Thank you for staying so connected to my World Race, while I was away!
Many of you pledged contributions and bought T-shirts! Keep it up! Spread the word!
Today I introduce to you the country that will stand as this week's "Focus Country" having to do with my World Race . . .
THE United States of America!!!
Now, you may be thinking, whaaa? USA? Aren't you traveling to 11 countries OUTSIDE of the US?
The answer to all of this is, yes! You are right! I woke up this morning, ready to share about one of those 11 countries and God had a different idea for this Monday's Moving Forward post. A LOT of my World Race is spent in preparation here in the states. God placed on my heart this morning the great need for prayer focus for my very own country! We have plenty of time to cover all 11 countries I will travel to before my departure in July; therefore, I feel completely at peace in spending THIS week focusing on the needs of my own country.
This includes you :)
Most of my support comes from Patriots and citizens of this great nation. In that, you may have prayer needs that this week can be lifted up to our great God as acknowledgement that He reigns and is in supreme control. This is the acknowledgement that I believe I am to catapult with this post.
Though our world feels dark, and only growing darker, there is victory in Christ Jesus! My God is sovereign and He sees the week, He sees the poor, and He has a plan. May we focus this week on praying for our own (Not leaving the rest of the world behind of course!). We may be a "rich" nation but our faith is often weak.
This past week was such a blessing! Rest and peace FLOODED my being.
With that said, I was witness to a LOT of human mockery. The kind of thing you only expect to see at a frat house on spring break. Even my 2 trips to Mardi Gras in New Orleans (My mama is from there!), only held a candle to the sickening display of hopelessness I witnessed within the ships confinement. God was there and I can only imagine His heart for His people as He watched His creation live desperately in search of lasting love. My heart cries out.
The love that my youth and the other leaders and I were able to display (BY THE GLORIOUS GRACE OF GOD) to and for the others on our ship was immensely appreciated. We were hardly spoken an ill word to, although we stuck out like a very moral sore thumb! Ha! The people we came in contact with, mostly in drunken stupor, could only clamor for words of thanks as we helped them to find their cabins, cleaned up their sickness from the ground, and shared the love and hope of Christ with them. We were often at a loss but our God is greater and He was there.
I came back with a heart pounding for my own people. The ones who wonder what has happened to their lives. The ones who live for the next party. I honestly can't relate to their actions but to their need for belonging I absolutely can. May I settle into my wholeness in Christ and because of what I've witnessed, be willing to share that security with others who are searching.
My weekend's return was to great sorrow and frustrations within the realms of my friends and family. 2 of my dear friends lost relatives to sudden deaths and some of my Revealed team (We have an event this Friday so satan is attacking) are weary and feel battered by the world we face and their flesh that often cries out in battle for what is right in a wrong world.
And then there's the light. The LIGHT of Christ and it shines ever brightly.
The darkness shall never reign and our prayers will force its' fading to deletion.
Salvation came this weekend to someone very close to me. This salvation was the result of years of prayer and I could not be more ECSTATIC! Blessings abound :) The light of Christ shown through this darkness and brought about new life. EVER grateful!
This brought hope to my prayers for our country this week. This little saved life will face battles, no doubt. Life has not become perfect for her but instead has turned to one of hope. EVERLASTING HOPE. Purpose. Deliverance. She will never be alone again. I love my God! He is great! He is going to do many powerful things through our prayers for our country this week! I BELIEVE IT! Do you? Pray right now. Start with confession. Continue with praise for Who God is. Press on with requests for yourself and others. End with thanksgiving in faith for what we expect Him to do. He is MIGHTY to save. The lost, the poor, the broken. He is mighty to save and He is here.
Isaiah 40
Comfort for God’s People
1 Comfort, comfort my people,says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD’s hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORDa];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.b]
b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORDa];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.b]
b]
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
9 You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,c]
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
c]
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,c]
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
c]
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who can fathom the Spiritd] of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
d] of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who can fathom the Spiritd] of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
d] of the LORD,
or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.
18 With whom, then, will you compare God?
To what image will you liken him?
19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol that will not topple.
To what image will you liken him?
19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
to set up an idol that will not topple.
21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
25 “To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
LOVED.,
Lauren!<><+
PS Please, feel free to post prayer requests as comments below
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
LOVED.,
Lauren!<><+
PS Please, feel free to post prayer requests as comments below
Love you Lauren! You are just too precious! I'm so excited to see how God is using you in the lives of MANY people! Keep smiling and keep posting...hope to catch up soon! lots of love...d
ReplyDeleteDanya, thanks for this response! Go dis doing so many great things. It's easy to get caught up in the negativity that surrounds us but when put into perspective, we realize His vast power. Amen and amen! Yes, let's catch up soon!
ReplyDelete