Still Believing God

Thanks for those of you who are hanging with me while the story is unfolding. I left you last time with the great joy in my heart for the people of Jamaica. That mission trip not only taught me about the difference between a retreat and a mission trip, but it also taught me a lot about myself. I came back on that "spiritual high" that some of you have experienced and I wanted to tell everyone about my experiences. Then, tragedy struck again. On Friday, June 23, 2006 my family lost our home. Most of you reading this have probably seen enough fire pictures to last you for a while, but just in case I missed some here they are. This album is powered by BubbleShare - Add to my blog After the fire I found myself questioning everything. The BIGGEST question was why. I wanted and felt I deserved an answer from God telling me why this happened to me and my family. After all we had already been through so much. Why would He allow something like this to happen to a family who was returning to him and finally giving him the glory for the things in our lives. Why? Why? Why? That is what I ate, slept, thought, and talked, for four months. Guess What? I'm still not sure why, but this is what I do know. I know that it was on my heart to get involved in a bible study. I decided that I would be a part of the first ever teacher's bible study at Wellford. We all got together and prayed about what the Lord would have us to do and decided on Beth Moore's Believing God. In the introduction of the bible study Beth talks about being at a point in her life where she felt God challenging her. She says it was like he was challenging her with questions like "Are you going to believe me on this or not?" or "Who and what will you choose to believe?" This of course hit home because I sometimes felt that God was asking me the same questions. I went into the nine week bible study with a heavy heart and needed some revelations in my life. I desperately needed what Beth calls a GODSTOP! Yep, that is anyway that God discloses himself to you. Every day in the homework for nine weeks there were Godstops. My Godstops were completed at night based on Psalm 63:6 "On my bed I remember you." To close out the story after looking back over all my Godstops and studying Hebrews 11 I feel that God is calling me to use these events as my testimony and give the glory to Him. I was believing him that I wouldn't be just a 26 year old with a sad story. I was believing him for more. I want to have the faith that God is who He says He is and my life has not shocked or surprised Him. I want to have the Hebrews 11 kind of faith. I want to have the faith of "Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family." Hebrews 11:7. I want to have the faith of Abraham, who by faith went to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Hebrews 11:8 I want Jacob's faith, "When he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on top of his staff." Hebrews 11:21 Not forgetting that "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days." Hebrews 11:30, and "by faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." Hebrews 11:31 On the last day of the bible study we were challenged to be creating a Hebrews 11:41 in our own lives, which should read, By faith Ashley...... My Lord and savior Jesus Christ has already started using this to draw others to him. I had the unnerving privilege of speaking at the Candlelight Service for the Healing With Hope Support Group. It was not easy, but I felt called to do it. I felt like that is what I was believing God for. I was believing him for him to use me so that if it was His will other's might be brought closer to Him. I have also been asked about speaking at a Ladies Night Out here at a local church this spring, and I'm still in prayer about that. As well as praying about going back to Jamaica this year. Please join me in prayer about these upcoming events as I believe God for what He can and is going to do! Believing God, ~Ashley