A Woman's Worst Nightmare...Trusting in God's Sovereignty
Greetings to our obedient sisters in the Lord!
By the time I post this, the event will have been put further behind me but the lesson will be everlasting. As you surely know, we are thankful for the outcome of the lessons we learn in trials but we don't care for the burning fire that we have to pass through. As we mature we learn to weather it easier each time, for the most part.
We arrived in this town that neither brother Jim nor I were looking forward to but we felt it was where we should be based on how everything seemed to line up. I don't want to share the details of how wickedly evil the people in this place are and the nudity law they just passed makes me want to vomit. Don't even ask as it's too profane to even speak of. (No, they weren't doing it while we were out.)
Anyway, as we were in the midst of this wicked vileness on the streets, there were some sheep and it encouraged us. We also went to a religious place and it was almost as horrid and as we left the first one to walk to another one it just got worse. It was a liberal Mennonite body that was having a service outside in a park across the street from their building. These are like Mennonite rebels and resemble absolutely NOTHING like the typical mennonites who are unbiblical but have more right than this group does. They also house beggars / homeless people, not calling them out of their sins to repentance but giving them a place to sleep and hang out while they do their sins. As brother Jim preached the truth they were getting stirred up across the street. Then he did it... he walked across the street to their side. Let me stop right here and share the thought going through my head...."This is every woman's nightmare!" These guys looked like rough drug dealers or something. It was a bad group, all hanging out on the church lawn participating in their sins. (Some were across the street listening to the lies of the Mennonites.)
As we were walking toward them, I had to dispel the feeling of wanting to run and kill the the thought that kept going through my head of:
"He's actually going to drag me through this?" I immediately stomped that thought and replaced it with "My Father is watching and what happens will happen. If it is His will then it is good. I trust that Jim is being led by the Father and I will stand by him." We marched right among them, brother Jim stood hard on the truth, they got mad and it got to the point that one of their own stepped in between us and them and not only once as it happened again with another man.
Brother Jim pointed out the sovereignty of God by using those unbelievers to put a protection between us and them. We saw things like that throughout the weekend, His sovereignty. You can listen to a teaching he just did on that, giving examples and scripture.
I felt like this...
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23
I also felt joyous that my husband had enough confidence in me that I would just follow his lead and not cause any issues. That is great encouragement to me that I have come a long way in my maturity as a godly wife.
We must always trust in God's sovereignty and keep walking forward, not stumbling in doubt or fear but knowing that our Father is greater than all that is in this world.
Have a joyous evening and I'll be back to you soon. We have travel all day until evening tomorrow and we look forward to who the Lord might bring into our lives to share His truth with.
May God be praised!
Love, blessings and peace,
Sister Deb
By the time I post this, the event will have been put further behind me but the lesson will be everlasting. As you surely know, we are thankful for the outcome of the lessons we learn in trials but we don't care for the burning fire that we have to pass through. As we mature we learn to weather it easier each time, for the most part.
We arrived in this town that neither brother Jim nor I were looking forward to but we felt it was where we should be based on how everything seemed to line up. I don't want to share the details of how wickedly evil the people in this place are and the nudity law they just passed makes me want to vomit. Don't even ask as it's too profane to even speak of. (No, they weren't doing it while we were out.)
Anyway, as we were in the midst of this wicked vileness on the streets, there were some sheep and it encouraged us. We also went to a religious place and it was almost as horrid and as we left the first one to walk to another one it just got worse. It was a liberal Mennonite body that was having a service outside in a park across the street from their building. These are like Mennonite rebels and resemble absolutely NOTHING like the typical mennonites who are unbiblical but have more right than this group does. They also house beggars / homeless people, not calling them out of their sins to repentance but giving them a place to sleep and hang out while they do their sins. As brother Jim preached the truth they were getting stirred up across the street. Then he did it... he walked across the street to their side. Let me stop right here and share the thought going through my head...."This is every woman's nightmare!" These guys looked like rough drug dealers or something. It was a bad group, all hanging out on the church lawn participating in their sins. (Some were across the street listening to the lies of the Mennonites.)
As we were walking toward them, I had to dispel the feeling of wanting to run and kill the the thought that kept going through my head of:
"He's actually going to drag me through this?" I immediately stomped that thought and replaced it with "My Father is watching and what happens will happen. If it is His will then it is good. I trust that Jim is being led by the Father and I will stand by him." We marched right among them, brother Jim stood hard on the truth, they got mad and it got to the point that one of their own stepped in between us and them and not only once as it happened again with another man.
Brother Jim pointed out the sovereignty of God by using those unbelievers to put a protection between us and them. We saw things like that throughout the weekend, His sovereignty. You can listen to a teaching he just did on that, giving examples and scripture.
I felt like this...
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23
I also felt joyous that my husband had enough confidence in me that I would just follow his lead and not cause any issues. That is great encouragement to me that I have come a long way in my maturity as a godly wife.
We must always trust in God's sovereignty and keep walking forward, not stumbling in doubt or fear but knowing that our Father is greater than all that is in this world.
Have a joyous evening and I'll be back to you soon. We have travel all day until evening tomorrow and we look forward to who the Lord might bring into our lives to share His truth with.
May God be praised!
Love, blessings and peace,
Sister Deb
The biblical gospel...