I don't even know where to begin on this post. I know the message I want to convey but as usual my heart wants to explode all over the place, and my mind has to try and find a way for all of that to get from my heart to my fingertips as I type.
We had a zoom meeting yesterday with all of the wonderful folks that are going on the next trip to Honduras. We are all hoping for the November dates to work out, we may end up pushed back to January, but either way I am beyond thankful to be a part of this trip. What I absolutely love about this group of people is the at home feeling that I get just from seeing their faces, even if they're across a crowded room or states away.
We have folks from NY, TX, AZ, PA, VA, WV and probably many more. It doesn't matter how far apart we are, the way the Holy Spirit connects us has been something that I have longed to experience my entire life.
There’s something about these special people. Maybe it’s the kindness in their hearts and their love for people. Maybe it’s the Jesus in their eyes. Maybe it’s simply the Holly Spirit. Maybe it’s all of that and more. I still haven’t quite been able to put my finger on it but whatever it is, I’m absolutely in love.
Now, those of you who have known me over the years, this is coming from me. The same Ashley that used to hide from people and never speak. The same Ashley that needed a 5th of Captain Morgan and a blunt before I’d ever consider anything fun. The same Ashley that when she would finally talk, would cut you to shreds with her words, laughing while she did so. I hated people. I really did. Now here I am less than a year later, loving all over people, praying for strangers and seeing them touched by the Lord. I’m traveling out of the country. I’m invited to visit churches in different areas. I’m speaking out on Love in ways that I absolutely never could before. All because of the spiritual family the Lord has blessed me with and the way that the Lord can change a person from the inside out.
Yes, I have a long way to go, but I am so eternally blessed to have come as far as I have in such a short period of time.
When you grow up as the black sheep of the family, feeling alone, feeling misunderstood, feeling empty and hurt, it’s hard to think that anything could ever change. When your standing on the chair and about to kick it out, it’s hard to think of anything other than the pain. When you’re depressed and suicidal thoughts creep into your head constantly, you don’t think about Jesus. You think about making the pain go away. It took me 36 years to realize that Jesus is what takes the pain away. The thing of it is, that it’s not just Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit. When you shut out the Spirit of God, you’re just reading words in a book.
When you feel the touch of the Lord for the first time, you’ll never forget it. When demons leave you, you’ll never forget it. When you see your first vision, you’ll never forget it. When you pray for someone and they get healed, you’ll never forget it. That’s the Jesus this world needs. That’s the Jesus that is inside all of these people.
I can’t thank them enough. From my spiritual mentors, fathers, mothers, pastors, brothers, sisters, to friends and even acquaintances. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Everyone that’s in my news feed, everyone that’s in my messenger, everyone that I can just call when I need to talk, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for showing me what Christianity really is. Thank you for mentoring me, for praying for me, for prophecy, for healing me, for helping me experience deliverance, for baptizing me, for all of it. Thank you for seeing something in me that no one else saw. Thank you!
I’m yesterday’s zoom meeting we were all praying over our trip. Every person that spoke, spoke the true heart of the Lord. As we were praying the Lord put a vision in my heart. It was a vision of an airplane that we were all on. Instead of being ourselves, we were crystal glasses filled with the purifying, cleansing love of the Lord. We were full of everything that the Lord had poured into each one of us. Some were filled with love, some with healing, some with deliverance, some with teaching, some with prophecy, some with miracles. I didn’t matter if our glasses were scratched up, cracked, different colors, shapes or sizes. All that mattered was that we were willing vessels open to be poured into.
As we exited the plane and our feet hit the ground in Honduras, suddenly everyone tipped over. The clear liquid that was inside of us flowed together like a mighty river cleansing the land. All of our gifts flowed flawlessly together to create this powerful rushing river of the Lord. The power that can only come when the body of Christ comes together. This was a force to be reckoned with. This was the Lord.
I am so beyond blessed to be a glass on that plane. Even if my scratches and cracks still show.
I love you all so very much.
Thank you will never be enough to express my gratitude.
Ephesians 4:16 - From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
1 Corinthians 12:27 - Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
2 Timothy 2:2
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Proverbs 27:17
17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
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