Full Circle

“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

Deuteronomy 8:2

I started this blog because God changed my life in Peru in June of 2014. He used that trip to bring me back to Him, to redeem and restore my life, to guide me back into a sweet relationship with Him.

Since then, I have constantly had to go out of my comfort zone, and it has been so rewarding every time. I have had to speak on stage with no prior warning, approach strangers and make friends with them (I scared a few of them away, sorry!), camp in the Bahamas in pretty horrible camping conditions, jump off a cliff (okay, that was just for fun), teach for the first time ever and in front of a panel of women, and now be part of a flashmob as I get ready to return to Peru in about a week.

This past year has been nothing short of adventurous and full of unknowns. But as I meditate on that verse above, I cannot help but see how God has led me from one situation to the next. I did not know where each step was leading, but I was willing to follow His lead.

As I became part of a discipleship group, I desired to be humbled and tested. I wanted God to reveal what was in my heart. I wanted to become a woman who follows His commandments out of joy, and not out of fear or indifference. And oh did He answer those prayers! The humbling came, the tests, the searching, the exposure of hidden things in my life, and the tears came. SO many tears. Tears of sorrow, tears of repentance, tears of yearning, and tears of joy.

I feel joy because It has been a year of letting God take the lead and seeing the difference it has made in my life. My first blog post starts out:

“If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?” Galatians 2:14

 A hypocrite. That’s what I was.”

But because of HIS never ending love and grace towards me, I can stand here, one year later, and write a blog that starts out:

“…For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.” Psalm 26:1-3

Your life CAN be redeemed, my friends. He is a builder and repairer. Want to know the best part? He wants to. (Read Ezra and Nehemiah!)

Jeremiah 29:13 says “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Just as He has been faithful with me, He is with you, even when you and I are not.

Seek him. Ask him to search you out. Repent from your sins and ask him to redeem you and build you up in Him. But don’t forget to also actually receive His forgiveness and His love. Accept it. Take it. Embrace it.

It is worth it.

#shamelessplug: If you’d like to donate any amount for my trip to help me finish fundraising, you may go here and click on my name, Gaby Herrera. It would mean the world to me, as all I want is to go and be used to transform lives as I myself am radically transformed into a woman who brings glory to God.  

Sent by God

“… As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you”

John 20:21

*This is part of a devo I wrote a couple weeks ago and I was supposed to share it with one person, but I think I need to share it with whoever reads this*

Acts 13 is the beginning of Paul’s first missionary journey. It starts with, “… the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 13:2-3). In the next two chapters, you see Paul and Barnabas going to every town boldly preaching the Gospel and seeing people surrender their lives to Christ. 

They were sent to fulfill the goal the Holy Spirit gave them, and they did not return until they had completed it. The Holy Spirit led them and took them to where they had to go. Wherever they went, they knew they had been sent to that place by God, and therefore had a purpose, a mission: to share Christ.

One person who knew they had been sent by God to fulfill a mission was Joseph, “and Joseph said to his brothers, “… God sent me before you… and God sent me before you… it was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45: 4-8). Joseph knew he was in Egypt because God had separated him to fulfill a mission larger than himself; it was something God had created Joseph for.

Another person who was sent on a mission was Joshua, “…now therefore, arise, go… every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you…” (Joshua 1:2-3). Joshua knew that wherever he went, his mission was to trust in the Lord as He liberally gave them the land He had promised them.

Jesus Himself was also someone sent by God to fulfill a mission, “my food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34); “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29), and He did not return home until He had fulfilled it.

All these men had been set apart by God to fulfill a specific purpose for His kingdom, and they were no different than us. We, too, have been separated unto God as His disciples. Jesus tells John the Baptist’s disciples, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard” (Luke 7:22), and tells us, “… As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21) to do the same: to go and speak of what we have seen and heard Him do in our lives. 

I believe as disciples of Christ we have to change our mentality and understand that there is a job to be completed and that wherever we are, we have been sent by God. 

There are places and people that can only be reached by YOU. Don’t let them miss out. Don’t cheat yourself of the blessing of sharing Christ with others, either. It’s worth it 🙂

Fearless 23

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:18

Taken verbatim from my Discipleship journal on the night before I turned 23:

“God has been showing me there’s a lot of fear inside of me. Fear of what I’ll become if I truly give all of me over to Him. Fear of the unknown- of not knowing what’s ahead. Fear of everything- not having a plan, not knowing where I’m headed. But isn’t that better than doing my own thing? [and by ‘that’ I meant walking in the path God is taking me, not the feeling of fear]

I don’t want to be afraid- I don’t want to run away anymore.

For my 23rd birthday, I want a year where God teaches me humility and boldness- where I become bold and truly His.

[Some friends] wrote me beautiful notes… what is it they all see in me? what makes them say those things to me?

God, what is it that You see in me? Show me this year what you have in mind for me. Give me the boldness I need to not waste my youth away, but [use it] to do Your will.”

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

1 Timothy 4:12-16