My time in Nicaragua has almost come to an end. As I look back over the last month I’m so grateful for this place and what the Lord has taught me. I hope they can be of encouragement to you!
1. Make time for Him: The most common excuse for lack of faith in the States is something we’ve all said before: “I just don’t have the time”. But we have time to scroll social media for hours or binge watch TV. Our priorities aren’t right. All God wants is our hearts, our time. When you give Him the time to, He’s going to work. He’s going to speak to you and fill you up – if you allow Him to. Being at REAP, we’ve been encouraged to wake up each morning at 5 am to spend two hours in prayer and devotion. This time has been so sweet and the Lord has spoken so much to me during the early mornings (admittedly I have dozed off once or twice). So I encourage you, even if all you have is 15 minutes, give your undivided attention and devotion to God. You’ll see Him meet you there.
2. Walk in Authority (The Lord’s Power lives in us): We got the opportunity to pray over two houses being oppressed by demonic activity. This was the first time I had ever done anything like it but the Lord continued to remind me of John 14:12 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.” We walked in with the authority of Jesus and spoke over the houses and over the people. We might not have seen full deliverance but we saw healing. A baby in one of the houses was experiencing demonic activity in the form of seizures which he would have 10-11 times per day with absolutely no medical explanation. About a week after we prayed over him and the house, we were told he was having 0-1 seizure a day. Praise God. The power that Jesus had to heal people and cast out demons lives in us. When we walk in the authority Christ has given us, we can do “even greater things” than He did.
3. Fast: Fasting is not just a practice meant for Biblical times, it is a necessary discipline for Christians today. By fasting, we open ourselves up to fully rely on the Lord and to experience His presence in a new way. Our team fasted for three days and it was a challenging but rewarding experience. With no plans for the days, we were able to spend all our time in prayer, worship, and community. The Lord was so present and answered so many prayers in this time. I encourage you to fast, even if it feels uncomfortable. God just wants you to humble yourself before Him and He will show up.
Finally, a piece of advice:
– Always smile: “If you don’t smile you won’t last long” – wise words spoken from our new friend Julio. Although this was a humorous comment to us and may also be to you as you read this, it holds more weight than simply a joke. I’m not talking about smiling or frowning necessarily, I’m talking about joy. I pray that we can be people so filled with the joy of the Lord that we’re always smiling. That we dance like David danced, and then respond to judgment by saying “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this” (2 Samuel 6:21-22). Let us be people who are so joyful that other people thirst for a taste of the Living Water we drink from.
We leave for Costa Rica on Sept. 27! Please keep my team in your prayers as we leave this sweet place and arrive in our next destination 🙂
Love the encouragement! I can relate to the part of dozing off while trying to spend time with the Lord! Haha
It’s crazy how much you can learn and just a month if you’re paying attention to what God is saying and doing!
AMAZING – y’all are truly living out the gospel and it’s a PRIVILEGE to have a front row seat to it all!