As we were traveling to NC today, a Tractor Trailer pulled in front of me and the Lord reminded me of something and I thought I would share....
Genesis 12.... Those were the words I heard as my Band instructor urged me to warm up my instrument during practice... "Warm up your Clarinet with Genesis 12 please!" Shouted Mrs. Sydney. I thought, "seriously... thats not a warm up, but a chapter in the bible!" Feeling confused....I was awakened by the sound of my alarm. Being a new Christian and a Senior in High School, I seriously thought I had just eaten too much pizza the night before. I had no Idea that the Lord could speak to you in a dream, plus it had been 2 years since I was in marching band!
Weeks later I was telling a friend of my outrageous dream and she simply asked, "Well what does Genesis 12 say?" Naively I never read it! She insisted the Lord was trying to speak to me and urged me to read the scripture. This is what I found in the first eight verses...
Genesis 12
The Call of Abram
The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."
4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring [a]I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
This may not mean much to you, but at the time, it meant the WORLD to me! Not only did I come from a non-Christian home, but I was at a point in my life where I was seeking the Lord's will for my life. I was at a turning point, getting ready to graduate college, I desired nothing more than to fulfill the calling the Lord had given me. Within these scriptures we see God calling Abraham to leave his home, so that he could establish a nation of blessings for him. To me this speaks of generational blessings. Here God was promising me, just as He promised Abraham, "If you leave the comfort of your home and follow me I will bless you and your descendants with MY blessings!" The Lord was giving me an invitation to live a life fully devoted to Him and to build a family that would be blessed for generations to come of His Love!
Shortly after, I attended a Christian youth camp where I had my encounter with the Lord the previous year. Anxious to find that warmful embrace of the father within the small town of Dunn, NC, I soon realized He had much more in store for me. That first night in March of 2003 I heard the Voice of the Lord Loud and Clear and there He called me to Heritage Bible College. I was weeping so hard I had to leave the auditorium. Approached by Camp Counselors I was asked, "Whats Wrong?" I said in the middle of my tears, "I think the Lord wants me to go to college here!" LOL... I knew without a shadow of a doubt the Lord was calling me to Heritage Bible College and if I was to ignore this call, I would be disobeying him. As I checked out the table for the college I realized there was not a single degree there that I thought was for me... Needless to say, this move was a BIG leap of FAITH for me... but the thought alone, excited me very much...
My Room Mate/Life Long Friend, Rachel Kitchens, from Heritage Bible College standing in the lobby at HBC before I had my first born!
Months later, I packed up my little red 2 door escort to travel back to Dunn, NC to begin the application process and as I pulled out of my neighborhood onto a main road the fears, excitement, and anxiety overwhelmed my soul. I looked up to find a tractor trailer had pulled in front of me. Something was different in the dust and dirt on the back of that trailer. I found the words that read,
"GOD WILLS; GOD DOES!"
There the Lord spoke to me again! He said, "Amber I have willed for you to go to Heritage Bible College; therefore, you need not to worry about ANYTHING! Because I have WILLED this, I will supply ALL your needs and much more!" Little did I know, that the Lord was planning to fill the desires of my heart in this little town of Dunn.
2 years later, after many trials (thats another post), I met my God Destined, Wonderful husband, Mike Thornton. Today we are joyfully serving the Lord, pursuing full time ministry, with two beautiful daughters.
Thank you Lord for knowing our hearts better than we know them and for fulfilling our needs and dreams before we can even dream them... I shall ever be thankful to you! Because you looked upon me and pursued me with your love, I shall ever be grateful to you....
My Thanksgiving to the Lord!
Psalm 116 1-2; 12-14; 16-18
1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
12 How can I repay the LORD
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
16 O LORD, truly I am your servant;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
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1 comments:
Love this! You are such a blessing to many!
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