life. You have chosen this reader to walk into his or her destiny that You have already planned out for his or her life. You have both called and chosen this reader for a greater purpose that is far beyond his or her understanding. Your understanding is greater than what we could have ever imagined for ourselves. May You clearly direct and give each reader wisdom and discernment as he or she prepares to go and serve locally or abroad, for Your Kingdom, and Your glory. May he or she be a blessing to the people who they are serving around them as they bring the light of Your Kingdom to the darkest parts of the earth. May You send angels to be with each reader as he or she prayerfully prepares to serve: mentally, physically, and emotionally, so that he or she can be a spiritual blessing in the part of the earth that they are serving in. I give You all of the glory, the honor, and the praise.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen!

God bless you, dear reader! Thank you for reading. I encourage you to share with others, who are considering serving in missions locally or abroad. Peace! ❤

 

~”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”~Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV~