He provided! Yes, He did...!

Something amazing happened to me today and it totally caught me off guard--but it definitely made my day.

I was in the bookstore at my school and wanted to buy something, but then I remembered that I didn't have a lot of money in my bank account. After getting a haircut yesterday, I should've had $10 in my account. Just to be sure that I didn't have enough money, I texted Chase to figure out my balance. The response I got was that I had $40 in my account. "That can't be right," I thought. So I logged onto my bank account online to check all of my transactions, and sure enough, even after the haircut went through, I had a current balance of $40. Long story short, God gave me an extra $30 out of nowhere. Divine provision? I think so! :)

I've really been stressing about money lately; paying for school, getting a job--it only figures that the tuition at my school is really high and I haven't heard back on a job I applied for for almost two weeks. Aside from praying for God's provision on a daily basis, I specifically prayed for it in Men's Chorale yesterday. So to see God come through like this (even if $30 isn't a lot... it's still more than I had!) has been a huge blessing. Through it all, I can hear Him say,

"Gary. I'm in control. Don't doubt that I can provide, because I can and will. Trust me."

Keep this in mind as you go throughout your daily life. God can provide. And He will.

All you have to do is ask.

Word!

I've always known how impacting God's Word is.

The dumb thing is... I still struggle with reading it on a daily basis.

I go through certain struggles, things get rough--and I wonder why.

I agree that even if you are in the Word, you'll still go through rough times.

The difference is... being in the Word...

...it changes you.

I've been in the Word every day for the last several weeks, and I've seen it radically change my life. Every day is significantly different. Not only does being in the Word change my desires--I begin to desire the things of God over the things of this world--but it gives me a clear lens through which to see the world. It clears my head, gives me a better picture of who I am in God, who He is, and what He's calling me to do.

Here's a challenge for you: if you've been struggling with being in the Word, begin in the Psalms. Even if it's one a day, I guarantee you that you'll begin to notice significant changes in your life.

God's Word: powerful. Life-changing. Impacting.

Give it a shot.

And see what He does in your life, others' lives, and the world around you.

An Incredible Year Has Come to An End...

2011.

What an incredible year. God has changed me in tremendous ways, I can hardly begin to count all of the things that He has done.

At the beginning of the year, He called me into a season of healing. Unfortunately, I'd allowed things to distract me from going into this season. It took going into some brokenness for Him to get my attention again, but He was faithful, and I entered a season of growth that I never could have seen coming.

It was not until this year that I finally began to see myself as the man that God created me to be. I began to see myself as an "overcomer," one who walks in victory and freedom. Old mindsets of mine have radically changed and I'm so glad that they did.

Around the beginning of the summer, He told me that I was going into a season of "basic faith". This did not mean that I was going to regress back to where I had previously been spiritually; it meant that I was going to go back to the foundations of my faith. I experienced a decent amount of growth over the summer, but that was nothing in comparison to what I would experience in the fall, coinciding with the beginning of my college career.

In the few short months I spent at APU for my first semester of college, my faith was beaten to the ground. It got to a point where worshiping in church became awkward; I'd felt as if I did not believe in God and I didn't belong there. If it weren't for His grace, I would have certainly given up on Him.

Alas, I came out of that season with a faith much stronger than any faith I'd had before. My faith is much more grounded now than it was four months ago, and I'm so glad that God led me through the storm that He did. It's amazing how He can use things like that to shape us and make us stronger.

I'm lookin' forward to another year to see God move in mighty ways.
More chances for my faith to grow.
More opportunities to spread His love.
And another year to grow closer to Him and become more like Him.

2012... bring it on.