39 YEARS

39 years

468 months

2,035 weeks

14,245 days

341,880 hours

20,512,800 minutes

1,230,768,000 seconds

I entered the last year of my thirties over the weekend, and I think my age hit me like it never has before. Very potentially, I have lived over half of my life. I thought about accomplishments. I mourned losses. I rejoiced over blessings. But my one predominant thought was, "I want to move forward in faith not fear."

Fear seems to poke its ugly head in so many areas of my life, and as a result many opportunities are lost, hours of worry wasted, and jobs left undone. The Bible says in Matthew 17:20, "If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Oh the power that is promised to me by simple, unwavering faith.

I'll never forget arriving in Colombia, South America with my two toddlers. We were greeted by unsmiling soldiers with automatic weapons. I'll be honest - I was scared. Frankly, I was scared from the moment we landed in Colombia to the moment we left. I was constantly looking over my back. However, I believed with my whole heart that God had a reason and a purpose for my family being there, and that faith is what carried me through many difficult circumstances. You see, we took a risk, a risk that frankly many people advised us not to take. Today, however, we are seeing many blessings from our time there. So many relationships have been formed. We are still participating and leading services online with many different churches in Colombia. We have been able to provide much needed Biblical materials and support to churches and pastors in the country. God used our weak child-like faith and has multiplied our efforts.

This is the faith I want to exhibit on a daily basis. I desire a faith that acts at a moment's notice. How many times should I have shared my faith, but instead I cowered? How many times should I have embraced a God-given opportunity, only to turn in down because of fear? How many times have I let other people's opinions and judgments of me hinder jobs God has given me to do.

Faith over fear. With God's strength, I move forward. May I embrace the opportunities He gives me to advance His Kingdom. May I point to Him with all of my being. May I learn form past accomplishments as well as mistakes. May I move forward in faith alone and fear no more.

Hebrews 11:6

"But without faith it is impossible to please him."