| Hello my friends! I am back from NJ/NY unscathed and still a little bus-lagged from our journey. Wow! So many things to talk about! I'm sure you have heard many incredible stories about what God did up there last week. As a first hand witness it is all true. Your fellow peers/friends allowed God to use them in amazing ways so that people could see Jesus through them. I am so proud of them! I gloat about God and boast about them in the Lord (2 Cor. 10:17). Because it was God that did everything up there. Our friends just allowed themselves to be used by the Holy Spirit. The cool thing is that this can happen ALL THE TIME! This work that was done up there is not resigned to just "mission work." WE can allow the Holy Spirit to use us here in Murfreesboro as well. That is the next step I believe for Diversion.
If we can go and knock on strangers doors in the heart of a ghetto and ask people to come play games with us and then share the Gospel with them then we CAN do it here too! What keeps us from doing that? FEAR and PRIDE. Fear of rejection, fear of saying the right words, and fear of persecution hinder the Spirit's work. Remember friends, as believers in Christ we have been given a Spirit of power, love, and self-disipline (2 Tim. 1:7). As believers Christ lives in us (1 Cor. 3:16)! Saints! Why can't we reach out to the lost in our schools, step out of our clicks, and start living out our true indentity in Christ!? We have been called to (John 15:16) and we have the power to (1 Tim 1:7) shine out for Jesus to expand the Kingdom. Pride also keeps us from living like we should. Studylight.org says that , "It is the opposite of humility, the proper attitude one should have in relation to God. Pride is rebellion against God because it attributes to self the honor and glory due to God alone." That's what caused Satan's fall. How does pride effect our holy living for God and bearing fruit for His glory? We focus on our needs and wants before others, we think about ourselves before others, we tend to become apathetic in our living. And apathy is selfish. And selfishness is pride. We must step outside of our "christian boxes" and see other peoples' needs. More specifically, their spiritual needs.
God did alot of breaking on the trip. Breaking of peoples' pride. God is raising up Godly leaders in Diversion. Raising up prayer warriors, humble servants to make known the glorious message of Christ. If you didn't go on the trip that DOESN'T mean that God can't use you. We must join together, breaking the bonds of clicks, glamor christianity, jealousy, envy, sarcasim, laziness, and apathy to unite as believers from all "styles," "races," and "groups" to make much of God and not ourselves. Are you excited to be used by God? Are you itching at the opportunity to speak Jesus' name and tell someone what He is doing in your life? I pray that you are. I pray that as you have read this that you hear Jesus calling your name. That you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to step out in faith and become useable for His glory. It is time. The hour has come to wake up from your sleep. Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11)
" The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to
reflect your true identiy!" (From "Victory over the Darkness" by Dr. Neil Armstrong)
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