YWAM Update: Nothing catches you by surprise!

This will be my 2 year reunion to being sent out to YWAM for the Earthcare DTS in Oxford (October, 2009) I'm filled up to the brim and overflowing, the perfect definition of rest. I feel like I'm in Heaven today

While praying this morning, I committed my finances to God saying I want you to lead me in this, because I want to hand this over to you afresh, turning from self-reliance and dependence. So it was a surprise to come to church and hear the preacher speak about the same thing! No one catches God by surprise! I would like to share the whole story with you.

I walked back to the YWAM base and decided I would go upto the prayer room to study Psalms, however a few people were heading down to the farmer's market in Oxford which runs every sunday. They were planning on going, but I thought there was no time, and I wanted to study the bible anyway. When I got up into the prayer room, one of the backpacker students named Sonja was up there. When I sat down, I remembered, all of a sudden, "this is a reason for rejoicing! God is victorious! Celebrate!" then I wanted to go down to the Farmer's market to spend money. While at the Farmer's market, I kept on telling everyone how God had given me excitement to spend my money.

You see, the whole experience was a setup. It took me straight back to when I was in Israel, when God had said "It's on my tab, go crazy and get whatever you want!" I just want to let you know what it feels like. It's like, He's giving me an unconditional yes! This kind of response is what I have come to expect from God. Directly following the time I spent in Israel, I took Him at his word. He said "I'm going to provide for all your outreach fees before the end of the month" I'm not supposed to go ahead from Him, I'm supposed to be walking with Him, and when I obey what He says, it's a delight. I feel a little pressure coming on as I write this.

The more that God provides, the more I say to God "I fully surrender!" at my weakest point is my strongest. I want to draw attention to a man that is mentioned in the bible. His name is Moses. He had been chosen by God to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. While he lead, God was with them. He would lead them by a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. It says that He was a consuming fire among them, and they trembled at hearing His voice, so much they said "we cannot bear it, from this point on do not talk to us directly" It says that they rebelled against God numerous times, and that God, I quote, said "I will destroy Israel as a nation before me and make you Moses into a nation" He must have had a high opinion of Moses. But Moses said "If you destroy them from before you as a nation the nations will say amongst themselves 'God delivered Israel from Egypt only to destroy them in the wilderness' and his name would be blasphemed" From this point on, Israel was safe. But fire would break out against them, and serpents, and destroying angels, and plagues.

What God has done in history, He will do in the future. There will be a time of anguish upon the earth where plagues are poured out on the earth globally, and the interesting power dynamics of being led by God will be openly manifest. The place is not to look backwards, it's to look forwards. If Jesus is coming again, this has to be the most foremost thing on my mind, not the last. For this reason, because I was made for this, for His return.

My dream is to raise up a generation of leaders. What a future! this is my heart for the schools that have just arrived here on base at Oxford, Backpackers and Justice. This means I'm more about the team effort, I just can't do it without others - we need each other to remind of the promises and good testimonies of God.

I really know that God has chosen me - because He's doing everything! That means I can't do anything! I will turn to Him and ask Him what's next. And I just have to look and see what he's done for me. That's actually a promise He gave me while on the DTS 2 years ago. He gets all the attention now! Bless you heaps and I want to catch up!