The Lord is Good and He is Good to Me

A few days ago during worship, I desired to encounter God.  So I prayed for just that... "Lord, encounter me, but not just for encounters sake, but so that in beholding you I can be changed."  I also prayed that God would show me why He loves me.
Then I saw a beautiful picture of a deep well in a lush and green garden.  In the well, was everything I needed.  And I just heard the Lord say that this was how He intended it to be.  The Spirit of God was so grieved by the separation from us.  He wants to pour out everything on us, but we don't trust Him.
This broke me, I lay on the floor sobbing, grieved not at the generosity of God, but because we don't trust Him.  One of my leaders prayed for me, and said that that well was for me.  That I needed to repent of not believing, truly deeply believing, in God's goodness and His love for me.  So I did... I repented of not relying on God, and instead relying on the affirmation of people. 
It is wonderful that God has placed us in community, where we can build up each other.  But He never intended that that be our main source.
He is everything we need!  And every time I get a revelation of this, it just goes deeper and deeper.
The main problem is this though:  I've been depending on myself for so long that I don't really know how to rely on God.

While my leader was praying for me, she had a word for me.  Two weeks ago, during an important part of my deliverance, my watch beeped the change of the hour.  Then while she was praying for me, it beeped again.  God is trying to speak to me, and every time I hear my watch beep I need to listen.  She said the word wouldn't be easy to hear.  It was time to stop pitying myself, time to walk confidently in His love.

I choose to no longer believe the lies of the enemy.  God is rooting me so deeply in His love.  But it is not only for my sake.  The more I believe in His love, the more that love can overflow onto everyone around me!

DELIVERANCE!!!!

We serve such an amazing God! 
This week we prayed and fasted because we learned about Deliverance.  As our teacher, Mrs. Rudolph put it, Deliverance is the Children's Bread.

As Matthew 7:9-11 puts it:
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Sometimes we suffer under heavy burdens.  The enemy is out to kill, steal and destroy, and his greatest tactic is the lie.  He whispers little lies into our ears, which we often believe.  Sometimes these get so deeply rooted that the Spirit of God needs to come in and deliver us.

As Galatians 5:1 says:
"It is for freedom that Messiah has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." 

The main goal of Deliverance is Freedom.  New freedom in our precious Yeshua.  God wants to give His children good gifts.  I love the generous Grace of the God we serve.

My whole life I have suffered from insecurity.  This has often been internal, but I have never quite felt like I belong.  I have felt like an outsider.  But through my deliverance, God founded my identity.  He showed me His love for me.  He showed me that He is not only a good God, but is Good to me!!!

I pray that you all find new levels of freedom!
Bekah :-) 

Running the Race with my Messiah!

I am here in Cyprus!  The Island of Encouragement, as it is called by the Gateways Beyond community.  And it is so strange.  I knew that God would be doing new things in me.  I knew He would be digging deeper.  But I wasn't expecting the attack the enemy would immediately make.  

Before I came to Cyprus this year, God showed me that my life is like a well.  The water right now is pretty clean, but it is mixed with muddy water.  He showed that He would be digging out all the mud and junk, and going deeper in my life.

The cool thing is, that some of my first classes have all been about going deeper with God.  A scripture our leader, Chandy, has asked us to memorize is Ephesians 3:16-21.  Please read it out loud.  I never realized how amazing and rich it is!  (our leaders here encourage us to read the Word out loud, so that we can speak it over our lives).  This portion speaks about being strengthened by the Holy Spirit, Messiah dwelling in our hearts, and being rooted and grounded in love.  But more than this, He is inviting us to share in His infinite nature, to be "filled with the fullness of God."  I am so excited to accept this invitation.  I can't believe that the God who created the universe invites us to go deeper with Him.  That He longs for intimacy.

We have two to three hours of worship every day, and each time God interacts with His children who are desperate for Him.  People are cleansed from the schemes of satan, His Spirit is felt so tangibly, and we intercede for Israel and the nations.

God is so amazing!  We serve a great God, who has an amazing design for each of us!

Please keep in touch!  And I'll be telling you all more soon!

Bekah :-)

P.S.  We found out where we will be going on outreach in May and June...  Italy, France and Germany!!!  Europe is considered by many to be the darkest place on earth.  I'm excited to bring the light of Messiah!