Reach out for HIM

Sweet "Sisters" (Kirby and Nicole)

So I will start by saying how sorry I am for taking so long to write...with that being said...

It is my spring break, and while it looks much differently than I thought it would I am enjoying being at home with my family. The Lord wastes nothing and even things like the way we spend our spring break He has His hand in on.

So I was reading this verse that a friend sent to me in Acts 17:25-28...and it says in verse 27, "God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, for in Him we live and move and have our being."

I was blown away by this. and literally in the past hour the Lord has shown me so much. Christ desires us to surrender fully of all fears, doubts, hopes, dreams, and expectations we may have. He desires that we surrender and then reach out and feel for him in our vulnerability until we have our full grasp clasped onto Him and nothing else in this world.

I have been so convicted of this. In Psalm 73:25 it says..."And earth has nothing that I desire besides you..." I realized that I was unable to say that which broke my heart. I have been clinging desperately to things and people of this world. And in just the last few moments the Lord has made it so clear that without complete surrender I will be unable to live in the fullness of His perfect will for my life.

I do not want it to be said of me that I am a person of little faith and the desire for much control. I want to have such confidence in my Creator that I worry about nothing. I want my life to be about pleasing Him even if that means not having everything that I want. I want my desire to mirror the Lord's desires....and up until now I am not sure that they have in certain areas of my life.

Ladies, each of us as Godly women seeking after Christ look to Proverbs 31...I have been studying it in detail lately and what I have found is that I have a long road ahead of me that can only be accomplished through the power and grace of Jesus Christ. I am lacking. He is full of everything I need. In my flesh I will fail miserably and be the most weak, impatient, and mess of a woman. However, with Christ... We can be women that are gentle and quiet in spirit and patient in all circumstances and confident of our futures in Christ.

I have realized that often times the areas I feel the most confident I have under control are the areas that Christ wants to me to re evaluate the most. One thing is for sure...I have come to the place in the last hour that I no longer want to live a life about my desires and a life where I try to figure everything out that the Lord has not revealed to me. I have laid EVERYTHING at His feet, and at the foot of the Cross there is healing. and freedom. what a sweet and beautiful thing. Freedom in surrender.

Only when we are able to lay our fears at the Lord's feet will we then open ourselves up to His movement in our lives...He cannot move when we do not give him everything. I want my heart to be a reflection of Christ's heart. I want Him to be my JOY and my PORTION.

Without Christ I am absolutely nothing but wicked and a miserable failure. BUT with Him. praise the LORD, He is able to make me into a beautiful daughter. only HE is able to do this.

I hope this is an encouragement and challenge to each of you who read this.

Blessings!

Carry The Name

Athens, Greece

"To recover the old, authentic, biblical gospel, and to bring our preaching and practice back into line with it, is perhaps our most pressing present need." - J.I Packer

The more the Lord teaches me and shows me in His Word the more I am finding this quote to be so true. Our generation has adopted this idea of the gospel and the cross that is almost fluffy and comfortable in its foundation. We avoid discussion of boldness in sharing and radical giving because they do not fit into our "american dream" idea of Christianity. We have to bring the gospel back to truth. We are failing miserably if we keep this incredible good news to ourselves because we are fearful of rejection.

WE ARE IN A WAR. I have been reading through Revelation and to think about anyone who does not know Christ experiencing the wrath discussed in this book should bring us to tears and should give us a motivation to live our lives with urgency. Our hearts should break for the lost, we should be looking and eagerly seeking opportunities to share Christ's love with anyone who has not experienced it.

I want to be known as someone who has spent her life bringing glory to the name of JESUS. not my name. my name means nothing apart from Christ, I am wicked and sinful and in dire need of a Savior's grace every moment. Our leader at Campus Crusade here at MSU said, "The extent to which we accept our own wickedness is the extent to which we recognize our greater need for Christ."

When we see this need in our own lives it should motivate us to action in the lives of others. We are called to plant seeds. Our goal in this life should be to make an impact for the Kingdom of Christ. I dont know about you, but I want to leave this life and face my Savior with a life behind me that gives testimony to a heart completely dedicated to Him and His gospel.

CARRY THE NAME OF CHRIST TODAY.

Blessings.

-Rachel