Share your faith

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 6-7).

There is a strong correlation between those who publicly share their faith with others and an increase in spiritual growth for that individual. In my own journey I've discovered that when I stop sharing my faith with non-believers I begin to see a dryness in my walk with God.

Sometimes we justify our lack of verbal witness by saying we don't have the spiritual gift of evangelism. Or we conclude that because we have an introvert personality we leave witnessing to others who we deem as more qualified. As a well-qualified introvert myself, I've often wanted to use that excuse. 

Then, the Holy Spirit reminds me of a few instructions Jesus said to EVERYONE:

"But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven" (Matt 10:33). "He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15-16). There is not much confusion about what Jesus is saying in these verses. And it relates to all of us.

When we share Christ with others God allows us to gain a deeper and greater understanding of every good thing in Christ. Do you see the direct correlation between sharing your faith and your own spiritual growth? Paul says it's actually a prerequisite to spiritual growth.

One of the great ways to turn a conversation to faith is by asking someone if there is anything you can pray for them about. You will be surprised how easily this will transition you into a conversation about their faith lives.

Today's Prayer

Dear God,

People are always asking me "How are you?" Most of the time, it is just a greeting. They really don't want to know how I am. I admit that in a rush, I'll pass by someone and greet him or her with a "Hi. How are you doing?" Even though I care, I don't really expect to spend a long time in conversation to get all the details of how that person really is doing. That's sad. Please help me to be willing to sacrifice a little of my time and to take a few moments to offer a sincere and caring response. Maybe I should just say, "Fine...and how can I help you today?" or "Been a little under the weather, but doing great today. May I help you... or May I pray for you..." or whatever you lay upon my heart to say and do. I want to give a more personal touch...to be a blessing to others and show your love in my response.

In Jesus' name I thank you.

Silly conversation with God

So, I was driving in my car, praying for my friend's dad who is in the hospital (obviously not the silly part) While I was praying, I felt compelled to say words such as "thy" and "thou". This happens a lot, especially when I'm praying out loud in a group, so I decided to address this with God. 

The conversation went like this...

"God, I know in the bible words like "thy" and "thou" were used...however, they are not in my regular vocabulary so I'm not sure why I always feel like I have to say them when I'm praying. I feel like I'm from the renaissance era when those words come into my head. Like I should be saying, "Jesus, Jesus, wherefore art thou Jesus?" I'm not that sophisticated when I pray...I'm more like, "yo God, what's up? Thanks for this beautiful day we are having" :) and "geez God, why am I so dumb, I screwed that up again. Please forgive me." 

This got me thinking about how other people may pray or talk to God on a regular basis. He hears us and understands us no matter what or how or in what language in which we speak. It's pretty amazing how big and powerful our God is and how He doesn't care how we sound when we talk to Him, just so long as we talk to Him. 

At the end of this prayer/thought process I looked up and saw the cutest little cloud all by itself that looked like a heart to me. God was smiling :) and so was I. Thank you Lord. 

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and God is the sun."

Prayer request from Bulgaria

Email received from the team in Sofia...

Every week we ask our ladies how we can be praying for them. Sometimes they actually tell us things! And sometimes they say, "I have nothing...I'm ok". But they know that we pray for them during the week and that we care. 

Last Sunday E ran up to our car as we pulled up. Crying. She has had teeth problems over the last few months and now she is in a lot of pain due to a bad dentist appointment. She came up and hugged us and said she was hurting. We asked if we could pray for her she said yes. We laid hands on her and prayed for her right there on the Road. 

Whenever we talk to the girls about their teeth they always say that they have a "specific" dentist that they go to and have to wait a long time to get an appointment. We do not know what this means, but it further adds to our belief that they are controlled and not well taken care of. Please pray for our daughters' health. Some take drugs to escape, some never go to the doctor because they are afraid, and some believe that their health does not matter to them. Please pray for their health and that they would see their value and run to the foot of the cross. 

Pray for E, that her tooth would heal and also that she would come to know Jesus. And please continue to pray that the police would not be violent towards them anymore. They are so terrified of them and it kills us to know that people that should be protecting them are actually violent towards them. 

Thank you, again for your prayers. 

1 Chronicles 5:20

They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.

MTW Network Magazine Article

Check out MTW's Network Magazine for the article about what God is doing in my life!

My ministry and how to support me

I have always felt a strong burden and compassion for the spiritually lost and abused, especially women and children. God has prepared my heart for the mission field by bringing me through tough trials and making me stronger through my reliance on Christ. I am currently getting my degree in psychology/Christian counseling and will graduate in spring 2014. I will then be moving to Sofia, Bulgaria where I will be working to help rehabilitate both women and children who are trapped in the darkness of human trafficking.

Imagine sitting in a dark, cold room all alone; you’ve been ripped away from your family and have no idea where you are…complete silence except for the crying of girls you hear in rooms nearby. The next thing you know, 3 men are coming in to grab you and take you into another room where you are repeatedly raped and beaten. This goes on for days…weeks…months…you finally give up. You’ve lost your will to fight and your body no longer feels like your own.  You are then sold to another handler who then forces you to sell your body on the streets to anyone who approaches you. This is what happened to a girl I met on the streets of Bulgaria. You could see the pain in her eyes and the desire she had to be off the streets…yet she is trapped.

There are more than 27 millionother women and children just like M all     over the world. Did you realize that every 26 seconds a woman is sold into slavery for the first time? These women need our help. The team I will be joining in Bulgaria reaches out to these women and shows them the love of Christ that they don’t realize exists. They don’t feel that God loves them and feel as though they are worthless. We will be there to let them know that they are special and that we can help them. We want them to know that we will keep showing up to minister to themand show them the love of Jesus in hopes that the Holy Spirit will move them to follow Christ and get out of the darkness. You can read more about the Daughters of Bulgaria ministry that I will be joining here: http://www.mtwbg.com/DOB

Ways to support my ministry… Please join me in this fight against evil! I need your prayers and financial support to be able to help these girls. Please pray about becoming a member of my team by donating monthly to my ministry. I need $100-$300 a month (or whatever you can give) per person to make this happen. You can donate here:www.mtw.org. Click on ways to give, and then give to missionaries. Find my name and click on donate. Please enter your contact information as well so that I can send you prayer letters and updates on my progress. Thank you so much!

LOVED BY CLEANSING

This is from my devotional today...thought it was worth remembering and sharing :)

Let the Lord see beneath the surface. Allow His love to penetrate. Permit Him to pass through all of your defenses to look at who you are under your makeup. Read the following poem and then ask God to remove any sin that keeps you from receiving His love. Even though there may be no one that you really trust, will you trust Him? "Perfect love casts out all fear" (1 John 4:18). Let Him tenderly, carefully, and lovingly peal away the layers. Let Him wash it all away. Receive His love.

"Under My Makeup"
by Susan Sampson

Who am I under my makeup?
Am I someone who's afraid to be seen?
Or am I a daughter of the King?

Who am I under my makeup?
Am I someone who's afraid to be real?
Or have I been marked by the Holy Spirit's seal?

Who am I under my makeup?
Am I someone who's defined by my wrinkles and flaws?
Or have I been set free from the laws?

Who am I under my makeup?
Am I someone who just isn't good enough?
Or am I covered in Jesus' blood?

Who am I under my makeup?
Am I someone who doesn't like my own story?
Or was I created in the image of God's glory?

Who am I under my makeup?
I am someone who chooses to believe,
That I am a daughter of the King!