Monday, January 18, 2010

When God Plans Your Trip, He Doesn't Cancel It!




       Back in June 2001 Mike and I made plans to travel with Beth on the Beloved Disciple tour to Greece and Turkey.  I was soo excited to have that opportunity.  Then, Sept. 11th came 3 months later.  It totally freaked me out and I definitely wanted to cancel the overseas trip. I wrestled with this practically every day until a couple of months later, I went to hear Beth speak for the first time in Evansville, Indiana.  I went with my friend Lezlie Phillips and we had a wonderful time.  Everything was still so new to me....worshipping with 20,000 women, I even raised my hands for the first time evah!  This is also the trip where the deaf woman and her friend asked to trade seats with me and Lezlie so they could have a better view and we said, "NO!"  Also, at this time I thought Travis was just an O.K. singer.....for  just a few minutes........until he did a solo and really opened his mouth and belted out his pure gift!!! Anywhoo,  as Beth began to speak, one of the first things she addressed was how Satan would use fear to capture us and keep us from traveling.  She said, "Do not let him win.  If you have travel plans, GO."  I immediately new I had gotten a word from God and right then and there I settled it agreed that I would not let fear prevent me from doing anything God ordained for me.  As the time came near for us to go to Greece at the end of March 2002, you better believe I had to pray like crazy as the enemy came after me often.  But I persisted because I knew I HAD A CONFIRMATION WORD FROM GOD THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO ON THIS TRIP.  It made all the difference in the world b/c when Satan taunted me, I didn't listen to him for I KNEW what God had told me.  But it was still difficult as I had to resist the devil and draw near to God on an ongoing basis.  Satan, unfortunately is relentless!  But God got the victory.  Mike and I went and it was a HUGE step in our spiritual growth in so many ways.  Also, before we left the country, God gave me more "ammo" and reassurance in the form of concert tickets to a Plus One/Natalie Grant show in Columbus Ohio.  These were front row tix!!!  The concert was scheduled for early May which would be AFTER we had returned from our "Beloved Disciple" trip.  Molly was sooo excited that we had been able to get these premo tix b/c we were just beginning to listen to Christian music and she loved Plus One.  We didn't really care about Nat Grant so much (didn't really know who she was...haha now she is one of my favs)  One thing that kept going through my head to counter travel fears and leaving my family for 10 days and all the possibilities of how something bad could happen but just as I would begin to speculate such possibilities, I would remember via the Holy Spirit that God had given us front row tickets!  Now why would He do that if we weren't gonna make it back to use them. It was like He was saying, "You can trust Me 'cause I gave you and Molly concert tickets as a deposit of this proof!"  So He used the tickets to help me to grow in my trust of Him.  One thing I have noticed about God is that He is not really One to cancel out on trips.  When Lauren was first pregnant before she miscarried, her due date was when we were supposed to be in St. Bart's for our 10 year anniversary trip.  I remember thinking, "Why would God let us plan to be out of the country when our first grandchild would be born?"  I wondered if Mike was presumptuous in planning it ( he planned it like 11 months out so we could use our miles) but then I just resolved to trust God no matter what.  Then she miscarried, got pregnant again and delivered Margeaux on July 10th when weren't out of the country.  What I've learned is that He is completely in control.  He calls us to grow in out trust for Him and He puts us "out there" to grow us in this. I am learning to ask God what He wants me to do.  It helps to get the confirmation so that when the enemy comes to taunt me, I will know with 100% assurance that GOD SPOKE TO ME.  It makes ALL the difference and empowers me to stand up, fight and win!!!  His will be done.  

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