Tell all your friends!

So, I had something completely different in mind to write about today however God said no and so I'm writing this!

I just read Exodus 18 about Moses telling his Father-in-law about all of the exciting things God had done in his life from the journey in the desert to the Israelites and about being freed from slavery in Egypt.  Quite a tale!  Exodus tells us that Jethro (Moses' father-in-law) was 'delighted to hear about the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians' (v9).  He went on to say this in v11:

'Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods'.

It strikes me that perhaps this Jethro guy was not a believer in one God, if at all a believer in our God - the Lord.  Yet through Moses' witness and testimony, Jethro was able to see just how good the Lord is.  Perhaps if we were to tell others, including non-believers about the wonderful God we serve, they might too see how awesome He actually is, and believe themselves!  Now this is not an attempt to 'convert' anyone.  Like I mentioned in my previous blog - we all have the freewill to choose.  But if my stories assist your own personal journey, then praise God!

So for all of you lovely, amazing people who read my blog, let me tell you a snippet about the wonderful things God has done in my life.  Yes I will be open and honest, but if God can use it to bless other people, then why not.

1 - So for years and years as you may have read, I MASSIVELY struggled with who I was, to the point of self injury, eating disorders, hiding behind my baggy clothes, covering my mirrors with towels, and not being able to go out in public without my face caked in make-up and a hood up!  It affected everything - my social skills, my social life, my confidence, my opinion of myself.... it was pretty bad.  And, although it took persistence and perseverence, praise God that through years of prayer and believing in what God says about me in the Bible (i.e. that I'm precious and honoured, fearfully and wonderfully made, chosen, God's child, etc) I am now free from all of this.  I have not self injured in almost 3 years, am so much freer in myself, and actually would go as far as saying that I love myself and what and who I am!

2 - In 2003 I did a gap year in Manchester and had to fund all of my living costs and bills myself.  Due to the gap-year being unpaid there came a point where I was completely and utterly screwed for money.  So I prayed and asked God to help me.  The very next day a cheque for £100 came through the post for me!

3 - In 2009 I lost my job.  A verbal contract which I had verbally agreed to got withdrawn and I was left jobless.  I prayed, and within 4 weeks I had a new job, in a top school, on a higher wage and with more responsibility.  I'm still there now.

4 - Today I ran out of petrol and my petrol light was flashing at me, so I asked God to help me get to the petrol station before running out of fuel, and I did!

5 - My amazing brother was really struggling with stuff as a teenager.  He was becoming increasingly involved with Buddhism and was not in a good place.  So I prayed my heart out and asked that God would lead him and direct him.  He now has a degree, a job, a lovely flatshare and is thriving as a Christian after his committment to the Lord only 12 months after I started praying for him.  He too has been freed from a panic disorder, and low-self esteem and is now able to help others experiencing similar in his role in his job.

6 - I love singing, but I couldn't ever, EVER do it in public.  This was the result of a horrific incident which occured as a teenager, in pubic.  When asked to join the worship team at WCC in 2009, I was like 'God, you're gonna have to do something here if you want me to sing'.  So He did and unlocked my voice that had been chained up for so long.  I'm not perfect but I've been singing in church for over 2 years now, and even managed to sing in French and Spanish on my own this morning!

7 - At the moment as you may be aware, things are fairly difficult in my journey - I'm homesick, stressed to the max in my job, struggling with being single, unsure of the future and so on.  But in all of this I know and have hope that God is working all things out for His glory and also in my best interests.  It's so exciting to know that no matter how low I get, it's never going to be so low that God can't reach me and pull me up again.  He loves to work things out with His children.

8 - God has radically and amazingly altered my mindset.  Instead of getting angry at everything I am not, which used to be a daily battle, I praise God for everything that I am.  He can do the same for you.

9 - A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine got rushed to hospital with a viral infection on his heart.  He collapsed and was in hospital for a short while.  A group of us prayed together, and praise God that he has made an almost full recovery, and increased his faith in the process!  Who knows what could have happened if it weren't for our loving Father being concerned for him and hearing our prayers.

10 - ..............

To be honest, the list is endless.  I could go on and on.  There are a 1000001 ways in which God has blessed me, helped me, been with me, listened to me, comforted me, directed me, given me wisdom, melted the hardness of my heart, rescued me, brought me out from my dark pit, provided for me.... So I'm not going to write a number 10.  This one's for you.  Perhaps you are a believer and are reading this - well why not add to the list and share why you think God is good.  Perhaps you don't yet believe, in which case why don't you talk to God, invite Him to assist you in your journey, and then you can write up your own reason why God is good in a few days.

'Taste and see that the Lord is good' (Psalm 34v8).  If you've never tasted Ben n Jerry's Phish Food ice cream how do you know whether it's good or not?  If you have never given God a try, how do you know whether He is good or not.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed.