Wuz up Wuz up Wuz uuuuppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!! (In the Martin voice!) lol
A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a brother from my local congregation another white guy, and he took me to the side and told me about something that God used to break his heart. He told me how as he was delivering Christmas toys to a needy family in the hood he saw something that tore him apart. As he entered their house he saw that they had no electricity or heat. And this was something he never saw here, something that I told him was common in the hood. But he went on to tell me that he wanted to support anything I was doing, whether through prayer or financially and that he will be willing to go anywhere I take him. He just wants to move on what God has done in him.
Flash forward to this past Sunday, I was introduced to another brother who has been looking for me for weeks! He told me how God told him to get rid of his x-box and flat screen tv and he wanted to give it to someone in the hood. He went on to say that he has a heart for missions and church planting and would like to minister with me. I informed this brother that it’s not much I’m doing with no current support except praying and fasting for the city as well as sharing truth with people (but then again that’s the most important stuff!) but he said he would even love to do that. So, I said great, let’s do it!
These are two more answers to prayer that I have been praying for for months! All praise reports and God sends! Now time to get into the mire with this stuff.
Me and my wife have been struggling badly! Spiritual warfare has been intense for us, she has been on bed rest for months and she went into early labor a week or so ago and she’s only 5 months! At her last doctors appt they told her if she dialates 1 more centimeter that they will put her into the hospital until june when the baby is due. She is constantly sick, her body aches in multiple places all day every day and it’s nothing her or I can do about it. On top of these we have been taking blow after blow with our finances that have us in some real serious trouble. And work for me in the midst of this hasn’t been a cakewalk! The funny thing is, all of this didn’t start happening until “Walking on Water”. (Obedience to God comes with trials, suffering and sacrifice but yields great rewards if we endure!)
But in the midst of enduring we have both gotten weak and discouraged and just felt like giving in. Well, recently my wife came to me with a word God spoke to her. As she was in her misery of pain asking God what does she do with this, being in the bed 24-7 depending on others with “no hope” God showed her the young ladies in the hood with kids, whose fathers are who knows where, they are living in section 8 or income based housing who have no hope. Who if they get a job they cut back their food stamps and raise their rent, which leaves them in this “no way out” system. Who need to know that there is more for them. She went on to say that when we move back into the hood we need prayer and financial support. Which when we were last there living as missionaries we had neither. Any way, we moved out of the hood in August for a number of reasons, one being our eyes were to focused on other things we couldn’t see what God wanted us to do, so He took us out to show us clearly(not the first time HE’s done that!) But also, my wife wanted out and for her to want to go back in is a God thing all in itself!
Anyway, I was excited that God encouraged her but I was still discouraged myself and I didn’t want to eat off of her “word from God”. I wanted my own word, and God showed me that I wasn’t suppose to eat off her word, but I was supposed to see what He is and has been doing. One of the things Tiesh mentioned was us needing prayer support (Which is something I’ve been praying for) well, God showed me the people I spoke about previously. He’s already bringing the support, He has been doing it and it’s been subtle. I have been so focused on my discouragement that I didn’t recognize it! That encouraged and strengthened me!
Now the moral of the story is that: we have a long way to go, suffering and trials are not over with and I’m not encouraged to the point of standing tall (I’ve taken some fierce blows!) but what I’m learning and seeing is that God is working, in fact He is always at work even when we don’t see it. Truthfully, He does what He knows NEEDS to be done instead of what we THINK SHOULD BE DONE.
God knows best! So my exhortation to you would be to look out for God and to trust Him because He’s always at work and He knows what needs to be done even if we think otherwise.
And I pray and plead with you to pray for us because it’s crazy tough right now. Thanks!
God is Dope,
Israel
