In this newsletter I would like to share with you some things that I’ve recently been learning, and been challenged with spiritually. My hope is that you will be challenged to reflect on these things and how they affect your own life so that you would be drawn into a deeper love and passion for Jesus Christ.
I am being challenged to fully depend and believe what God says in the Bible—to hang my very life on it; also to believe that God is truly God, that His ways are far above my ways and that He is far greater than I can perceive or imagine. He wants to work on my behalf and be so much more involved in my life than I can ever imagine and will do so, if I will simply TRUST Him and have FAITH in Him. He doesn’t think or act in the same manner that I do. He is not motivated by selfishness. He is not capricious. I often think my perception of God is colored by my negative experiences with people; thus I wrongly assume that God will act or relate to me in a similar way. However, God can be trusted and what He says in the Bible is to be believed and lived out.
I have also been challenged in the area of giving more of myself, time, and finances to others. I am blessed to see how God has provided for my needs, especially since I began ministering in Albania. Regardless, I am being challenged to give more, and to give not just “within my ability” or to the point where I still have a financial “safety cushion,” but to give whenever there is a need to the point that it causes me to rely fully on God’s provision. It is so easy to give when assured that it will not have a great impact on my financial status, but I must give out of obedience, believing God to provide.
This issue of giving relates directly to my trust in God. Do I trust God to provide for my every need? When I truly believe what God says in the Bible, I can give without reservation because I am confident He will fulfill His word. My desire is to not just say I believe and trust God, but to live in a way that shows that faith and trust that is genuine and strong and that makes a difference in my life and the lives of others.
To explain everything I am learning and to make myself fully understood would take many pages of writing. Here are some of the Bible verses that blessed me; I hope they will bless you also and bring more clarity: Book of Job; Proverbs 3:9-10; Isaiah 29:13-14; Isaiah 55:8-9; Malachi 3:10; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 6:35; Luke 12:22-34; John 10:10; Romans 12:10-12; 2 Cor. 9:6-8; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 4:2; Hebrews 10:23; James 2:8, 5:16.
THE FAST APPROACHING NEW YEAR
This year I have decided to return to the States for the Christmas season. My brother Miles, who many of you know has been stationed in Iraq with the US Army over the past two years, as well as my other brother and his family who live in California, will all be coming to Oregon so we can spend Christmas together as an entire family—this will be a first in a very long time! Although I was home at the end of May to attend Foursquare Convention, I was not able to visit the majority of my friends, family and supporters. I look forward to spending a couple of months visiting you who I haven’t seen in over a year and a half.
While in the States I also plan to raise financial support for my continued service in Albania. Would you consider continuing your support even during the months that I am back in the US? I more or less live on a month-to-month financial basis, so making such a trip, although essential, can be quite difficult.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Muchlove
Sean
I am being challenged to fully depend and believe what God says in the Bible—to hang my very life on it; also to believe that God is truly God, that His ways are far above my ways and that He is far greater than I can perceive or imagine. He wants to work on my behalf and be so much more involved in my life than I can ever imagine and will do so, if I will simply TRUST Him and have FAITH in Him. He doesn’t think or act in the same manner that I do. He is not motivated by selfishness. He is not capricious. I often think my perception of God is colored by my negative experiences with people; thus I wrongly assume that God will act or relate to me in a similar way. However, God can be trusted and what He says in the Bible is to be believed and lived out.
I have also been challenged in the area of giving more of myself, time, and finances to others. I am blessed to see how God has provided for my needs, especially since I began ministering in Albania. Regardless, I am being challenged to give more, and to give not just “within my ability” or to the point where I still have a financial “safety cushion,” but to give whenever there is a need to the point that it causes me to rely fully on God’s provision. It is so easy to give when assured that it will not have a great impact on my financial status, but I must give out of obedience, believing God to provide.
This issue of giving relates directly to my trust in God. Do I trust God to provide for my every need? When I truly believe what God says in the Bible, I can give without reservation because I am confident He will fulfill His word. My desire is to not just say I believe and trust God, but to live in a way that shows that faith and trust that is genuine and strong and that makes a difference in my life and the lives of others.
To explain everything I am learning and to make myself fully understood would take many pages of writing. Here are some of the Bible verses that blessed me; I hope they will bless you also and bring more clarity: Book of Job; Proverbs 3:9-10; Isaiah 29:13-14; Isaiah 55:8-9; Malachi 3:10; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 6:35; Luke 12:22-34; John 10:10; Romans 12:10-12; 2 Cor. 9:6-8; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 4:2; Hebrews 10:23; James 2:8, 5:16.
THE FAST APPROACHING NEW YEAR
This year I have decided to return to the States for the Christmas season. My brother Miles, who many of you know has been stationed in Iraq with the US Army over the past two years, as well as my other brother and his family who live in California, will all be coming to Oregon so we can spend Christmas together as an entire family—this will be a first in a very long time! Although I was home at the end of May to attend Foursquare Convention, I was not able to visit the majority of my friends, family and supporters. I look forward to spending a couple of months visiting you who I haven’t seen in over a year and a half.
While in the States I also plan to raise financial support for my continued service in Albania. Would you consider continuing your support even during the months that I am back in the US? I more or less live on a month-to-month financial basis, so making such a trip, although essential, can be quite difficult.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Muchlove
Sean
