Connect to the Source

We serve a Great God. He is all powerful, all knowing and ever present. Recently I was praying about peace. Not peace as in the absence of conflict, but about the Prince of Peace. The Peace from God that surpasses all understanding.

I was wondering about the current level of God's peace I had currently in my life. I felt like the Lord whispered to me "if I give you peace, I give it completely. You will not need more peace than what I give you." This statement brought such comfort to me. Our God is an ALL-SUFFICIENT GOD. If you need peace, He provides all the peace you will need. The only caveat is that the true Peace of God comes from the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV)

I know this concept is where many Christians struggle. They are seeking out the Peace (or Love, Joy, etc.) without realizing where our source is. We must connect with the Spirit. the fruit of the Spirit only comes from the Spirit. Please realize that the Holy Spirit is seeking a relationship with you. Do not deny the Spirit that is moving across the earth a place to dwell in your life.

My prayer for all of us would be for us to bear fruit. The river in scripture is synonymous with the Spirit. Psalm 1:3 says "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper."(NKJV)

Revelation 22:1-2 says "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (NKJV)

To me, the trees mentioned in Psalms and in Revelation are one and the same. Let's plant ourselves in the river of the Holy Spirit and let's bring forth fruit in season. Also, let's be aware of those around us. The "leaves" of our lives are to be used for the healing of the nations.

Seek out the Spirit. Ask for a friend to pray for you to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Invite Him to work in your life. You will not believe how amazing your life can be with His fruit growing in your life. Go out and let your fruit change someone's life today.

A little info about Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island nation located off the southern coast of the India subcontinent. Its official name is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. It was known as Ceylon until 1972. Due to its location, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and Southeast Asia, and was an important stop along the old Silk Road.

Sri Lanka has a very interesting history. It was an independent monarchy for several hundred years until the Portuguese, Dutch and British each took turns ruling it. The British held control of the island from about 1800 until 1970. From 1970-2009, Sri Lanka was an independent republic. That time period, however was marred by a 25 year long civil war. Since 2009, Sri Lanka has held a presidential election and there have been approximately 3 years of peace in the country.

The population makeup of Sri Lanka consists of the Sinhalese, Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people. The primary religion of the island nation is Buddhist (69%), with a smaller amount of Hindus (15%), Muslims (8%), and Christians (8%). There is a very important note about religion in Sri Lanka. It is against the law to convert someone from the religion that they were "born into".  The punishment if someone is caught can range from deportation to imprisonment of up to 7 years.

The purpose of our trip will be to spend time working with the orphanages we are visiting. There are 5 men and 6 women traveling, and we have several things we want to accomplish. The women will mostly be working with the children by playing with them and teaching them curriculum. The men will be constructing a basketball court for the kids to play with, as well as take care of any additional items that need to be repaired.

I will be trying to post a few updates throughout the trip, depending on internet, so please stop back by and see what we are up to!