Surrender

In this season of my life, God is teaching me what it means to completely surrender everything to Him. And it’s a process that’s been VERY, VERY difficult!!!

In Matthew 14:29, Jesus calls out to Peter sitting in the boat and asks him to simply come, to walk on the waters towards Jesus. Listen to it in context. “Then Peter got down from the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. but when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord save me!’ immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘you of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

At first glance this may seem insane. Who in their right mind would tell another human being to leave what seemed to be the safest place in the storm to step out into the water. To WALK ON WATER!?! BUT that’s exactly what Jesus did and it was genuinely one of the most beautiful and meaningful miracles Jesus ever displayed.

Throughout our lives we are faced with many storms. Wether that be problems within our family, issues with our health, loss of family or friends, struggle with mental health, etc., our storms can be big or small. But we have a picture of how we can weather these storms through the example of Peter. With his eyes fixed on Jesus, in the midst of a terrible storm, he surrendered everything and trusted fully in Christ. He didn’t take time to reason with his circumstances, but simply listened and followed.

Peter’s initial focus is what the Lord is calling all of us to.  Jesus desires that we would single-mindedly and wholeheartedly focused on Him. This doesn’t come with doing more good for Jesus, but by laying down more for Him. It doesn’t come with service, but with surrender!

When we are able to live in surrender to the Lord, laying everything at his feet (our desires, our aspirations, our shortcomings, etc.) and when we trust in His plans, His faithfulness and His promises to work everything out for our good, our focus shifts from our problems to Jesus! The problems fade away and the glory of His presence calms the storm.

Yes, we will fail at times. And there might be times when we stray away from Christ, and begin to drown within the gritty chaos of life. But we have a promise that is evident in this Scripture: all we have to do is call upon His name and just as He responded to Peter, he will respond to you and me. With an outstretched arm and with no hesitation, He will take our hand and saves us. Not because we deserve it, but He does so freely because His love is enduring and never ending. He is a God of abundant grace and mercy!

We MUST stop letting ourselves be consumed in our struggles because, they are just momentary afflictions. They are wind and waves. Though they look threatening, they are just opportunities for us to learn to trust Him more. No doubt, they seem difficult and overwhelming at times, but minute in comparison to the loving outstretched arm of the Creator of the Universe.

So, surrender everything to Him. Lay everything at His feet. Yield completely to your creator and allow Him to use you in any and every way. And after you’ve laid it all at His feet, look up. Take His hand and follow Him. Your life will never be the same!

Recently, surrender for me was applying to serve in Zambia with Africa Freedom Mission. I could have looked at the obstacles that stood in my way, been discouraged and went back to the boat. But I’ve chosen to sacrifice my plans and my way and run after Jesus. I don’t know what Zambia has to offer, but I do know that iff I’m in His arms, I’m safer than being in some rickety boat. It’s INSANE how God works in our lives when we choose to surrender to Him completely.

I guess you could say that surrender brings so much goodness!!! It provides opportunities like this! I’m going to Africa people!!! And I get to go with a company like this, Africa Freedom Mission! HE.IS.GOOD.

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Morgan Hendrix is 16 years old and is from Loganville, Georgia. This trip with AFM will be the first time she’s ever traveled outside of the US. If you would be interested in partnering with Morgan financially, you can do so at the following link: MORGAN

His Presence is Our Home

There’s revival in the secret place. There’s a daily invitation that comes with a house key awaiting our response each morning. The presence of the Lord is home, we can turn the key knowing we are unlocking a love that takes us as we are and doesn’t leave us the same. The rotation of the key marks an exchange- beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness, peace for anxiety. The exchange takes the frailty of our humanity and overflows the strength of His Holy Spirit into every fiber of our being. As His children, we are called into the secret place, where The Father’s arms are open awaiting our embrace- there’s a fire in his eyes that glances upon us with the utmost love and compassion. Every turn of the house key symbolizes the sweet surrender and submission to whatever the Lord may seek to reveal in the stillness of that moment. 

The more we abide in the Father’s heart, the more our hearts cry out for more of all that He is, the more our hearts break for what breaks his. The more we entangle ourselves with the Father, the more we mimic his ways and embody His character- my prayer is that this will always be known as our utmost honor and the greatest pursuit our lives will ever know. The Father uses intimacy to equip us- intimacy propels us into action. As sons and daughters, we must relentlessly seek to embody Christ so much so that the enemy trembles at our every waking day, the very steps we take the second we rise up should cause the enemy to tremble. As we dwell in His presence, hallelujahs become like arrows pointing in preparation for what’s to come. This starts by the simple acceptance to the invitation, our hands turning the key for the Father’s heart. 

“My heart will not be afraid even if an army rises to attack.

I know that you are there for me, so I will not be shaken. Here’s the one thing I crave from God,the one thing I seek above all else:

I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer. In his shelter in the day of trouble, that’s where you’ll find me, for he hides me there in his holiness. He has smuggled me into his secret place,where I’m kept safe and secure—out of reach from all my enemies. Triumphant now, I’ll bring him my offerings of praise, singing and shouting with ecstatic joy! Yes, listen and you can hear the fanfare of my shouts of praise to the Lord! God, hear my cry. Show me your grace. Show me mercy, and send the help I need! Lord, when you said to me, “Seek my face,”my inner being responded,“I’m seeking your face with all my heart.”” Psalm 27: 3-8 TPT.

~Kristen Kinley

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Kristen Kinley is a junior at App State studying early childhood development family and children studies with a minor in nonprofit management. She is involved in New Life Ministry at Harvest House and is also participating in AFM’s summer leadership program in Zimbabwe. If you would like to help her in her fundraising, you can do so at this link: KRISTEN KINLEY.

Freedom In Being Vulnerable

“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” ~ Galatians 6:2

I remember reading this in NY the night I met my team. Lets be real. I never expected to go to Africa for two months and leave with a family. Yes, I knew I would get close to people. But the friendship I built with my team wasn’t just a friendship, it became family. I was beyond stoked when we landed in Uganda and was so ready to go to orphanages, do street evangelism and feed the homeless. Pretty much everything you expect to do on a missions trip, but the Lord had other plans for Uganda. We didn’t get to do loads of mission work like we had thought we would and I kept asking God “why”

Didn’t He send us to Africa to do missions work. So why then was there not a lot of opportunities to do it?

On a sunny morning in Uganda when I was asking God these questions this is what I got.

“If you want to serve my people, you need to serve me first. If you want to teach my people about me, you need to surrender everything to me and live every day sold out in my name. If you want me to use you, start opening up your heart so it can be used. And if you want to share my love, start knowing my love for yourself.”

God wasn’t about to send me out to the people of Africa to tell them about Jesus when, first, I wasn’t truly living for him and, secondly, if my life wasn’t one that radiated Jesus.

That first started with me and my team having to be open with each other. Our past, our hurts, why we do things the way we do, our struggles and sins. We had to know each other’s hearts. Let me just tell you, when you open your heart to fellow believers in Christ and let Jesus move, freedom comes like you have never seen. The kind of freedom that brings you to tears and breaks what Ephesians call “the spiritual forces of evil.”

This kind of freedom can only be attained by the power that is in Jesus Christ. That’s what changes missions trips to be more then helping people. I now could go out and share Gods love because I was experiencing that love for myself. I could proclaim freedom and healing over someone, because I knew God was proclaiming it over me, and I could serve along side my team with love and joy because I knew them and their hearts. I will never take for granted what I got to do last summer.

I’m still in awe that I get to do it again next summer! If I would tell you something it would be this.

Be vulnerable with God and fellow believers, let Christ come into those parts of you that you have kept hidden. Let Him change you. Also.. go on a trip with Africa freedom Mission. You will be forever changed by what God does in and through you. You will also have a family that loves the heck out of you. Not just the best parts of you, but all of you and when you encounter a God and people who love like that, freedom over flows into every part of you, freedom that only He can give!

~ Mena Fox

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Mena Fox is 19 years old and lives in Southern California. Her desire is to serve full-time as a missionary in Africa. She will be going to Zimbabwe in the summer of 2020 to serve with Africa Freedom Mission’s summer leadership program. If you would be interested in supporting her trip this summer, you can do so at the following link: MENA FOX