I will go before you...

Isaiah 45:2 says: I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.

Earlier this week I was reading my bible and God showed me this verse, then I was talking with someone and I saw this verse again on a friends profile. I serve a MIGHTY God. I realize that there is a ton of civil unrest in Mumbai. I know that many have lost their lives and my prayers are with their families. My heart aches for those who have suffered these losses, but also for those who were so young and took the lives of so many. It is painful to see these young people who have just thrown their life away because of hatred. If they had only known God's love for them.

Many of you have asked me over the past few days if I will change my plans. The answer is "no" because God has not told me to do so, and also the bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. If I live in "fear" then I am not trusting God. God promised that He would be my Shepherd in Psalm 23. A Shepherd will always take care of His sheep.

Now, as I prepare to go on this trip...I am thrilled in my heart to see so many of my friends and to meet my new friends. I am looking forward to encouraging them and just sharing what God has done in our lives over the past two years. Some of them have been here to the US during those two years and God blessed our time together then also. I love these young people...they are like family to me. Some of them call me "akka" which means elder sister...some call me "mom" and some call me "Jayme". It makes no difference to me...I love them all. Each of them knows that when we talk I will shoot straight with them. I believe that even if the truth hurts, you should always be truthful. Sometimes all a person needs is that someone would listen to them. I do that well too....sometimes it is more listening than talking. I praise God for the heart He has given me for these young people. They are the future!

I am nothing special...you understand. Just a regular person who serves a powerful God. I love seeing the hand of God at work. So many times I see a prayer answered and my face lights up, because I know that God has done it all. I am reminded of Gideon in the bible....God had Gideon do some things that seemed so crazy! First of all he skinnied down his team of soldiers! I am sure that things looked very scary to Gideon...but he continued to TRUST God even though he didn't fully understand His ways. Then, God told Gideon that the men needed to carry lanterns made of clay and when they came upon the enemies camp they were to break the lanterns so that the light would shine brightly and then they were to blow the trumpets. The whole thing about breaking the clay lanterns caught my attention. I look at us....His children....we too are just made of clay.....it is not until we are broken that His light can shine. If you are facing difficulties and you feel that your world is shattered.....let God shine through you. He will use the very thing you are going through to overcome the enemy.

I will do my best to keep up this blog. Hold me in your thoughts and prayers....until we meet again!

Blessings....
jayme

He must increase, but I must decrease.---John 3:30