Testimony

God spoke this to my heart in a supernatural way today. "There's no test-imony without a test". These past few years have been periods of tests, and then those tests turning into a testimony. I was just never able to appreciate it in that way before. As I was in God's presence today I just broke down and had to give Him thanks for everything that He is doing. I realized that it has been very easy for me to thank God for helping me when I am going through a trial, but I have not been able to thank God for the trial itself. When the rough times in my life are over I breathe a sigh of relief, but as long as I am still in a rough moment, it is sooo hard for me to rest and know that God is in the midst of the storm with me. You would think that after walking with God for so long, this would come easy and natural to me. Not so. I am reminded of the stubborn Israelites. After having seen miracle after miracle, they continuously fell into despair and would want to go running back to Egypt at the slightest opposition they would encounter. I would think, "foolish Israelites." How could they doubt God when He just finished proving to them that He would provide and take care of them? Then I realized that I would fall into the same trap. What I have learned in this is that I cannot depend on past victories or miracles to make it through a current trial that I am going through. I have to seek God and cling to Him knowing that there are new victories and miracles awaiting me as I go through a new trial.

Seeing what my family has been going through and what I have been personally experiencing has taken a  toll on me. I've had to ask God for a new measure of strength and faith. And to my delight, He has given it to me today. For the past couple of weeks God has been putting 2 teenage girls and 2 marriages on my heart very strongly. What God was compelling me to do was to invite the two teenage girls to the youth camp my church is hosting in November, and to pray and fast for two marriages. Today I was able to speak to the parents of the teenage girls, and to my amazement, the parents despite not being Christian, were very enthusiastic about letting their daughters go to camp. Praise God. Now I have to put these girls in prayer and fast for God to use camp weekend to draw them to Him. Today I was also able to speak to my friend, and to my amazement, she is working things out with her husband. They were on the brink of divorce and I was praying and fasting for their marriage to be restored. This deserves another "PRAISE GOD!" So in the midst of a rough season in my life, today was filled with victory and a glimmer of hope.

I just want to leave you with a song from Jesus Culture that is very fitting for everything that God has made more real to me today.