NO ONE CAN PREVENT YOU . . .

NO ONE CAN PREVENT YOU . . .

The Christian life is an exciting journey. Yes, there are mountaintops
and then their are valleys. I've told you before that I think there are
basically two kinds of people -- some of us see the glass HALF FULL
while others see the glass HALF EMPTY.

I also believe that God loves to WOW His kids with HIS GLORY and POWER
and things that are only explainable by Him.

Several years ago while cutting grass, the Lord had my undivided
attention and began to place a burden on my heart to move forward with a
residential program for women, similar to what we have been doing with
the Colony of Mercy for over 108 years.

The steps leading up to our Board making a decision to move forward were
downright exciting, and God has confirmed our steps in amazing ways. I
have been journaling the story along the way and now have a new chapter
of adventures to write about.

Up until this point we have hit no major obstacles. However, we just hit
our first potential roadblock. We have a 12.5 acre parcel that is
perfect for what we want to do, however, our Keswick properties sit in a
strategic place in terms of the environment. Because we are located in a
biosphere, we are "blessed" with a number of species of snakes, bugs,
flora and grasses that are federally protected. Quite frankly, our
environmentalist friends are more concerned about the endangered blades
of curly grass and pine snakes than they are about the thousands of men
and women whose lives are endangered by addiction.

We received a preliminary report that states that most likely we will
only be able to use 4 acres of the 12.5 and to dispute the report will
cost $60k. I confess to you that my first response was one of
disappointment. But during the past several days as I have dug deeper
into the Word and spent time alone with the Lord, He has reminded me
that HE is in charge of all of this . . .

This morning in my quiet time, the Lord spoke to my heart from Henry
Blackaby's devotional book, EXPERIENCING GOD DAY BY DAY (Broadman
Holman). Here is today's reading . . .

"But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained
alive, of the men who went to spy out the land." Numbers 14:38

Blackaby writes: "The decisions and disobedience of others will not
cancel God's will for you. Other people's actions will affect you, but
no one can prevent what God wants to do in and through you. Joshua and
Caleb trusted God and yet were forced to wander in a wilderness for
forty years because of fear and disbelief of others.

Have you ever felt that someone was thwarting God's will for you?
Perhaps someone kept you from getting a job or earning a promotion.
Perhaps the government would approve your application (I can't tell you
how this made me chuckle!) or a committee disagreed with your
recommendations. Do you believe that mere man can stop God from
accomplishing HIS purposes in your life?

God did everything He intended to do in the lives of Joshua and Caleb.
His primary assignment for them had not been to enter the Promised Land
but rather to serve as godly leaders for their people. Joshua and Caleb
could not lead the people if they were in the Promised Land by
themselves while the people were still wandering in the wilderness. God
kept these leaders in a position where they could exert a godly
influence upon their nation, and, as a result, they became models of
spiritual leadership for generations to come.

Even so, GOD ultimately brought Caleb and Joshua into the Promised Land
just as He said. They had been delayed, but not thwarted. Be assured of
this: NO ONE CAN HINDER GOD FROM CARRYING OUT HIS PLANS FOR YOUR LIFE.
ONCE GOD SETS SOMETHING IN MOTION, NO ONE CAN STOP IT (Isaiah 46:11)."

Thank You, Lord, for reminding me this morning that YOU are in charge.
Thank You, for speaking to MY heart. I trust that God's encouragement
for me this morning will encourage you with whatever you are facing in
your life today. I look forward to sharing with you in the future how
God unfolds his plan for our residential women's ministry.

We still have some rooms available this weekend. Come with your family
and enjoy a time of refreshing fellowship at America's KESWICK. Call
today and tell our reservationists that you are a FREEDOM FIGHTER --
800-453-7942.