Do you ever feel like there is something inside you that is itching to get out? Do you ever feel bitter towards a situation that feels like it will never end? Do you find yourself becoming restless? Do you find yourself having internal confusion and external conflict? A hunger to hear from God, and yet he is silent
Hey y’all! My name is Natalie and Im a college student in the States.
Right now, the whole world is going through (hopefully) the single craziest time in our lives. For many of us, jobs have been lost, activities cancelled, and plans left in the dust.
But, what is going on in your heart?
I am writing this as I finish my final semester of school, thinking of all the goodbyes I never got to make, and the memories that I dreamt of which are not going to happen.
Over and over, I’ve asked the Lord, “What do you want me to do during this time?” I know that I am to keep connected to HIM to further my understanding of the Word, and to spread the love and news of Jesus to those that who so desperately need hope.
Before millions of students around the world like myself were forced to go home, I prayed a pretty bold prayer while sitting outside on my campus one early March day. I asked God, “Lord, lead me into troubled waters, for I know with you I’ll stay afloat.” Now, that seems contradicting, doesn’t it? At that time, I was tired of wading in the waters of God, and I desired a challenge from HIM in my life, to not only strengthen my faith, but to equip me with HIS fearless grace and mercy to share HIS Word fervently with others.
Lo and behold, just a couple weeks after, I came home to a life that was still and not ‘popping.’
For the busy bees like me, this was terrible. The feeling of that itching from the inside out to get out and talk to people, literally anyone, was so strong, and I couldn’t do anything to fulfill that physical, social desire!
It wasn’t until a week or so into being quarantined that I had the sudden and passionate desire to start a bible study!
For those who know me, I love to talk and connect with others, but I’ve always had this fear of doing it alone, and boldly, in front of others for more than 15 minutes at a time.
So what did I do? I started it anyhow. The Lord placed Matthew 7:7-8 so heavily on my heart where Jesus says:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Starting the bible study, I was so excited for what was to come.
Was there times that I thought I couldn’t do it, that I thought I was a failure after I ended the Zoom call, that I thought the people involved wouldn’t gain anything from what I said? Absolutely!
But not for a second did I let the enemy get under my skin, because THIS was not the time where I was going to let him have a hold on my life and distort how I view myself.
In Acts 18:9-10, the Lord spoke to Paul one night in a vision when he was speaking to people in a town that didn’t know Jesus:
“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack or harm you because I have many people in this city.”
The God of all power, all hope, and all strength is ALIVE!!
And that peace, reassurance, and confidence I gained from this passage spoke into my soul, and encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing.
It is through Jesus that our worth is found. When I clung to the truth found in the Word of God, it brought me out of those negative thoughts that I was dumb and defeated, and into the light to fulfill HIS purpose: To spread the Gospel to all nations.
But transitions, how does that fit into what I’ve already said?
Transitions is a process.
We can’t follow in God’s new direction for our lives, if we are still holding onto emotional baggage, and expecting it to come with us.
So then, how do we transition into the person that God wants us to be, in order to fulfill his promises for us? In Acts 17:26-27, Paul says to the Athenians, describing God:
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek HIM and perhaps reach out for HIM and find HIM, though he is not far from any of us.”
In this, Paul says that God marked out appointed times, and boundaries of lands in which people grow, serve, and live-- all in HIS presence. Think about that for a minute.
Where you are right now, at this time in your life? How is God calling you to reach out to HIM?
How is he whispering to you to transition spiritually, mentally, emotionally?
He may be nudging at you every day to let. It. go. He may be whispering to you to simply trust in Him with all of your heart. He may even be telling you to simply come and rest at his feet. And if you’re not sure, ask him-- ‘Lord, how are you transitioning me? Spiritually, mentally, emotionally?’
Transitioning for me, looks a lot like turning off the music, the t.v., putting my phone on ‘do not disturb’ and resting in the Lord.
Some days, I don’t hear anything, but to know that that HE is near, whether HE spoke in my ear or not, has pulled me even closer to HIS presence.
I’ve laid down my busy to-do list, telling myself over and over again that we are human beings, not human doings!
I’ve also given up control, and am now allowing God to move peacefully in and through my soul, knowing that HE’s got this.
It’s not always easy, but God never said we would have an easy life, but he DID say that in John 10:10:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”
I pray that my story, my little blog about a small part of my life gave you hope, strength, and confidence that the Lord is FOR you, not against you. As we transition into summer here in the States, and for whatever season you will enter into next where you are, how is God transitioning your heart spiritually, mentally, and emotionally?
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