FOLLOW YOU

 Ben Rector: Follow You

I love this song, and it's been on repeat and BLAST lately. I've woken up to it every day and turn it on first thing every time I get in my car. What a happy and uplifting song!

Let's set our burdens down. Don't wait for tomorrow-- today could be as good as it gets.
Set your feet on solid ground, and follow.
Be encouraged, and let's let this be our theme for the week.

Feet of Faith

We are the hope, the change that the world is waiting for. Now's the time for us to rise.

 

"How beautiful and delightful on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace,
Who brings good news of good [things],
Who announces salvation,
Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 
-Isaiah 52:7 


^"14 But how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)? ¹⁵ And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
¹⁶ But they did not all pay attention to the good news [of salvation]; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ."
-Romans 10:14-15

Today, I want to share what has been on my heart-- the phrase: "feet of faith"
Let's put feet on faith. The scriptures above are near and so close to my heart. What are we to do as Christians? Are we to doubt, discourage, be an itching gossiping ear? A person who says that the possible is impossible? Or are we to believe with an unwavering faith, encourage, edify, and sharpen those around us with encouraging, uplifting words and let praise flow off of our lips? 

Now's the time for us to rise and carry hope to hopeless lives, let love shine... and show this world that MERCY is alive. 

May this be my lifesong. May I put FEET on FAITH. May I be ever blessed to show this world that mercy is alive, to abandon things of this world... Someone asked me this week what my ambitions are, what I want to do with my life. I smiled, and replied "this." This is what I want to do. I want to share with the world that Mercy is alive. About how Jesus set me free, when I chased things of this world; a career, a fancy paycheck, a boyfriend... I lost my life-- and man am I forever grateful. The Lord has continued to supply my every need, my families every need. And I'm seeing him answer prayers and make vision come alive. I'm seeing hearts changed, lives opened, chains broken, and hearts obedient to what the Lord puts inside of them. Desires are coming alive, and i'm forever grateful. 

Friends, lets pray for those who are around the world putting feet on faith. Those who are truly the persecuted church around the world. Those who have abandoned all, picked up their cross, denied themselves, and followed after Christ. The warriors who fight on our behalf, and lay their lives down so that we may live. I never want to take living in America for granted, and that the Lord supplies a safe place for me to sleep at night, a family I love, and a gospel to preach-- it sure is a blessing to have my life reflect Christ... may my lifesong be to show others that mercy is alive, carry hope to hopeless lives, and let love shine. God is so good. Be encouraged, get out there and DO the work of an evangelist. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. And if we physically can't go for whatever reason... may we send those who are saying "here am I send me." 

MOVE. Do something. Do anything. GO4God!

3AM

It's 3 in the morning and I'm still awake so I picked up a pen and a page...and I started writing just what i'd say if we were face to face. I'd tell you just what you mean to me. I'd tell you, these simple truths: 

Be strong in the Lord, and never give up hope. You're gonna do great things, I already know. God's got his hand on you so don't live life in fear. Forgive and forget but don't forget why you're here. Take your time, and pray. Thank God for each day. His love will find a way... These are the words I would say. 

Roadtrip picture of the sunset over the snowy mountains in Utah. 

Because it's 3am, and I'm wound up from a 13+ hour road trip back to Southern California from a week of ministry in Idaho. 

As you read this, reflect on those lyrics and thank God for another wonderful day. Another day to see miracles happen, and another day to see HIS hand in our lives. Let's show the world that mercy is alive. 

Devotion: Prayer

Devotion: PRAYER.
"If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you." -John 15:7amp

Meet my little friend, Lokuta. He's 5 years old and was in prison for 1 1/2 years in Uganda, from a village 12 hours away. He was so malnourished though, he looked like he could be maybe 18 months... I thought he was almost 2 when I first met him. Thankfully now he's home with his family after we were able to track his family down and get him back to his village. We called him, "the little shepherd" because he constantly walked around with a joy all the other kids chased after and wanted. He's a little leader. This might be my favorite picture in the whole world, him with his eyes closed tight, lifting up his prayers and petitions to his Savior in worship. He makes a lot of Adult Americans prayer lives look weak. He praised God for keeping him safe, and for loving him. This boy had NOTHING. But praise was always among his lips.

  

This poses a question to you: when you pray, what do you pray for? Are the things that you want glorifying to God? Or do you pray something to better yourself. When you pray, what do you pray for? Do you just throw things at the Lord only when you need something? Or do you talk to him like a friend, do you know his voice? And do you listen to him as much as he listens to you? Prayer. Let's all go deeper in our prayer lives, and let's be continually praying so that when something comes up, we don't have to say "ill pray about it and see if it's God's will" we should be in HIS will. If we're united with him there are no surprises,his message should be living in our hearts. HIS words should remain in you. Pray continually.

Justice

"Let justice run down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." 

-Amos 5:24

"Learn to do good.
Seek justice,
Rebuke the ruthless,
Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the [rights of the] widow [in court]."

-Isaiah 1:17

"Evil men do not understand justice,
But they who long for and seek the Lord understand it fully."

-Proverbs 28:5

"Therefore, return [in repentance] to your God,
Observe and highly regard kindness and justice,
And wait [expectantly] for your God continually." 

-Hosea 12:6 

"Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all who are unfortunate and defenseless;
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And administer justice for the afflicted and needy."

-Proverbs 31:8-9

Justice. 

Something that the Lord has spoken to my heart, and a constant theme over these last 12 months for me. 

What is it? HOW do we administer justice? How do we understand justice in this corrupt world? How can we FIGHT for justice? How do we seek justice? 

A constant theme. Mainly throughout the old testament. For our God is a God of justice. 

Let's break it down.

Justice:: Judgement. 

If you flip flop bibles, and compare versions (I like to go back and forth through the Amplified and King James Version), these two trade spots. Justice & Judgement. 

"Don't judge. Stop judging." <-- A constant theme throughout the Christian community and the world.  Ouch, a lie from the enemy. 

Only God can judge, yes. But we are to hold each other to the word of God, to administer justice. Are we doing that? What is a righteous judgement? How do we righteously judge one another? 

We trust God, we serve, we ABIDE in Christ. We walk by faith, and we hold one another accountable... in love. 

Let's do that, let's practice justice, and righteous judgement. 

 

Human Trafficking AWARENESS to ACTION

 


 Human Trafficking Awareness Day. As our SERT Team likes to call it, AWARENESS to ACTION day. I think about the girls i've talked too, things i've seen, & cases i've been a part of across the nations...from the little ones running through the slums of Kampala, the older ladies being prostituted online, those who lived a nightmare after being taken from a night of partying, babies who are in their parents arms on street corners being put up for sale, teenage girls who were love bombed and lured by a "charming" older guy, ladies in East Africa trafficked across borders, girls delivered quicker than pizzas, others who prostitute themselves to buy their kids school uniforms, some college students who prostitute from their dorms to pay off their school loans at some of America's greatest Universities, transvestites in SF standing on street corners who are so far confused that they've lost their identity, little ones as young as 4 in Central America who don't have anyone, even others in USA who are toddlers being taken advantage of, and even the perpetrators and pedophiles who we've come in contact with who have found freedom too... All of these situations involve someone's somebody, and most importantly, they are ALL precious to God. "What if it was YOUR daughter, sister, friend, mother?" We could write books on the stuff that we've seen, and the rescues we've gotten to be a part of. But, the greatest news is that there is HOPE, deliverance, GRACE, joy, love, peace, and freedom in the midst of it all. There are Warriors who do more than just put a "Red X" on their hands once a year, there are believers who rise up in the middle of the night, give up "their" friday nights, weekends, and week days, who stand in the gap to fight for the poor and the needy. Thank you for everyone who has chosen to support what the Lord is doing through SERT Ministries, and those who fight & speak for those who can't speak for themselves. Please continue to pray for those trapped, not yet found, and for the warriors world wide who choose to lay their lives down so others may live. God is good and I love seeing chains broken, captives free, and the missing found. Let's go find some more!! Read below in the comments about what the Lord did this weekend, right in our backyard of America.

Friendship & Community

Meet one of my best friends, Maggie. I have better pictures of us, but this one I love because it's a snapshot of what the majority of our time together was spent doing...takin care of little ones in prison and loving them like Jesus. 

"Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character."
1 Corinthians 15:33

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
Proverbs 27:17

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."
Proverbs 17:17

Something I miss so much about Uganda, is the community there. 

The people that I met and dove into life with so quickly I like to call "Friends turned Family." 

Don't get me wrong, the community I've found now in the states is similar, it's just different and I like to use my season of life in Uganda as an example. 

I wish that I could bring all of my friends/family to Uganda with me, and they could step on the red dirt for even just an hour and I could introduce them to all of my family and friends there. 

I often wonder why it was that I became so close to my friends and family there. And after close to 6 months of missing them everyday, and crying more when I left Uganda as our taxi driver reversed out of our driveway... I think I figured it out. It's because the relationships I had were ALL built on Christ. They were all kingdom minded, and we all had the one most important thing in mind: building the kingdom. 

Are your friendships, and is your community kingdom minded? 

One of my friends made a joke one time there and he said, "why do we always do christian things?!?!?!" He said it sarcastically, and we all busted up laughing as we were driving back to a house for dinner after serving and ministering in one of the slums in Kampala. We were all tired, covered in dirt, and wet because it was slightly raining. But it didn't matter. 

From that point on, we joked and called each other "our christian friends," and/or "team Rafiki" because Rafiki means "friend" in Swahili. 

Why were we so close? Why did we all get along so well and so quickly? Why did we all love each other so much? Why did we get along despite ourselves being from all different backgrounds of life, different countries, have different cultures, speak different languages, were all different sizes, all like different food, listen to different music, and some of us were female and others male? How did we all adapt so quickly, and why did we choose to spend so much time together? 

Team Rafiki 

It's because we all loved Jesus. Jesus was all of our #1. We sharpened each other with scripture, prayed for each other when we were having a not so good start to our days, were with each other serving the least of these, thanked God for our meals rather than arguing over what we were having for dinner, we had deep conversations about life that matter and made us better as people, we encouraged each other to go for our dreams and goals, we worshiped together, we rebuke each other in love, and we held each other accountable to the standard of holiness and righteousness, and we had so much fun doing it. 

And now that some of us are in America, others are in South Sudan in the bush, some still in Kampala... we long to see each other just like Paul started off writing in most of his letters. But until we (by the grace of God) get to all be together again, we pray for each other and know that we are all right where the Lord has us.

I pray that each of us are surrounded with fellowship that glorifies our Lord. He's closer than a brother, and speaks to us like a friend. 

May we all look at our relationships, and may they be godly! 

That is my prayer for you. 

With Love, 

Maddie & Team Rafiki 

Oh, Fear, my God is near

People fear man because they Fear God so little.

"That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies

Might serve him without fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him,

All the days of our life." -Luke 1:74-75

Have YOU fallen in LOVE with Jesus? 

-Perfect love casts out ALL fear. (1 John)

-God's love is the only thing that will NEVER fail you. 

-you are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made... The apple of the lord's eye. 

What is the FEAR of God?

"The FEAR of God is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever." -Psalm 111:10 

-FEAR:: "yir-a" ; respect. 

-Example of respect/fear: a fear of ever disappointing someone that you love. You would never want to overstep your boundaries in a relationship with someone you love because it would hurt them, break their heart. 

A reoccurring theme in these last couple of weeks for me is, that the fear of God is the love of God. That we are to fear him, and nothing else. It's not that we are so afraid of him that we don't have a relationship with him. It's a healthy fear, a respect. Did you know that the bible says FEAR NOT 365 times? If there's a theme for this year, it should be FEAR NOT. When we fear God, we don't fear or doubt going to the places where sin abounds, we run towards the fires of this world because HIS grace abounds so much more... Every place our feet tread are ours to take in the name of the lord. Is fear of this world, of serving him whole heartedly, of truly surrendering, laying your life down, what is it that's keeping you from serving the lord whole heartedly? Have you truly fallen in love with Jesus? Let us serve him fearlessly (Luke 1:74 amp) and live in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. 

Some of my favorite scriptures out of the Old Testament about fear: 

Fear not for I am your shield. 

Fear not, I am with you. 

Let not your heart faint; fear not... 

Be strong and of good courage; fear not. 

He will not fail thee nor forsake thee; fear not...

Fear not for I will show thee kindness... 

In the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for my God is with me.

Do you walk by faith? Are you scared to surrender to the one you should respect, the one who breathed life into you, and the only one who loves you with an everlasting love? 

"In God I have put my trust, I will not fear what flesh can do to me..." (psalms) 

I got rid of fear a long time ago. My heart doesn't jump anymore at the things of this life others fear. For I know my God is with me, and he LOVES me. 

"Jesus, my soul is fearless, for you are with us, fighting for us... My defender." (Rend Collective) 

http://youtu.be/gNgFW6TdaHQ