Friday of the Beloved

Howdy!

It sure feels good to be back in Houston again! Although I miss my peeps from C-Stat, I'm happy to spend some time with my dad and sister this weekend. Yesterday was just mind-blowing! After I came back with Jared and arrived home, I wanted to go see my fellow brothers and sisters from my church. Once I got there, I could just feel the warmth of the welcoming faces! Thanking God for just allowing me to arrive in time, He told me to patch up some things with a friend that I believe that I hurt. Although I wanted to do it before the service started, the speaker got to the podium faster than I could walk to him so I just sat down and waited until after.

What an amazing message my pastor brought! God totally spoke to me with the story of Gideon in Judges when He tells him "The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior!". Gideon was a youth and he was given a responsibility to go and do God's will. I think that we are all called to do different things in the kingdom of God. We each have our individual strengths and weaknesses and God understands that. That is why He puts us in a place in which He knows we will be able to truly show our strengths while be helped by others for our weaknesses. My pastor ultimately challenged us to do something amazing for God, whether it be in church, school, with friends or wherever He may lead you. I received it whole-heartedly and we began prayer after he delivered the message.

After the service ended, I began to feel that pressure to talk to my brother when I received a specific word of encouragement that I received from Life Group just the day before. It was John 15:1-8 and it talks about Jesus being the Vine, God the Father is the Gardener, and we are the branches. For a gardener, if he sees fruit being grown on his tree or plant, then he will nourish it until it ripens and he is proud. If he notices a branch that does not produce fruit, then he will chop it off across the apical meristem. For a plant, the apical meristem is a bundle of cells on a branch that just can't seem to grow until it is activated. Gardeners usually activate this growth of differentiated cells by cutting a portion off, allowing them to grow freely, even more beautiful at times. That is what God does. He sees our fruit and rejoices as He nourishes it with love, and when He sees a portion of us not bearing fruit, then He immediately gets to work and chops it off so that we may be able to grow to our full potential. This pruning could focus on a place in your life in which you are struggling with. So let God just take care of it while you receive life from Jesus who is the Vine in which you receive power!

After I explained all this to him, he smiled and told me that it was something that he was waiting to hear and that I'm such a blessing to be doing this. After talking for a little bit, he left and I went to go tell my pastor everything that has happened since I got to College Station. He hears me and tells me that it was prophetized that God would do great things with me. He would move me in a way that I could simply not resist Him. Now that it has come to pass, I should take His gifts that He has bestowed upon me and do His will. Of course, this is just the most encouraging thing that I have heard in a while and it struck me why I felt the things that I felt during this past month. It all makes sense now what I have to do. I just have to love and encourage people from the sidelines. Whether or not I get recognition is never the point, because all the glory goes to God!

Well today is going to be a big day in which I can spend time with my dad before I leave so here's my farewell for now! Be Blessed!

I am a prayer warrior and here is my battle cry!