Embracing God’s New Move: Stories of Faith

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Happy New Year, and welcome to Her God Story,

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where you'll always hear stories that inspire

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your faith and encourage you to see God's hand

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at work in everyday life. I'm your host, Jodie

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Chiricosta, author, ministry leader at Somebody

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Cares America and International, and fellow traveler

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on this incredible journey with the Lord. A fresh

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calendar always stirs up hope, doesn't it? We

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set goals, pray prayers, dream about what's ahead,

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but sometimes God moves in ways we don't expect.

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Matt can throw us off. How can we recognize his

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hand when life doesn't unfold the way we planned?

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And how can we start this new year with eyes

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that truly see what he's doing, even when we

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don't understand it? C .S. Lewis captures this

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mystery powerfully in the screw tape letters.

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In it, a senior demon confesses his frustration

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saying, in effect, we can never quite make out

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what the enemy, speaking of God, is up to. Everything

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he does, Even what seems to oppose him somehow

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advances his purpose. Isn't that remarkable?

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Even hell is bewildered by how God turns every

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circumstance toward his glory. Just think of

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the cross, which led to Satan's defeat. That

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thought humbles me and gives hope. Even when

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life feels upside down, God's hand is never out

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of place. Every move he makes, his redemptive

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plan is served. Jesus said in John 5, 19, the

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son can do nothing by himself. He can only do

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what he sees his father doing. That's the invitation

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to us this year, to see what the father is doing

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and join him in it, even when it feels different

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than we imagine. But seeing clearly isn't easy.

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Even Jesus' own disciples struggled to recognize

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what God was doing right in front of their eyes.

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He said to them, open your eyes. Look at the

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fields. They're ripe for harvest. The disciples

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had just come back from a Samaritan's town with

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lunch in hand. They hadn't wanted to be there

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at all. After all, they had been taught the Samaritans

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were unclean. To them, it seemed like the wrong

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place, the wrong people, the wrong moment. But

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Jesus saw something they didn't. Hearts already

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prepared by the Father. And that's where the

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Samaritan woman enters the story. She came to

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the well in the heat of the day, alone, ashamed

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and unseen. She didn't recognize Jesus at first,

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but as he spoke truth, wrapped in grace, her

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eyes were opened. She left her water jar, ran

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back to town and told everyone, come see a man

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who told me everything I ever did. Could this

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be the Messiah? That's in John 4 29. The woman

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who had avoided her community became the one

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who reached it. When she saw who Jesus really

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was, she couldn't keep quiet. That's what happens

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when revelation replaces reputation, when we

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see differently, when we see from God's perspective,

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everything changes. And God has been doing that

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kind of thing from the beginning of time. During

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the Jesus movement in the 1960s and 70s, many

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believers struggled to recognize God's hand in

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what looked like chaos. Revival was breaking

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out among long -haired hippies, barefoot wanderers,

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disillusioned youth who didn't fit the mold of

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respectable religion. They didn't look like holiness

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as far as the church had defined it, but God

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saw hungry hearts beneath the rebellion. Well,

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some dismissed them. The angels in heaven rejoiced.

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The Spirit of God swept through beaches, coffee

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houses, city streets, bringing salvation to hundreds

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of thousands of people who'd been written off

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by society. The same Jesus who met the Samaritan

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woman at the well, met a generation by the sea,

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and they too ran to tell others, come, see the

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one who changed my life. Sometimes our expectations

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can actually block our vision. Doug Stringer,

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president of Somebody Cares, often says expectations

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can damage relationships. And that's true not

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only between people, but between us and God.

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It's good to expect God's faithfulness. That's

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faith. But when we assume he must do things in

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a certain way, we could end up disappointed or

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worse, miss what he's really doing altogether.

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One of the most important truths we must hold

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onto is this. God is not obligated. to keep moving

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the way he moved before, even when he was the

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one who gave the directions in a previous season.

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He is perfectly free to do something entirely

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new in the next. Scripture is full of examples.

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The Lord told Moses to strike the rock to get

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water. Years later, Moses was told to speak to

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the rock. The God who opened the Red Sea with

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a mighty wind opened the Jordan River simply

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as his people stepped into it. Same God, same

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power. But his methods changed because the moment

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and the mission had changed. Isaiah 43, 19 reminds

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us, see, I'm doing a new thing. Now it springs

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up. Do you not perceive it? God was speaking

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to people who already knew his mighty acts, leaders

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who had history with him. But he was also warning

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them not to confine him to past patterns. Yesterday's

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instructions were real. They were good. but they

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were not meant to limit how God would work tomorrow.

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As leaders and even believers, if we cling too

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tightly to old wine skins, even once God himself

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once filled, we risk missing the new wine he's

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pouring out. Old wines and skins aren't bad,

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they're just never meant to last forever. When

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we stay flexible, humble, and attentive to the

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Spirit, we can recognize God's movement in real

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time and lead others into it. A .W. Tozier once

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wrote, you can see God from anywhere if your

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mind is set to love and obey him. I love that.

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The issue isn't our location. It isn't our structure.

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It's our posture. If our hearts are humble, we'll

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see his fingerprints everywhere. Let's look at

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four women from scripture who did exactly that.

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Women whose spiritual eyes were open to see what

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God was doing. We talk about Mary a lot, but

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her story is so amazing. How could we not? Her

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example of spiritual insight goes far beyond

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just the Christmas season. When the angel Gabriel

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appeared and told Mary she would conceive by

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the Holy Spirit, she didn't understand how, but

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she didn't close her heart either. She asked

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honest questions, listened, and then said these

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powerful words, I am the Lord's servant. May

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your word to me be fulfilled. That's in Luke

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138. She didn't demand a full explanation. She

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simply trusted that God's promise was enough.

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Jack Hayford once said, when the Lord says, I'm

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going to do a new thing, will you embrace it?

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It's not for us to watch as spectators. God wants

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to imprint it on our lives. That's what Mary

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did. She didn't just believe from afar. She embraced

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God's new thing and literally carried it into

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the world. Maybe that's the first lesson for

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us this year. We don't need to understand everything

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God's doing to join what He's doing. Sometimes

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faith looks like saying yes before we see how

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it will all work out. When I was in graduate

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school, a group of students started going into

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a very rough neighborhood to share Christ. It

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was the kind of place even police and firefighters

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hesitated to go. Some of the students even moved

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into the community to minister there. I was invited

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to join them, but It didn't make sense from a

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natural standpoint. I was working full -time,

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going to graduate school full -time, and I honestly

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didn't see how I could add anything more to my

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schedule. But eventually, I agreed to go to an

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informational spaghetti dinner in the neighborhood.

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And when I got there, God opened my eyes to see

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what He wanted to do. I opened my heart and said,

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yes. And while I didn't move into the neighborhood,

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I did go there a couple of times a week to reach

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out to the children and saw numerous people come

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to Christ. The day one of the boys received a

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college acceptance and a music scholarship brought

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tears of joy to our eyes. And amazingly, when

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I joined what God was doing, He gave me the time,

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energy, and wisdom to excel in both work and

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in school. Mary's older cousin Elizabeth also

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had her eyes open. She had been barren for years,

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yet God gave her and Zachariah a son, John the

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Baptist. When Mary came to visit, who Mary was

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newly pregnant. Elizabeth didn't scoff or question.

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She didn't berate her for being pregnant out

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of wedlock. She discerned God's presence right

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away. Scripture says the baby in her womb leapt

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for joy and Elizabeth cried out in Luke 142,

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blessed are you among women and blessed is the

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child you will bear. She saw what others might

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have dismissed. Her spiritual eyes recognized

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the miracle inside Mary before anyone else did.

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Henry Blackaby wrote, God is always at work in

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his world. Jesus watched to see where the father

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was working and joined him. That's exactly what

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Elizabeth did. She watched and joined in with

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joy. So maybe this year, part of seeing God clearly

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is learning to recognize his work, not just in

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our lives, but in others. Who around you might

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God be using in a new way? Are you cheering them

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on like Elizabeth or are you skeptical because

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it looks different? Couple years ago a young

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pastor came to a small church. My husband and

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I had just joined He'd been an evangelist, but

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it never pastored before God had radically saved

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him while he was in prison and his gratitude

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and passion are unmistakable At first we were

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skeptical and wondered whether we were in the

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right place But we sensed God had a plan so we

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stayed and jumped in with both feet we encouraged

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him along the way and saw the Lord and Asked

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the Lord to show us how he was moving. I had

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been praying for God to move in our city for

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several years and God showed me that this young

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pastor was part of his answer. And over the past

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two years, over a thousand people have received

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Jesus at the church. We're bursting at the seams

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and it's exciting to see what God will do next.

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Then there's Anna, the prophetess in Luke 2.

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She was widowed young and instead of growing

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bitter, she devoted her life to worship and prayer.

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Scripture says she never left the temple but

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fasted and prayed night and day. When Mary and

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Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple, Anna

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came up at that very moment and began praising

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God, declaring to everyone that the Redeemer

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had come. She had waited decades. And when the

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moment arrived, she knew. She didn't miss it

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because her heart had stayed tender. Her eyes

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focused on the Lord. Oswald Chamber once wrote,

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the only way to see clearly is to let the Holy

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Spirit adjust your vision. That's what happened

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with Anna. Her spiritual eyesight had been trained

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through worship and waiting. So if you're in

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a long season of waiting, keep worshiping, keep

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looking. God hasn't forgotten you. He may just

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be adjusting your vision so you can see Him clearly

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as He is working around you. For years, I longed

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for a husband. When I was younger, I dreamed

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of having a large family, but as time passed,

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that dream faded. It was a struggle, but I gave

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my disappointment to the Lord and began praising

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Him for all He was doing in and through me. Then

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in my late 30s, when I wasn't looking for a husband

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at all, the Lord brought the man I'd marry into

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my life. In most people's eyes, it seemed unwise.

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He was a widower with six children, and I had

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never been married. But we knew it was God, and

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we trusted He would use us together in ways He

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would not if we remained apart. I won't say it's

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always been easy stepping into a large family

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like that, but God gave me eyes to see what He

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wanted to do, and He continues to work in and

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through us. Finally, let's look at Mary Magdalene.

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On resurrection day, she stood outside the empty

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tomb, heartbroken. Jesus was standing right there,

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but she thought he was the gardener. She couldn't

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see him through her grief until he spoke her

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name, Mary. Suddenly, her eyes were opened, and

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she became the first witness, the first evangelist

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of the resurrection. How often do we, like her,

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stand in the presence of resurrection while mourning

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what we think we've lost? Sometimes disappointment,

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sorrow, or fear blurs our vision. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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once said, we must be ready to allow ourselves

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to be interrupted by God. And that's exactly

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what happened to Mary Magdalene. God interrupted

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her grief with resurrection joy. This year, when

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your plans collapse or your prayers seem unanswered,

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remember the story isn't over yet. God may already

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be standing in front of you doing something brand

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new. After decades of faithfully serving in a

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ministry I loved, I was suddenly let go one day.

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I could have been devastated. My plans were completely

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upended, but instead I looked to Jesus and asked

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him what he was doing. Within a couple days,

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I was invited to join Somebody Cares, where I

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currently serve, and had far broader responsibility

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and much more flexibility to minister as God

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leads. Along the way, God directed me to begin

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this podcast, which has now reached people in

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over 20 countries and I believe is encouraging

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many in their faith. This new season has allowed

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me to start our Widow and Orphan Fund in response

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to James 127 to look after widows and orphans

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in their distress, which you can be a part of

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too. Check out how at hergodstory .org. What

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looked like a loss became a doorway into greater

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kingdom impact, an impact I never could have

00:14:02.860 --> 00:14:05.519
planned. Seeing what God is doing isn't about

00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:07.960
having special insight. It's about cultivating

00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:10.879
a heart that stays open, humble, and responsive.

00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:15.039
When our spiritual eyes are clear, we begin to

00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:17.980
notice His fingerprints everywhere, in both the

00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:21.379
miraculous and the mundane. The Bible gives us

00:14:21.379 --> 00:14:23.759
clear instruction on how to develop that kind

00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:34.240
of sight. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, and He will

00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:39.580
make your paths straight. Pride blinds us because

00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:43.460
it leans on our own understanding. Obedience,

00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:46.279
on the other hand, clears the fog. When we say

00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:49.600
yes to God, even when it's uncomfortable or unclear,

00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:53.220
we start to see from His perspective. So humility

00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:57.580
and obedience is critical. Naaman, the Syrian

00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.570
commander, had to learn that lesson. God's prophet

00:15:00.570 --> 00:15:02.990
told him to wash in the muddy Jordan River seven

00:15:02.990 --> 00:15:05.330
times to be healed of leprosy. You can find his

00:15:05.330 --> 00:15:09.509
story in 2 Kings 5. At first, Naaman was offended.

00:15:09.909 --> 00:15:13.129
This wasn't how he expected God to move. He wanted

00:15:13.129 --> 00:15:15.889
someone to just wave a wand over his body and

00:15:15.889 --> 00:15:19.009
it to vanish. But when he finally humbled himself

00:15:19.009 --> 00:15:22.690
and obeyed, his skin was restored and his eyes

00:15:22.690 --> 00:15:27.009
were opened to who God truly is. Next, we must

00:15:27.009 --> 00:15:31.980
stay close. to the Holy Spirit. Spiritual clarity

00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:34.580
comes from intimacy with the Holy Spirit, and

00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:37.620
1 Corinthians 2 10 says, the Spirit searches

00:15:37.620 --> 00:15:41.039
all things, even the deep things of God. When

00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:43.100
we stay in step with the Holy Spirit through

00:15:43.100 --> 00:15:45.419
prayer and worship and time in the Word of God,

00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.259
He reveals what our natural eyes can't perceive.

00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:53.399
Revelation 3 18, Jesus counsels the church to

00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:57.199
buy salve for your eyes so you can see. Oswald

00:15:57.199 --> 00:15:59.539
Chambers explained it like this, the only way

00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:02.320
to see clearly is to let the Spirit of God adjust

00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.159
your vision. That's what happens when we invite

00:16:05.159 --> 00:16:07.159
the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and motives

00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:10.519
every day. He helps us see through God's lens

00:16:10.519 --> 00:16:13.639
instead of through our own. Now, I love adventure,

00:16:13.940 --> 00:16:16.700
and God has taken me all over the world. But

00:16:16.700 --> 00:16:19.740
every time an opportunity comes, I stop and ask

00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:22.639
Him for direction. Years ago, I had the opportunity

00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:24.860
to go to India through work, something I'd wanted

00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:29.299
for years. But as I prayed, I sensed God saying,

00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:34.139
no. It was hard to pass up, but I obeyed, and

00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:36.679
I quickly understood why when a personal crisis

00:16:36.679 --> 00:16:40.620
hit my life. A few years later, I was invited

00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:42.940
to go with a mission team to minister in a rural

00:16:42.940 --> 00:16:46.139
part of India. This time, it would not be paid

00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:49.440
for by work, but I sensed God saying, now's the

00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:54.440
time. So I said yes, and God made a way. And

00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.779
our team saw thousands of Indian women miraculously

00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:02.659
touched by the Lord. We must watch and pray.

00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.140
Spiritual sight grows through attentiveness.

00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:09.480
Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 26, one,

00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.140
watch and pray so that you will not fall into

00:17:12.140 --> 00:17:14.900
temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh

00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:18.819
is weak. Watching is about being alert to where

00:17:18.819 --> 00:17:21.980
God is already working, both around us and within

00:17:21.980 --> 00:17:25.940
us. And that's the pattern Jesus modeled. He

00:17:25.940 --> 00:17:29.839
didn't rush ahead. He noticed, listened, and

00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:32.480
joined the Father's movement. One day I was preparing

00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:35.359
to speak at a chapel service on the topic of

00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:38.500
generosity, and the Lord clearly told me to withdraw

00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:40.779
a specific amount of money, it was quite a large

00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:43.099
amount for me, to give to someone in need that

00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:45.700
day. At the end of chapel I asked if anyone had

00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:47.779
a financial need and a young man raised his hand.

00:17:48.140 --> 00:17:50.119
He explained he still needed funds for a mission

00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:52.119
trip, the exact amount the Lord had told me to

00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:55.180
bring. My obedience helped spread the gospel

00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:57.339
in a way I may never fully understand this side

00:17:57.339 --> 00:18:00.519
of eternity, but I was deeply blessed that the

00:18:00.519 --> 00:18:02.859
Lord allowed me to be a part of his provision.

00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:06.799
These small moments of obedience often lead to

00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:10.799
big encounters with God. Now, this is a hard

00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:15.460
one. We must be prepared to embrace Holy interruptions.

00:18:15.940 --> 00:18:18.779
Sometimes God's movement doesn't feel spiritual,

00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:21.819
it feels inconvenient. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,

00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:24.640
we must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted

00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:28.640
by God. Think about Moses. He was just tending

00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:31.259
sheep when a bush caught on fire in the wilderness.

00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:35.319
What happened, what looked like a random interruption

00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:38.779
was actually the start of his calling. When we're

00:18:38.779 --> 00:18:41.400
flexible enough to let God rearrange our plans,

00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:44.720
we discover divine appointments hidden in ordinary

00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:48.559
moments. Years ago, I was rushing to pack and

00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:50.819
head to the airport for a friend's wedding. And

00:18:50.819 --> 00:18:52.960
as I pulled out of a store parking lot, I saw

00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.519
a woman holding a sign asking for help. And I

00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:57.500
don't always stop and I don't recommend that

00:18:57.500 --> 00:18:59.980
everyone always should, but I heard clearly from

00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:02.880
the Lord that I was to help this woman. With

00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:04.819
a little arguing in my head, I finally turned

00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:07.730
around and discovered she had lived in my neighborhood,

00:19:07.890 --> 00:19:10.609
just a few blocks from me, until she was evicted

00:19:10.609 --> 00:19:12.930
after a long illness made it impossible for her

00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:15.269
to work. She was living in the woods nearby.

00:19:16.349 --> 00:19:18.910
You know, it reminded me of the question an expert

00:19:18.910 --> 00:19:21.569
of the law asked Jesus, who is my neighbor? And

00:19:21.569 --> 00:19:24.309
the parable of the good Samaritan. Now, because

00:19:24.309 --> 00:19:26.509
I served in a compassion ministry, I was able

00:19:26.509 --> 00:19:28.970
to quickly secure a hotel room for her for a

00:19:28.970 --> 00:19:32.170
week while she pursued longer term solutions.

00:19:32.769 --> 00:19:36.130
I shared Jesus with her and I still made my flight.

00:19:36.769 --> 00:19:38.829
Years later, I saw her again in another part

00:19:38.829 --> 00:19:41.470
of town and she shared what God had been doing

00:19:41.470 --> 00:19:44.509
in her life. And I had another opportunity to

00:19:44.509 --> 00:19:47.170
encourage her faith. Here's a really important

00:19:47.170 --> 00:19:50.690
one. We have to love. We have to keep love as

00:19:50.690 --> 00:19:54.309
the lens over our eyes. Above all, love clarifies

00:19:54.309 --> 00:19:58.430
our sight. 1 John 412 says, if we love one another,

00:19:58.670 --> 00:20:01.609
God lives in us and his love is made complete

00:20:01.609 --> 00:20:06.289
in us. A .W. Tozier said, You can see God from

00:20:06.289 --> 00:20:08.930
anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey

00:20:08.930 --> 00:20:12.130
Him. When love is the motive, our eyes are purified.

00:20:12.569 --> 00:20:15.009
We stop judging appearances or outcomes and start

00:20:15.009 --> 00:20:17.549
seeing people and circumstances through the heart

00:20:17.549 --> 00:20:20.609
of God. It's what Jesus did when He looked at

00:20:20.609 --> 00:20:23.630
the multitudes. Scripture says He had compassion

00:20:23.630 --> 00:20:26.049
on them because they were harassed and helpless

00:20:26.049 --> 00:20:28.869
like sheep without a shepherd. That's in Matthew

00:20:28.869 --> 00:20:33.490
9 .36. Love changes how we see everything. When

00:20:33.490 --> 00:20:35.529
I was growing up, there was a song on Christian

00:20:35.529 --> 00:20:37.730
radio by Scott Wesley Brown that always made

00:20:37.730 --> 00:20:39.930
me laugh, mostly because it hit a little too

00:20:39.930 --> 00:20:42.089
close to home. It was about God wanting to use

00:20:42.089 --> 00:20:45.250
us, but preferably within our comfort zone. The

00:20:45.250 --> 00:20:48.549
lyrics said, Oh Lord, I'm your willing servant.

00:20:49.289 --> 00:20:52.809
You know that I have been for years. I've been

00:20:52.809 --> 00:20:55.109
here in this pew every Sunday and Wednesday.

00:20:55.250 --> 00:20:58.349
I've stained it with many a tear. I've given

00:20:58.349 --> 00:21:01.240
you years of my service. and I've always given

00:21:01.240 --> 00:21:04.259
my best. And I've never asked you for anything

00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:08.539
much. So Lord, I deserve this request. Please

00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:10.799
don't send me to Africa. I don't think I've got

00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:13.759
what it takes. I'm just a man. I'm not Tarzan.

00:21:14.680 --> 00:21:18.380
I don't like lions, gorillas or snakes. I'll

00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:21.019
serve you here in suburbia in my comfortable

00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:24.000
middle -class life. But please don't send me

00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.500
out into the bush where the natives are restless

00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:29.460
at night. I have to be honest, for years, that

00:21:29.460 --> 00:21:32.059
was my exact prayer. Lord, I'm happy to serve

00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:34.359
you. Just please keep me somewhere with running

00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:38.200
water and predictable outcomes. But God, in his

00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:41.220
faithfulness, knows how to gently expand our

00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:46.319
vision. Before he ever sent me far, he reshaped

00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:50.279
my heart. My first big trip was to Asia and it

00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:53.119
was definitely an adventure. But it was also

00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:55.259
where God began a deep work in me, revealing

00:21:55.259 --> 00:21:57.799
His love for the nations and then placing that

00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:01.799
same love in me. So later, when the Lord opened

00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:04.440
the door for me to go to Africa to bring humanitarian

00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:08.299
aid into rural areas and encourage our brothers

00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:10.940
and sisters in Christ, I didn't go reluctantly.

00:22:11.079 --> 00:22:14.259
I went with joy. And I saw God move in ways I

00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:16.460
would have completely missed if I'd clung to

00:22:16.460 --> 00:22:19.759
my comfortable life and my comfort zone. If my

00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.799
heart had stayed closed, God would have used

00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:25.519
someone else. But because He opened my eyes,

00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:27.759
I had the privilege of joining Him in what He

00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:30.619
was doing. Through everything, we have to keep

00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:34.619
looking up, looking to the Father. Psalm 121

00:22:34.619 --> 00:22:37.400
verses 1 and 2 remind us, I lift my eyes to the

00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:40.220
mountains. Where does my help come from? My help

00:22:40.220 --> 00:22:42.480
comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and

00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:46.420
earth. Sometimes our spiritual eyesight is clouded

00:22:46.420 --> 00:22:48.480
simply because we're looking down at the problems,

00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:51.890
the headlines, the chaos. God calls us to look

00:22:51.890 --> 00:22:54.670
up again. When we lift our eyes, perspective

00:22:54.670 --> 00:22:57.950
returns. Faith, after all, is a form of sight.

00:22:59.369 --> 00:23:02.769
As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5 -7, we walk

00:23:02.769 --> 00:23:07.589
by faith, not by sight. The more we walk by faith,

00:23:07.950 --> 00:23:11.569
the clearer our vision becomes. It's easy these

00:23:11.569 --> 00:23:13.849
days to look around us and be hopeless at the

00:23:13.849 --> 00:23:16.690
situation in society, culture, maybe even our

00:23:16.690 --> 00:23:20.049
own families. But when we focus on Jesus, our

00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:23.470
mighty creator, the one who sees all from beginning

00:23:23.470 --> 00:23:26.690
to end, he begins to show us behind the scenes

00:23:26.690 --> 00:23:30.210
how he's working, even before the results are

00:23:30.210 --> 00:23:33.369
fully revealed. Right now in our nation, many,

00:23:33.470 --> 00:23:35.509
many people are turning to Christ in the midst

00:23:35.509 --> 00:23:39.420
of chaos. Can you see it? My friend and fellow

00:23:39.420 --> 00:23:41.660
servant at Somebody Cares, Doug Stringer, was

00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:43.900
diagnosed with stage four cancer several years

00:23:43.900 --> 00:23:46.960
ago and given a very short time to live. Shaken,

00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:50.400
but not destroyed, he refused to give in to despair.

00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:53.599
Instead, he fixed his gaze on God and stayed

00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:56.440
about his father's business, even in the middle

00:23:56.440 --> 00:23:59.019
of chemo. God brought him through and healed

00:23:59.019 --> 00:24:02.559
him, and his testimony has impacted more people

00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:05.940
than we can count. When we walk in humility,

00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:11.819
stay close to the Spirit, watch and pray, embrace

00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:15.359
divine interruptions, and let love guide our

00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:18.259
lens, we begin to live with spiritual eyes wide

00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:21.960
open. We start to see God's fingerprints in conversations,

00:24:22.259 --> 00:24:26.339
coincidences, and even crises. That's when ordinary

00:24:26.339 --> 00:24:31.079
life becomes a place of ongoing revelation. Friend,

00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:33.539
maybe you've started this year with unanswered

00:24:33.539 --> 00:24:36.779
prayers, uncertain plans, or unexpected changes.

00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:40.619
Don't lose heart. God is working. Even if it

00:24:40.619 --> 00:24:43.079
looks different than you hoped. Like Mary, say

00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:46.740
yes. Like Elizabeth, celebrate what he's doing

00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:51.019
in others. Like Anna, keep watching, keep worshiping.

00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:54.079
And like Mary Magdalene, listen for him to call

00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:57.700
your name. God's moving. The question is, will

00:24:57.700 --> 00:25:00.640
you recognize his hand when he does? Let me pray

00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:02.880
for you. Lord, thank you that you never stop

00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:05.509
working. Thank you for a new year when you are

00:25:05.509 --> 00:25:08.349
doing new things. Thank you for these women of

00:25:08.349 --> 00:25:11.490
faith in the Bible who saw you in unexpected

00:25:11.490 --> 00:25:15.589
ways. Father, as all of us enter this new year,

00:25:15.690 --> 00:25:18.890
give us eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts

00:25:18.890 --> 00:25:22.349
to respond to what you're doing. Where disappointment

00:25:22.349 --> 00:25:25.789
or fear have clouded our vision, call the name

00:25:25.789 --> 00:25:28.789
of each listening friend and clear away the cloudiness

00:25:28.789 --> 00:25:32.339
with your spirit. You've already invited us into

00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:34.920
your new thing. Give us the courage to say yes

00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:38.920
and May our lives reflect your love in every

00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:44.180
place. You send us in Jesus mighty name Amen

00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:46.339
as we closed your friend. I want to bless you

00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:50.220
from Ephesians 1 verses 17 and 18 May your spiritual

00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:55.039
eyes be opened to see his hand your steps guided

00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:59.109
to follow his lead and your heart awakened to

00:25:59.109 --> 00:26:02.410
every place he's moving in your life. Friend,

00:26:02.430 --> 00:26:04.410
if today's episode encouraged you, please share

00:26:04.410 --> 00:26:06.230
it with someone who needs hope this new year.

00:26:06.730 --> 00:26:09.869
And if you need prayer, our Somebody Cares team

00:26:09.869 --> 00:26:15.089
is always here for you at 855 -459 -CARE or prayer

00:26:15.089 --> 00:26:18.490
at somebodycares .org. As this new year begins,

00:26:18.630 --> 00:26:20.690
may your spiritual eyes be open to see God's

00:26:20.690 --> 00:26:23.869
hand in every moment and may you join him joyfully

00:26:23.869 --> 00:26:27.009
in what you're doing. Until next time. Remember,

00:26:27.630 --> 00:26:30.930
keep watch for what God's doing and join in.

00:26:31.509 --> 00:26:34.589
The story he's writing for you is amazing. Her

00:26:34.589 --> 00:26:37.150
God Story is a ministry of Somebody Cares America

00:26:37.150 --> 00:26:39.809
and International. To find out more about or

00:26:39.809 --> 00:26:42.609
support the ministry, go to somebodycares .org.