Blessings

For the past few months, I've been thinking a lot about the amazing things that God has done for me since my move to Arizona. He really has literally moved heaven and earth to give me the opportunity to have a closer relationship with him. Sometimes I almost feel embarrassed about how much He's done in my life; you know, like when you're someone's guest and they make a big deal about serving you and doing all these extra things for you and you feel bad and say they really don't have to go to all that trouble. But the thing is, God (like the eager host) delights in giving us what we need. Jesus delights in serving us. He delights in blessing us.

So I'm not actually embarrassed, but honored, touched, and overjoyed. I'll go into more detail about specific blessings in other posts, but just to summarize:

First (and most importantly) He's shown me the way to open a direct line of communication with Him. I get so much more out of praying now than I used to. The idea of praying in tongues, praying for healing and seeing immediate results, or receiving prophetic words was so foreign to me just five months ago, but now not only do I believe in them, but I have seen and experienced them, and I am quickly moving to a place of comfort and trust in which I expect them.  This process has also opened me up to a whole new kind of worship; church really means something to me now, something I couldn't say for most of my life.

God has also given me amazing new friends through my family in Christ. I've met so many new people through  Two Rivers, more than I can even keep track of, and every single one of them has been incredible and a true blessing to my life. My circle of friends is ever-expanding, and not only are they quality, valuable friends, but they're friends who are seriously committed to Jesus. This is the first time I can really say that I've been a part of a group of radical, loving, open, intense Christians, and I love it! And within this group, I've formed deep connections with two people who are already among my best friends, and I'm confident that they will be a significant part of my life for years to come. All of these people have been crucial to my spiritual growth; I know that God has used them to speak into my life on many occasions, and they've been great role models for living an actively God-centered life. On top of that, they've just been great friends who have really been there for me.

There's more. I've received healing for deep-seeded issues that I've ignored or rationalized for most of my life. I've received the knowledge of full forgiveness for mistakes I've made in the past, erasing shame and self-doubt that I had been carrying. I've been given direction for what to do with my life - not that I know exactly what path I'm going to take yet, but I know that God is directly guiding me and that He wants me to use my creative gifts for His glory. I've learned to embrace my identity as a son of God, and to accept Him as my Father. Multiple people have received wonderful and encouraging prophetic words about me. God has bestowed a peace and calm on my life that has eliminated almost all of my doubt, worry, and concern for my future, and whatever elements of those feelings remain are being driven out as I continue to get closer to God.

I'm not bragging about any of this; none of this is my doing, or a special favor that I've "earned" for anything I've done. But God has placed a special favor on me because I am His child, and He loves me infinitely and wants me to come to a full knowledge of my identity and potential. This is true for all His children, and it's good to remember the great things He has done for us. Again, I plan to go into more detail about a lot of this stuff later, and this list does not encompass all of the things that have changed in the past 4 1/2 month, but I just wanted a written reminder of how much God has given me.

Everyone knows the great Benjamin Franklin quote, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." True. But there are a lot of other things we could fill in for the subject of this quote that are even more powerful, and it's good for us to think about these things. It builds up a thankful heart in us, a heart of praise that will only serve to increase our blessings.