Seek and You Will Find

Near the beginning of my mission trip I had come to the realization that I was having a hard time discerning between my subconscious speaking to me and God’s voice. Satan was definitely trying to win that battle, but I was not going to let that happen. I spoke with one of my ministry leaders, Emmy, and she told me to ask God to share his voice with me and show himself in little things first, then work up to bigger things. I remember before launching for Guatemala looking up what kinds of exotic animals live here. I have never seen an iguana in the wild before and thought it would be cool to see one. Sometime after talking with Emmy, I remember thinking of how I had not encountered an iguana on our trip yet. On July 17th my teammates Amanda, Claire, and I, walked outside of our house and saw an iguana running across the top of the wall! We were the only ones who saw the iguana. As soon as I saw it I instantly thought back to mine and Emmy’s conversation and asking God for a sign. I remember thinking, “I see you, God.” 

A few days after my encounter with the iguana, Romans 8 appeared in my head. We were not studying Romans as a team, nor had anyone preached on Romans recently. I looked past it until the following week.

I shared my testimony on the night of July 25th with my missions team. I revealed to my teammates that I am still ashamed of my past, and at times I do not feel as though I am worthy of God’s grace because of my life before Christ. I know this to be a lie, but I still never truly believed that I was pure enough for Christ. My friend Savanna wrote me an encouraging letter with beautiful verses, reminding me that I am being made new everyday through Christ. 

Matthew 7:7-11

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

The following day during quiet time, again, Romans 8 appeared in my head. Curiously, I turned in my bible to Romans chapter 8. After only reading the first 4 verses, I started to weep. 

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8: 1-4

This entire chapter had just spoken life into me. I felt this huge sense of overwhelming love. He was telling me exactly what his scripture tells us! We are made pure through Him and I truly believed in it. I was in awe. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. God speaks to us in a multitude of ways, we just have to be willing to listen and be patient.

God has revealed a number of things about myself to me on this mission trip that I had never seen  in myself. I am so thankful for that. 2 Corinthians 7:16 says, “I am glad I have complete confidence in you.” Aren’t you glad that verse is true?! Putting our confidence in God makes us unstoppable. We as Christians always need to remember that our Heavenly Father has our best interest at heart. It’s safe to put your trust in Him. 

I want to leave you with these two challenges: 

Reflection Questions:

• What parts of your false-self are holding you back from giving your all to God?
• What parts of your false-self had you not realized before?
• What aspects have been around for a long time?
• How does your false-self affect your life?

Lastly, I challenge you to write out your testimony. Even if you think you don’t have a testimony just start writing and see what God reveals to you. If you feel called to share it, do it! 

God Bless, 

Kate