Unity in Heart and Spirit

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ~Ephesians 4:1-3

We are going to impact many lives on this trip! How we come together matters. Long term impact depends more deeply on the team’s heart preparation and unity in the Holy Spirit, than it does on technical preparation.  Here are some ways to consider preparing your heart and spirit, so that we, as a team are strong, unified and leave a lasting impact.

Be on point

If you were to shoot an arrow with a dull tip at a target it may strike the mark, but will it stick? No. Let your arrow be sharp. A good witness doesn’t have to be perfect, but let’s consider some areas that could hinder or enhance long-term impact.

Pray that God would help to prepare you to be:

• focused (on Him)
• unified (with Him and the team)
• positive
• submissive
• full of praise and faith
• clean of any pride, rebellion against the team or leaders, division, strife towards members, complaining, negativity and impurity

Be flexible

You never know when the opportunity to minister will present itself. Maybe it will be an airport, airplane, automobile or hotel lobby. There are going to be places where you are expecting to minister to people and see the Holy Spirit move, but God is not limited to our expectations or agendas. Many times opportunities arise when we least expect it and feel unprepared or weak. Be flexible and expect the unexpected!

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way. ~Psalm 37:23

The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9

Be confident in your calling

Whatever excuse you may hear as to why God won’t use you, put out of your head. His grace is sufficient for you, and his power made perfect through your weaknesses. Maybe you’ve heard this one: God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called! Tell yourself you’re worthy, smart, talented, gifted, valuable and you belong on this team! Every member is bringing something different and together with our different strengths we will make a difference.

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I set you apart. ~Jeremiah 1:5 

Here is a prayer for you to repeat regarding your confidence;

Father I thank you that I can be confident in Christ and rather than dependent on my own ability. The stirring inside me to travel to Brazil is a desire that you put in my heart. I have chosen to say yes to the call! In Jesus name, I break the power of any lie that I may be hearing about myself including what I am called to in this season. Holy Spirit come fill me, replace lies with truth and ungodly fear with faith.

As we close in on the date for departure, I will be posting here more frequently. The final trip instructions were e-mailed to you today. You will find a complete team roster included there. I am also including the roster here, so that you can familiarize yourselves with the faces of your team and pray for them, with faces to match the names.

Have a great day everyone!

~Sally

Dec Photo Roster