If you are reading this, then you have probably come to a road block. You might be struggling or second guessing past decisions or maybe just trying to get a feel for who you have become and who you used to be. Whatever the situation, whether you are reading this ten days from now or ten years from now; remember this- you have overcome this world and your enemy. Whatever is going on right now, you have already overcome it through Jesus Christ! Let that sink in for a minute.
"Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:5)You are a child of God! You have been called into His kingdom and called to do His work on this earth. You have been given a purpose. When you were 18, the day you wrote this, you knew what your next step was and God called you to take a leap of faith into exciting and terrifying territory and you were so excited to do so. You had never been more sure about anything in your whole life. If you are struggling with what you feel God has placed you here for, remember the moment He told you your next step. Through those 6 am prayer services in January 2015, He revealed to you more than you were asking for. Not only did He reveal it to you but he confirmed it when you doubted. He never left you- through the hardest year of your life and the ten thousand changes that took place in your life, God never left you. Remember your testimony, the way God has prepared you to reach other people and the way your life has happened the way it has for a reason. Nothing you have gone through has been in vain, it wasn't when you wrote this and it isn't right now. God is STILL using you even if you feel he has left, He is still with you even if you can't see, feel, or hear him, and there is nothing you can do that will separate you from His love. NOTHING.
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)Maybe you are feeling void of healthy relationships, needing friends and not knowing who to go to with your situation. Remember the way God provided for you before. He got you in small groups and gave you some of the best friends of your life when your best friend moved away. He not only gave you people to talk to, but he gave you people who love God and love you and were able to bring out the joy of Jesus in you while you were healing from disappointment and worry. He delivered you from the state satan put you in and showed you how relationships with people who love him and encourage you daily can drag you out of the pit you are in, all the way on to the top of the mountain. Your worst year turned into your best because of his faithfulness and the way he loves you so much, more than you can even imagine.
Remember the way Church of the Highlands changed your life and everything about your relationship with God, never forget the joy you got stepping onto the campus for chapel or ONE and growing deeper into relationships and living through and learning from awkward moments with the people that would become some of your best friends. It hasn't necessarily been easy, but the payout is so worth the uncomfortable first small group meetings, or the embarrassing icebreakers. God made you that way for a reason. You were created and placed in the cities you have been in, in the positions you have held, in the small groups you have joined, even down to the everyday encounters that have happened for a divine appointment and you are being used for the glory of the Kingdom.
Bayly, I am urging you to finish the race. Push through whatever is holding you back right now, whatever is keeping you from doing all God has called you to do. Be bold when it is uncomfortable because every life will end and every person you see every day will eventually go to eternity in one of two places. Make sure you know where they are going, and that you try your best to bring them to heaven with you. Never lose sight of the sole purpose you were placed here for- never get caught up in the trends of being a Christian (let flannel become more to you than life change), and never forget the people around you who are sinking. Never let the power of what God has placed you in, whatever and wherever that may be, become normal to you. Don't become so caught up in you job, duties, or workload that you forget why you have that job. Ultimately, keep your head steady and your eyes on Jesus, and bury your head in the word of God that has pulled you through every tough situation thus far.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2)You have been made for great things. Your father, God, sent his only son to save you by slaughtering Him on the cross and letting heaven sit silently as your sins were paid for forever. You have been bought at a price, Jesus' blood, and God wouldn't have taken you in if you weren't worth it. Remember that. You were worth it, and you still are.
Jesus loves you infinitely,
Bayly
This blog post is a little different than normal, but inspired by God as always. Technically it is written to me in the future, but I believe this is a message God has spoken (typed) through me to reach YOU now. It is not just for future Bayly, it is for current ______ (fill in the blank). Everything said in this letter pertains to you, you have been called and your sins have been paid for by the ultimate sacrifice. God loved you then and he loves you now, and there is nothing you can do to separate you from his love. Read this letter and fill in "you" with your name and let the words that God gave me graciously to reach you, empower you. I am only a vessel, and God is the source that never runs dry. Connect yourself to the source and see what He has for you in this message. You are awesome for making it this far in this post, and I am honored you care enough to read it. Thank you!!
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