declare the promises

Hey friends!! 

It’s been too long since I’ve posted a blog, and so much has happened since my last update. I have linked a video below that explains more in-depth what I have been up to. If you have time, make sure to go check that out!! The past week, I have been in Gainesville, Georgia, debriefing the two weeks that my squad was helping with flood relief in Jackson, Kentucky, and preparing to leave for Nicaragua. There, we were able to help people clean out their houses, and it was a fantastic ministry opportunity to bring light to the darkness, hope to the hopeless, and restoration to the broken. 

The week before we left for Kentucky, I was praying and fasting, asking the Lord to go before us and prepare the hearts of the people we would minister to. The second night we were in Kentucky, we had a time of prayer and worship. I was reminded that the battle belongs to the Lord, and because of the resurrection, He is victorious. And just like the Israelites when they were walking around Jericho, they were marching while praising the Lord because He already promised them victory. We can praise God for victory. So we were praising God because of what He was going to do because He was going to set captives free and bring death to life! 

The Lord opened my eyes to the fact that we can walk in victory and declare the power of God over any circumstance we might face. When we become genuinely convinced and fully persuaded of the things God has promised us in scripture, it changes our posture of worship and ministry. We weren’t doing ministry from a place of defeat but rather in victory because Jesus has risen from the grave. 

The past two weeks were deeply marked with prayer. He was continually abiding in the Lord’s presence and asking Him to bring life change. Prayer allowed me to have eyes to see what the Holy Spirit was doing and to not walk according to my desires but the will of the Father. Prayer asks the Lord to do what He has already promised. 

While we were in Kentucky, the third homeowner we met was an 82-year-old man named Burnest. His son, Dennis, lived next door with his wife, Cassie. We had conversations with Burnest and found out that he is a believer along with Cassie his daughter-in-law. However, his son was not. While we worked, I was in continual prayer for him and that the Lord would bring salvation to his soul. Just like Romans 6, he would be buried with Christ into death and raised to walk in new life. While we were declaring scripture and the promises of God over Dennis, two people from our team were able to share the gospel with him, and he responded by making Jesus the Lord of his life. He was baptized the very same day in the same river that destroyed his whole house; praise the Lord that there was a spiritual death so that new life could come!! The story keeps getting better; the next day, we had a vow renewal service for him and his wife! They also bought us the KFC, and we got to celebrate and rejoice in all the Lord was doing in their lives. I could tell a huge difference in how this man carried himself. You could tell that there was life in his eyes. We had the opportunity to continue to love and pour into this family over our two weeks in Kentucky. I’d ask for continued prayer over their life that the Lord would show them more each day of the depths of His love for them. 

I was in awe that the Lord did more than I could have ever asked, thought, or imagined. He blew me away with His power and love. I was praying in faith, believing the promises of God, and the Lord inclined his ear to hear and came down low to listen. 

Even when it seems like someone is too far gone, they are never too far gone. Even when it looks like there is no hope, Jesus is still working. The King of kings and creature of heaven and earth is with you in the middle of the mud and muck. And he is bringing life, hope, and joy through His Holy Spirit in us!! 

Prayer

King Jesus, we pray that you would establish your promises in our hearts and that we would be thoroughly convinced and wholly persuaded of the word that you have spoken. Give us a greater faith and deeper belief in who you say you are and what you are able to do. Show us what the reality of your word in our lives. God, we love and praise you for all you are doing. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray, Amen. 

Video Update link 

Scriptures

Romans 4:20, Romans 8, Acts 4, Romans 6, Isaiah 58 

Maranatha