The events of Aug 11 (Part 4 and the end)

On Aug 31st, the Lord led me to start praying on a daily basis. Not prayer in the car, or before meals, or even shooting a quick prayer of help in a time of temptation; no this would be dedicated, focused, distraction-free prayer time in my prayer closet. I think my first session was all of 5 minutes.

That weekend, we went to see War Room, and I was glad that I had started before seeing that movie so that I could truly credit God with moving me to prayer and not the movie. However, that movie was a great encouragement to continue in the discipline to pray.

The next week, I started my study of Jonah from the time-locked, timeless, and timely perspectives as well as started praying with Chris (a baby Christian!) from work every morning at 8 AM. I asked Chris if anyone was discipling him, and he replied in the negative. I suggested that we start praying for a man to disciple him.

After two weeks of praying, we came to the conclusion that that man was me. We met that Saturday and agreed to pray the next week for direction from the Lord in what we should study. I was leaning toward jumping into the deep end of the pool with Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. God had a better plan.

I had a whole series of studies on spiritual disciplines starting with a hermeneutics study, so just in case the Lord led me to that, I started typing it into MS Word so as to be ready. And wouldn't you know it, that is what the Lord led us to.

After this, I got each of the other modules typed in and submitted them to Pete for his review. I also encouraged Chris to submit the material to the elders at his church so that they would know what he was being taught and encouraged in.

As I continued studying in Jonah and in daily prayer, I experienced true growth in my Christian walk. I sought the Lord and He answered me! I asked for His direction in the discipleship ministry that He had entrusted to me, and He added two more disciples to my care.

I have seen many answers to prayer including the Lord's direction in going to Guyana in July, God's provision of protection and guidance in mission trips for others, healings of sickness, kidney stones, and back pain. God was beginning the wonderful work of knitting me together with my brothers and sisters at Grace Bible Church. Eph. 4:15-16 was unfolding before my very eyes: but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

I am humbled that God has once again decided, in His great mercy, to use me. As I said at the beginning, I would have done, and was doing, otherwise. I was satisfied being useless, but praise be to God for His infinite mercy and grace in which He turned me from worshipping idols to engage in true worship of the only wise God. Amen.