Be Prepared

“I heard a story about 2 farmers who desperately needed rain and both of them prayed for rain but only one of them went out and prepared his field to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?… Which one are you? God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.” - Mr. Bridges, Facing the Giants


“Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them” - Ezekiel 38:7 (NLT)


Free to Hope came out strong with 40 days of testimonies, stories and messages. Not too long afterward that, things progressed further with the Free to Hope Galentine’s Day Celebration event. After that though, God started doing a lot behind the scenes which has honestly been pretty frustrating for me. As a visionary, I have numerous ideas and plans written out for Free to Hope and the list gets longer every week but I haven’t felt the “all clear” from God to actually pursue any of them… YET. Instead, God’s had me work on things like finalizing the website, defining, expanding and redefining the heart and vision behind the movement, ordering business cards, etc. Meanwhile, the enemy stayed persistent in his attacks, coming at me from several different and new angles. I would love to say that it didn’t shake me or slow me down but, truth be told, I struggled keeping my hope alive. One night, frustrated with the lack of visible/“announce-able” progress and tired of the constant internal battles, I simply sat in silence for a while, refusing to pray more, read any more verses or listen to another minute of worship music since none of that seemed to be working. Moments later, lyrics from the bridge of a new Elevation Worship song (not officially released yet) got stuck in my head, replaying over and over and over again. 
“Before the world began, it wasn’t spoken yet
You were still God, and You are still God
After Your final breath, it wasn’t over yet
You were still God, and You are still God
No weapon formed against has stopped Your promises
You were still God, and You are still God” 
The first two lines reminded me that God’s had His hands on this whole movement/ministry long before He put it on my heart. The middle two lines reminded me that nothing’s truly over until God says it’s over. And the last two lines served as a reminder that the enemy can try whatever weapons, attacks and strategies he wants but, as long as I continue leaning on God, trusting His process, and living to honor Him through it all, He will honor His promises and do what only He can do. He is still God! After my focus was adjusted, I regained my confidence in who God is and was then able to realize the importance of all the small things. God is preparing to send rain and I need to be ready to physically receive it, mentally process it and spiritually steward it. When the rain does come, you'll know and, at that time, Free to Hope Ministries and I will be ready to ride that wave wherever it takes us.


“Impossibility remains no longer when You speak and now You’re near. You are with us.”