Your love never fails, never gives up.
Never runs out on me.
While in the process of preparing to move to Haiti, I was met with a lot of spiritual warfare. I wrote a blog called "Jesus take the wheel", which went into some of the struggles and spiritual warfare I was facing. While in North Carolina, the devil knew exactly where to hit me... and that was financially. I made the decision to move to North Carolina because I knew God wanted me there. I took a significant pay cut and dropped down to only one job (which was a first). I continued to finish my BSN and pay for that. After graduating, my college didn’t file a paper correctly for tax purposes and I got a bill from the IRS (this was eventually fixed) & not to mention the over $10,000 I paid out of pocket for dental work just in the two and a half years I was in North Carolina. Along with a few other bumps along the way, the devil knew finances were the one thing that may hinder me from moving to Haiti. I kept working through each bill, loan, etc… and kept telling Satin to “get out of my life”. After receiving the job offer at GLA, God provided in each circumstance in which “I was running low” and I am continual thankful he gave me the strength and courage to trust in Him and in His promises. I think Satan also realized that God can always beat him, even when it comes to finances! The few weeks before moving I felt calm and comfortable that God would provide because I was doing what he wanted me to do and moving to Haiti to serve Him and the people of Haiti.Fast forward to now.
Tomorrow marks three weeks of living in Haiti. I have been healthy and feeling good maybe 5 whole days. I had bronchitis the first week, followed by stomach problems and now I have had fever/chills & Strep Throat since Thursday night. New germs, food, travel, fatigue have most likely played a part in this but seriously in needs to stop. I want to be able to give 100% to the children, staff & volunteers at GLA. In my previous blog post I asked “What do you do to combat spiritual warfare? & Does anyone know of any good verses or passages to read?” I wanted to share what I found in case you were searching yourself and hadn’t found what you were looking for. Ephesians 6:10-20 says:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
This set of verses is labeled “The Armor of God”; as you face the day doing God’s work, put on the full armor of God and let God do His work in your life. I will stand my ground against Satan and be cheerful, knowing that I am working for the Lord and he is my ultimate healer and provider. He will comfort me in my sickness and help me fight each battle Satan puts in front of me; whatever that may be. As I write this I can’t help but feel selfish. I live in this beautiful country full of beautiful people who are suffering. I know my financial and physical burdens will be healed. Others live without that possibility or even the hope of that possibility. I hope that as I live this life God has given me, I exude the Armor of God and am able to share the hope, strength, courage, & possibilities that come when you have faith in Jesus Christ. I leave you with this verse; “Search for the Lord and for His strength; seek his face always” Psalm 105:4.
…to be continued…
-B
An addendum... A day later.
As I finished up this post yesterday, I really wanted to find a song to lift my spirits along with Ephesians 6:10-20; so here it is: One Thing Remains by Jesus Culture.
In death, In life, I’m confident and
covered by the power of Your great love
My debt is paid, there’s nothing that can
separate my heart from Your great love...
