Isn't it exciting when God begins to teach you things and an hour, one day, or some relatively quick amount of time later you get this great opportunity to practice what you've learned. God uses life to teach us, to test our faith, to prevent greater disaster later in life, to make us more like Jesus, etc.
I learn so much from my friends as we experience life together and share in the journey of following Christ.
I was talking to my best friend that lives over in the Dallas area over a week ago now. She is attending grad school at UNT and was looking for a place to live in Denton. Most of you know Kayce and if you read my blog at all you've found out God uses her a lot in my life. She'll say one line in a story that will stick out to me, i'll write it down in my journal, and somehow I will need just that specific phrase in my journey. This happened sometime this past week.
Kayce was looking for a place to live in Denton as she prepares to move closer to her school. The whole story is a really awesome story of God's love and favor for His daughter, but I'm going to stick to the details that display what I want to talk about. As Kayce goes in to a garage apartment her realtor was sure she would love, she was, to say the least a little disappointed. It was nothing like what she wanted and didn't really fit kayce's adorable old fashioned little style. :) When she left she begin to talk to the Lord about it. She remembered something the Lord had been teaching her. I'm not a beggar. I'm a Daughter. She told God that she knew God's infinite resources and that she knew that He could give her something better. I LOVE WHAT SHE TOLD HIM! (her words summed up) "God it's not my favorite, I know that you have the ability to do better, I dont have to beg of You for more, but no matter what Your will, not mine, and if this is what you want for me, ok."
In most cases I'm not too much of a talker and I'm more of a listener, so as Kayce is telling me the story and I hear the words "i'm not a beggar I'm a daughter" I let her continue on with the story as I just wrote the words down, and made a mental note to pray through that a little later.
As I thought and prayed about it later, I realized how little I live into this concept. I "know" it. I've heard it similarly put 100 million times in church, but this is how we know there is a complete difference in head knowledge and heart wisdom. I'll simply throw a request up at the Lord and then continue to try and find my own way to meet my need, if I take the time to ask of the Father at all.
James 4:2 "You have not because you ask not"
I think about my own natural father. Though we've been through many rough things when I need something of him I simply go to him in confidence and ask. Many times when asking for money, I'll go up to him with my hand already out, laughing, as I say "daddy, money?" I know my dad. I know that my dad has money and I know that what he has, is also mine. I'm his daughter. Any need that my dad can meet for me, he will do. He'll never leave me stranded, he'd never say psshhh you've never helped me, he won't turn his back on me. My Daddy loves me. I'm his daughter.
Imagine as we take this to the scale of me and my Daddy, my Heavenly Father. Anything I could have need of my Daddy God can meet that need. His resources are limitless, His mercy never ending, His grace unfailing, His willingness and desire to show His love through me is in His innate character.
(I hope those of you that know me, know me well enough to know, that I am not talking about God giving you everything you "want". I'm not talking about this in areas of lust and greed or pride. I'm simply talking about the heart of our Father to fulfill all your needs)
Matthew 7:11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him!
Here we see this again. The first thing we must note is He wants us to ask. It's all throughout matthew 7. I could quote the entire chapter here, if you don't know it, go read it. Ask and you shall receive... over and over again. God wants us to inquire of Him and Him alone. This is where I pinpointed my lack of faith.
I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter. As I walk up to my earthly Father I don't say Dad I need $30 to get my oil changed, ok now I'm going to go scrounge around the house to see if I can find $30 or where is my debit card, so that I can go pay for it myself. I go to my Dad, I ask him, and I wait. I wait until Dad pulls his wallet out. As I ask of my Heavenly Father I do not wait upon Him with the same faith, the same confidence, the same trust. Ok God here is my prayer request, well you may or may not help me out so i better go see what I can do just in case You don't come through. It sounds laughable doesn't it? That I trust Randy Tate to provide for me more than I trust God? Perhaps, but I have to confess, that many times, it's true.
Soon after I was convicted and learned this lesson. I simply began to make more conscious decisions to pray specifically for my needs. I was already reading a book by Andrew Murray titled "Waiting on God", so I incorporated that in and began to wait to hear the voice of my Father before taking actions. Then the test came.
I had a situation come up that really challenged me. It confused me. It messed with the plans I thought the Lord had given me and there seemed to be no natural way of resolving the situation. After one round of tears, i sat up, and remembered. I'm not a beggar, I'm a daughter.
I don't come to the table crawling not making eye contact whispering self consciously my requests of my Father. I come BOLDLY to the throne room of GRACE, stating my needs, and asking of my DADDY GOD, who DESIRES to meet my needs. I got in my car went for a little drive and said Lord, here it is, this is what I'm feeling, this is what I need, I'm not going to panic, I'm not going to have a break down, I'm going to wait here until you fix this situation or You give me confirmation that this is your will. Not my will but Yours. I called a few close friends let them in on the situation to have them praying with me and within 3 hours half of the matter was resolved and by the end of the weekend all of it was.
My God knows my needs and He desires to meet them. He can and He will. If we ask, if we have faith, and if sometimes we'll take our hands off. I like this line from the Jason Upton song Teach me How to Pray:
Not my will or my plans or the way I want it I’m so tired of my hands in the way So reveal to these eyes the true heart of my Father, today
Lord teach me how to pray
Kayce and I talked again and she told me some things the Lord was teaching her about not being a beggar. After the garage apartment she didn't like (amazing story details not mentioned) she got a little cottage that she LOVED. She told me how the enemy tried to attack her throughout the process. Different thoughts of you're never going to get any better than this so just settle for it, or you don't deserve this, but she said something very wise at the end
"I realized the enemy didn't care what I believed, as long as I never realized that I'm a daughter"
How true that statement is. We bounce from one side to the other, I don't deserve this, I guess I should settle for this, God won't help me with this because i've done this and this, ... We could wall paper the walls of the white house in 8pt font with the lies the enemy tries to sell us. The one thing he wants to make sure you don't realize is YOU ARE A DAUGHTER. or for you men it applies as well, YOU ARE A SON! Jesus Christ tempted and tried, spotless, blameless, sinless, died a horrific death, displayed on a cross for all to shame and humiliate him, with pain beyond my imagination, blood poured out, so that WE, could be fellow heirs. Sons and Daughters of the most High. The true Son, crucified, for YOU, so that you can be called daughter or son. Live into what Jesus paid for. He paid for your ability to pray, to go to heaven, to live as a child of the Most High.
I'm not a Beggar, I'm a Daughter.
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The POWER in YOU!
I've been in a reading mode lately. On top of my Bible reading I've read 1-2 books a week over the past couple of months. I've read many classics, some novels, and from authors of many different views of theology. I've read 2 Andrew Murray, 2 Smith Wigglesworth, Maria W. Etter, Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, Brother Lawerence, Joyce Meyer, and of course my novels. For each book I've read, i've learned more and more about who I am in Christ. Who God says I can be, and what I can do with Him.
I wrote my last blog titled "Are you possessing" about the Lord giving me some revelation on Christians going in and POSSESSING the land. Conquering! These last few months have been an interesting new territory for me with my walk with the Lord.
Today the Lord asked me to call someone and repent for a mistake i made four years ago!!! Talk about an humbling experience, but as I spent time in my prayer closet the Lord spoke to me something that I just HAVE TO SHARE! The Lord said You have to repent, because i'm trying to make you like my Son, I'm trying to teach you. I have spent these last few months teaching YOU how to have POWER on this earth.
I have no problem admitting that this is where a little pride came in. God are you kidding me? I know how to have POWER in the kingdom of God. Just in the last year I've seen people healed, saved, miracles happen, i've had them happen to me, You've used me to do them, I went to another country to share the gospel. I've seen prayers immediately answered and prayers answered in Your perfect timing. God, I have no doubt that I have power!!!
The Lord spoke in His gentle, firm, way, "You have only seen the tip of my power, a tip of the power that I am willing to use through YOU!". The reason I'm writing this blog is because i'm a firm believer in, if He'll do it in me, He'll do it in you, If He'll do it through me, He'll do it THROUGH YOU!
Smith Wigglesworth said in one of his books (my paraphrase) "I believe we'll all be surprised one day when we get to heaven and realize that the Paul, Peter, David, they were all just people, like you and me". I was greatly encouraged and inspired when i read this. I was humbled. You mean the same Peter that people tried to get his shadow to touch them so they could be healed? The same Paul that it says in Acts 19 that when his handkerchiefs and apron touched the sick they were healed? The same David that cried out in psalms 27:4 One thing I desire to dwell in the courts of the Lord and behold His beauty ever more. The same David that Acts says is a man after God's own heart. You're saying they were just people!!?! Well, they were.
Today at work a man came up to me to ask a question, around his neck he wore a crucifix and I felt the spirit speak to me, do you know how much power you have because Jesus isn't on that cross anymore? wheww.. i wanted to leave work and go get on my knees!!
I've looked back over these past 4 years of college and I think I along with my friends in Lubbock, friends in Liberty, Youth at cstone, EG church, would say we have seen God's power. Salvations, healings, repentance, confession,demons casted out, realness. As I'm sure anyone reading this could say. They have seen God's power. And I thought to what the Lord said to me. I over these last few months have been teaching YOU how to have power. So what are a couple of the things I have learned. There is no way I could go through all the lessons i've been taught, miracles I've seen, or revelations I've been given this semester, so i'm going to sum it up.
First I've learned: It's not about me. It's all about Him. He chooses ME! He chooses to use me, to display His power in me, for HIS GLORY!
Next: If I see that it's not about me, I've seen God use me, then I have to know that God can and wants to give ME, POWER, for His glory and His use.
Then: I need to be real. If i mess up, fess up to God and to others. Pray and be honest with God. Ask for things you need, ask to be used. Don't hesitate to be real, vulnerable, humble, REAL.
I need to be available. Listen to the Spirit. He's speaking. He wants to use you, are you listening? Don't think of God's work as an inconvenience, no matter how small.
I need to do battle. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to destroy what God is doing in you, what God wants to do through you, and YOU in general. Pray, rebuke, intercede, read your word, IT'S YOUR SWORD!! For every great breakthrough and seed from the Lord, comes a desperate attempt of the enemy to steal it (yes yes i know i say this all the time, it's not a new one)!
I need to not believe the lies. This is part of doing battle. Guard your mind (Romans 12:2) The enemy will try to feed you lies, but God speaks truth. He says who you are in Him, what you can do with Him, He's not condemning. God will discipline His children, not condemn them.
There are many more obviously, but the greatest is that. I can be who God says I can be, I can do what He says I can do. If He says I'm a conqueror, I believe Him. If He says I can do all things through Christ, I believe Him. I see all through the Bible God using ordinary people like you and me to advance His kingdom.
It's time for us to step up and realize that God's power is in us, to advance His Kingdom. He wants to use us!! All it takes is loving God and loving others. Recognizing who you are in Christ! I have so much more I wanted to write, but sadly no more time to write it!!!
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
We need to realize that the promises that overflow our Bibles will overflow into our own lives only as we appropriate them through prayer. ~Jim Cymbala
I wrote my last blog titled "Are you possessing" about the Lord giving me some revelation on Christians going in and POSSESSING the land. Conquering! These last few months have been an interesting new territory for me with my walk with the Lord.
Today the Lord asked me to call someone and repent for a mistake i made four years ago!!! Talk about an humbling experience, but as I spent time in my prayer closet the Lord spoke to me something that I just HAVE TO SHARE! The Lord said You have to repent, because i'm trying to make you like my Son, I'm trying to teach you. I have spent these last few months teaching YOU how to have POWER on this earth.
I have no problem admitting that this is where a little pride came in. God are you kidding me? I know how to have POWER in the kingdom of God. Just in the last year I've seen people healed, saved, miracles happen, i've had them happen to me, You've used me to do them, I went to another country to share the gospel. I've seen prayers immediately answered and prayers answered in Your perfect timing. God, I have no doubt that I have power!!!
The Lord spoke in His gentle, firm, way, "You have only seen the tip of my power, a tip of the power that I am willing to use through YOU!". The reason I'm writing this blog is because i'm a firm believer in, if He'll do it in me, He'll do it in you, If He'll do it through me, He'll do it THROUGH YOU!
Smith Wigglesworth said in one of his books (my paraphrase) "I believe we'll all be surprised one day when we get to heaven and realize that the Paul, Peter, David, they were all just people, like you and me". I was greatly encouraged and inspired when i read this. I was humbled. You mean the same Peter that people tried to get his shadow to touch them so they could be healed? The same Paul that it says in Acts 19 that when his handkerchiefs and apron touched the sick they were healed? The same David that cried out in psalms 27:4 One thing I desire to dwell in the courts of the Lord and behold His beauty ever more. The same David that Acts says is a man after God's own heart. You're saying they were just people!!?! Well, they were.
Today at work a man came up to me to ask a question, around his neck he wore a crucifix and I felt the spirit speak to me, do you know how much power you have because Jesus isn't on that cross anymore? wheww.. i wanted to leave work and go get on my knees!!
I've looked back over these past 4 years of college and I think I along with my friends in Lubbock, friends in Liberty, Youth at cstone, EG church, would say we have seen God's power. Salvations, healings, repentance, confession,demons casted out, realness. As I'm sure anyone reading this could say. They have seen God's power. And I thought to what the Lord said to me. I over these last few months have been teaching YOU how to have power. So what are a couple of the things I have learned. There is no way I could go through all the lessons i've been taught, miracles I've seen, or revelations I've been given this semester, so i'm going to sum it up.
First I've learned: It's not about me. It's all about Him. He chooses ME! He chooses to use me, to display His power in me, for HIS GLORY!
Next: If I see that it's not about me, I've seen God use me, then I have to know that God can and wants to give ME, POWER, for His glory and His use.
Then: I need to be real. If i mess up, fess up to God and to others. Pray and be honest with God. Ask for things you need, ask to be used. Don't hesitate to be real, vulnerable, humble, REAL.
I need to be available. Listen to the Spirit. He's speaking. He wants to use you, are you listening? Don't think of God's work as an inconvenience, no matter how small.
I need to do battle. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants to destroy what God is doing in you, what God wants to do through you, and YOU in general. Pray, rebuke, intercede, read your word, IT'S YOUR SWORD!! For every great breakthrough and seed from the Lord, comes a desperate attempt of the enemy to steal it (yes yes i know i say this all the time, it's not a new one)!
I need to not believe the lies. This is part of doing battle. Guard your mind (Romans 12:2) The enemy will try to feed you lies, but God speaks truth. He says who you are in Him, what you can do with Him, He's not condemning. God will discipline His children, not condemn them.
There are many more obviously, but the greatest is that. I can be who God says I can be, I can do what He says I can do. If He says I'm a conqueror, I believe Him. If He says I can do all things through Christ, I believe Him. I see all through the Bible God using ordinary people like you and me to advance His kingdom.
It's time for us to step up and realize that God's power is in us, to advance His Kingdom. He wants to use us!! All it takes is loving God and loving others. Recognizing who you are in Christ! I have so much more I wanted to write, but sadly no more time to write it!!!
Be Blessed,
J. Tate
We need to realize that the promises that overflow our Bibles will overflow into our own lives only as we appropriate them through prayer. ~Jim Cymbala
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Are you possessing?
I was at work the other day reading in Genesis. I read Genesis 15:7 as the Spirit quickened in me to stop and meditate on this scripture.
v7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.
With my new handy Bible I looked up the Hebrew which in the context of this verse the word possess means to consume and conquer!
I sort of dropped it there until it came back up in my prayer time today. I began to look up more scriptures that dealt with possessing. Not surprising there were tons in Deuteronomy as the Lord instructs the Israelite people to possess the land promised them.
Deuteronomy 1:8 See I have placed the land before you; go in and POSSESS the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.
This is when the Spirit really began to speak to me about possessing. Notice this part: "go in and possess". See going in to the land wasn't fulfilling the instructions. They were to go in AND possess. We have gotten into a tendency as the Israelites did of thinking that going in IS possessing!!
How many times did God show the Isralites that He prepared a way for them, yet in their stubbornness they questioned God and in fear never took the land that He had for them.
I got interested and began reading over and over the exodus story and also Deuteronomy, where we see the same plot. God has this great land for them to not only live in, but to POSSESS. To rule to reign, without fear, without lack, having every need met by Father God, but they were scared, rebellious, a fearful people lacking trust and faith in the God who had already brought them out of slavery and prepared for them freedom.
The more I read the more frustrated I became. Stupid people, how many times does He have to lay it out for you! He wants you to live in this Promised Land. Stop wandering around slandering, rebelling, living in fear and doubt, and GO POSSESS THE LAND!! In Deuteronomy just the subtitles in my Bible are frustrating: Conquests recounted (God slaughters for them) Israelites urged to obey God (WHAT?) Promises of God, God's gracious dealings, Israel provokes God, Rewards of Obedience!! Yeesh. You don't even have to read the verses to get that God did work on their behalf, they mess up, He shows them grace, They mess up, He urges them to obey, They mess up, He forgives them then rewards them, etc. etc. etc. Then...
I was reminded. This is my story too. I believe in the promises of God given to each and every believer and I believe in the individual promises for each believer's purpose.
I have a calling and a purpose. That purpose is my land that i'm not just supposed to dabble in or live in, but supposed to possess! To conquer! I find in myself the very same "settle" stubborn mentality that brain washed the Israelite people. And what I see rapid in the body of Christ today is the enemy's deceptive tactics trying to convince us that we aren't meant to possess we should just be happy with dwelling in the land.
I have a friend here at Tech that everytime you say something she doesn't want to do or disagree with she just replies with "bump that". It always makes me laugh as we say something like "let's go work out" and the simple reply we all know is coming "bump that". I know you're wondering what this has to do w/ anything i've been talking about, but as I really begin to think upon this deception and lie from the enemy, the words that rise in my heart are "BUMP THAT!". We don't need to listen to no stinking liar telling us what is complete opposite of scripture.
God said go IN the land and POSSESS it. Stop settling with making it to the door of your dreams, to the door of victory, i'm not going to stand at the door. I'm going to go in and when i get there, I'm going to possess. The Word says we're more than conquerors through Jesus! So why aren't we conquering?
Begin to inquire of the Lord, WHERE IS MY LAND? HELP ME POSSESS IT!
Abraham had no problem being frank with the Lord.
v8 And he said, "O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?"
We each have areas of our lives, visions, purpose, that we should be POSSESSING, CONQUERING, but for too long have believed the lies that we should just be glad we've made it this far, i should just sit here because obviously this is as far as God wants me to go. I don't know about you, but to me it just doesn't sound like victory, possession, and conquering.
You all know how much I like examples. The place I need to most apply this to is our youth group (Encounter God). We were called to go into a land of West Lubbock and I believe God handed that over to my pastors, the leaders of EG ministries, He's handing that over to me as a youth minister and to our youth workers. A land that we're not just given to go sit and dwell, with the awesome new building He provided, the Bibles, the new sound system, etc. We're to go in AND POSSESS it. To claim that ground to no longer be the rejected, hard knocks, area anymore, but the area on fire for Jesus, where revival begins and spreads to the city. As the drug dealers, prostitutes, etc. that reign over there where come to their knees in repentance. I don't want to settle with being happy that our students aren't getting shot. If possession is what is open to us, we're going to possess. And as the word says, not because of our righteousness, not because of our doings, not because we can do it, but because of God's mercy, because of His grace, and because He's already prepared the way, we just have to follow.
Find what needs possessing in your life.
Be blessed,
J. Tate
v7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.
With my new handy Bible I looked up the Hebrew which in the context of this verse the word possess means to consume and conquer!
I sort of dropped it there until it came back up in my prayer time today. I began to look up more scriptures that dealt with possessing. Not surprising there were tons in Deuteronomy as the Lord instructs the Israelite people to possess the land promised them.
Deuteronomy 1:8 See I have placed the land before you; go in and POSSESS the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.
This is when the Spirit really began to speak to me about possessing. Notice this part: "go in and possess". See going in to the land wasn't fulfilling the instructions. They were to go in AND possess. We have gotten into a tendency as the Israelites did of thinking that going in IS possessing!!
How many times did God show the Isralites that He prepared a way for them, yet in their stubbornness they questioned God and in fear never took the land that He had for them.
I got interested and began reading over and over the exodus story and also Deuteronomy, where we see the same plot. God has this great land for them to not only live in, but to POSSESS. To rule to reign, without fear, without lack, having every need met by Father God, but they were scared, rebellious, a fearful people lacking trust and faith in the God who had already brought them out of slavery and prepared for them freedom.
The more I read the more frustrated I became. Stupid people, how many times does He have to lay it out for you! He wants you to live in this Promised Land. Stop wandering around slandering, rebelling, living in fear and doubt, and GO POSSESS THE LAND!! In Deuteronomy just the subtitles in my Bible are frustrating: Conquests recounted (God slaughters for them) Israelites urged to obey God (WHAT?) Promises of God, God's gracious dealings, Israel provokes God, Rewards of Obedience!! Yeesh. You don't even have to read the verses to get that God did work on their behalf, they mess up, He shows them grace, They mess up, He urges them to obey, They mess up, He forgives them then rewards them, etc. etc. etc. Then...
I was reminded. This is my story too. I believe in the promises of God given to each and every believer and I believe in the individual promises for each believer's purpose.
I have a calling and a purpose. That purpose is my land that i'm not just supposed to dabble in or live in, but supposed to possess! To conquer! I find in myself the very same "settle" stubborn mentality that brain washed the Israelite people. And what I see rapid in the body of Christ today is the enemy's deceptive tactics trying to convince us that we aren't meant to possess we should just be happy with dwelling in the land.
I have a friend here at Tech that everytime you say something she doesn't want to do or disagree with she just replies with "bump that". It always makes me laugh as we say something like "let's go work out" and the simple reply we all know is coming "bump that". I know you're wondering what this has to do w/ anything i've been talking about, but as I really begin to think upon this deception and lie from the enemy, the words that rise in my heart are "BUMP THAT!". We don't need to listen to no stinking liar telling us what is complete opposite of scripture.
God said go IN the land and POSSESS it. Stop settling with making it to the door of your dreams, to the door of victory, i'm not going to stand at the door. I'm going to go in and when i get there, I'm going to possess. The Word says we're more than conquerors through Jesus! So why aren't we conquering?
Begin to inquire of the Lord, WHERE IS MY LAND? HELP ME POSSESS IT!
Abraham had no problem being frank with the Lord.
v8 And he said, "O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?"
We each have areas of our lives, visions, purpose, that we should be POSSESSING, CONQUERING, but for too long have believed the lies that we should just be glad we've made it this far, i should just sit here because obviously this is as far as God wants me to go. I don't know about you, but to me it just doesn't sound like victory, possession, and conquering.
You all know how much I like examples. The place I need to most apply this to is our youth group (Encounter God). We were called to go into a land of West Lubbock and I believe God handed that over to my pastors, the leaders of EG ministries, He's handing that over to me as a youth minister and to our youth workers. A land that we're not just given to go sit and dwell, with the awesome new building He provided, the Bibles, the new sound system, etc. We're to go in AND POSSESS it. To claim that ground to no longer be the rejected, hard knocks, area anymore, but the area on fire for Jesus, where revival begins and spreads to the city. As the drug dealers, prostitutes, etc. that reign over there where come to their knees in repentance. I don't want to settle with being happy that our students aren't getting shot. If possession is what is open to us, we're going to possess. And as the word says, not because of our righteousness, not because of our doings, not because we can do it, but because of God's mercy, because of His grace, and because He's already prepared the way, we just have to follow.
Find what needs possessing in your life.
Be blessed,
J. Tate
Friday, October 9, 2009
Oh so Blessed!
Lately I have been learning about gratefulness. So many people my age (I don't exclude myself) struggle with being appreciative. We have selfish attitudes that somehow convince us that we are owed what is given to us. This is a tactic from the enemy to rob God's children of many breakthroughs and blessings. There is so much power in praise, appreciation, and open gratitude towards God.
Over the past few weeks I've been in constant state of gratefulness as the Lord is teaching me more and more about appreciation. I'll be driving down the road and burst into tears as a realization of another area in which God has protected me, blessed me, saved me, changed me, freed me, etc. I'm not sure where along the road, but at some point we can become used to the Lord's blessings, favor, and grace and mercy He has shown, will show, and does show day to day.
Yesterday as most of you know was my birthday. Take this next paragraph, as I discuss what I think, however you would like, but I believe that God was giving me birthday presents over the last couple of days. First off, I don't think it's coincidence that 24/7 prayer began in October, my birthday month, and something that I have passionately prayed for and desired for this campus. Then on Wednesday night my youth discussed and asked questions for over 45 minutes about Jesus, salvation, the cross, etc. This was possibly the best birthday present ever that only God could give. When you put so much time and work and love into a group of kids that need to know the love of Jesus so desperately nothing compares to listening to them earnestly desire to know more about Him. Afterwards my friends threw me another surprise part, FOUR YEARS of college and FOUR SURPRISE PARTIES, i am so blessed with Godly friends who care for me and show me love on a daily basis!! I had gotten off all of my shifts at work except for my 6 a.m. shift on thursday. As I arrived at work promptly at 540 a.m. i was told that work double booked the shift and I COULD GO HOME!!! I woke up around 9a.m. with some doughnuts and a kolache awaiting me on the table beside me that my roommate had bought for me. Then on top of that my professor called a little later saying happy birthday have a good fall break, dont' come to class!!! I was able to schedule an earlier flight AT NO EXTRA CHARGE and arrived in houston last night, which means i get a full day w/ my mom today instead of half a day. These are just a few of the many ways I felt blessed over the last few days, but I saw God move on my behalf and make my birthday everything i could have wanted.
I'm home until tuesday and have a splendid weekend planned and I am so so so excited. I haven't been home in two months and it feels so great to drive down the road of little ole' liberty texas. I get to play in an exes game today, probably get a liberty sno-cone, my dad is taking off work and coming to see me, i'll get to spend time w/ my family and the rossow family, see my church family and friends. Such a great relaxing vacation for me.
Beyond just these topical daily things where I see the Lord just loving on me, there is so much around us to be grateful for EVERYDAY. Salvation, freedom, the cross, resurrection, prayer, intimacy with the Lord, protection, mercy, grace, life, breath, health, wealth, etc. the list could go on and on and on. Be thankful, never stop being vocally thankful.
Be blessed,
J. Tate
Over the past few weeks I've been in constant state of gratefulness as the Lord is teaching me more and more about appreciation. I'll be driving down the road and burst into tears as a realization of another area in which God has protected me, blessed me, saved me, changed me, freed me, etc. I'm not sure where along the road, but at some point we can become used to the Lord's blessings, favor, and grace and mercy He has shown, will show, and does show day to day.
Yesterday as most of you know was my birthday. Take this next paragraph, as I discuss what I think, however you would like, but I believe that God was giving me birthday presents over the last couple of days. First off, I don't think it's coincidence that 24/7 prayer began in October, my birthday month, and something that I have passionately prayed for and desired for this campus. Then on Wednesday night my youth discussed and asked questions for over 45 minutes about Jesus, salvation, the cross, etc. This was possibly the best birthday present ever that only God could give. When you put so much time and work and love into a group of kids that need to know the love of Jesus so desperately nothing compares to listening to them earnestly desire to know more about Him. Afterwards my friends threw me another surprise part, FOUR YEARS of college and FOUR SURPRISE PARTIES, i am so blessed with Godly friends who care for me and show me love on a daily basis!! I had gotten off all of my shifts at work except for my 6 a.m. shift on thursday. As I arrived at work promptly at 540 a.m. i was told that work double booked the shift and I COULD GO HOME!!! I woke up around 9a.m. with some doughnuts and a kolache awaiting me on the table beside me that my roommate had bought for me. Then on top of that my professor called a little later saying happy birthday have a good fall break, dont' come to class!!! I was able to schedule an earlier flight AT NO EXTRA CHARGE and arrived in houston last night, which means i get a full day w/ my mom today instead of half a day. These are just a few of the many ways I felt blessed over the last few days, but I saw God move on my behalf and make my birthday everything i could have wanted.
I'm home until tuesday and have a splendid weekend planned and I am so so so excited. I haven't been home in two months and it feels so great to drive down the road of little ole' liberty texas. I get to play in an exes game today, probably get a liberty sno-cone, my dad is taking off work and coming to see me, i'll get to spend time w/ my family and the rossow family, see my church family and friends. Such a great relaxing vacation for me.
Beyond just these topical daily things where I see the Lord just loving on me, there is so much around us to be grateful for EVERYDAY. Salvation, freedom, the cross, resurrection, prayer, intimacy with the Lord, protection, mercy, grace, life, breath, health, wealth, etc. the list could go on and on and on. Be thankful, never stop being vocally thankful.
Be blessed,
J. Tate
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