We have to be careful what we say because it will return to us. Hahaha. It happened to me when I was in Moscow last October, during my first solo missions trip.
Traveling as a solo-team was new for me. Wisdom tells us that at least two together is better than one. And it’s true. But it was a divine setup. Jesus wanted to change my anxious view of ministering alone. He used my favorite teaching theme to do it.
My favorite theme is Jesus, the Ever-Present God, the One who is always with me. Quite often I reference 1 John 1:1, “We announce to you what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, …and our hands handled, about the Word of Life [Jesus Himself].” In the succeeding verses Apostle John invites us into the same relationship with Jesus—to handle Him with our hands, to know Him as accessible, real, touchable. Jesus, Son of God, incarnated to be a man of flesh and blood so that men could see and touch Him.
During the trip, Holy Spirit used my being alone to challenge the depth of my personal walk with touchable Jesus. He kindly confronted my fear of being alone, and insisted that I receive again the Truth of 1 John 1:1-4 myself. Eat what I teach. Haha, good one, Holy Spirit!
It was the best trip. Daily, sometimes hourly, I would read 1 John 1:1-4 aloud, focus on Jesus and speak to Him about how I wanted more. (I highly recommend following this simple pattern to find your own breakthrough.) My job was to receive and believe. Anxiety left and confidence grew. I returned home changed.
Life is better when we practice Brave Step #1 as a real-life application. Brave Step #1 is to live as if He is inside my skin (see January 19 post).
© Sharon Gonzales • January 21, 2015