You want to know how good my God is?

So I had a pretty rough week.  Everyday I had something to do and it seemed like my life was going no where and I was getting overwhelmed with doing alot of things by myself.  God has still been silent and I needed someone to talk too, but I needed someone who would talk back.  It seemed like all my friends had their lives busy and I just needed some encouragement that everything was going to be okay.  

In the mail I got my flier like I do every week from First Baptist about whats happening at the church for the next week or so.  I usually open it up, read a little and then throw it away.  Though this time when opening up the flier, something changed.  Words popped off the page and stood out like no other.  In a small fine print was a church and a class that I felt in the pit of my stomach to go too.  

Most of my friends know that God has been laying on my heart to find a church home.  As much as I love First Baptist, I never have felt led to join there and its been about a month or so that even the class I was attending too, I felt distant from.  My heart has been yearning to find a church home where I can be a part of a church family and help others, possibly teaching or help teaching, for I have been learning so much about the Bible and God and learning to obey and having a close relationship with Him.  I know I need to go spread the Word and share with others what I have learned.

Over the next few days, my thoughts were consumed of this place, I knew in my heart this was God telling me to go.  Sunday morning rolls around and I wake up before my alarm goes off.  I get ready and head to this church.  After I drop my grandpa off, I plug in the address in my GPS, because I didn't know exactly where it was.  I knew the area it was in, but I never go on this side of town, so I needed directions.  I had 10 minutes to get there on time for the class and when I put the address in my GPS it wouldn't work, it just kept searching.  I knew waking up that morning that the enemy was on my tail trying to discourage me and put thoughts in my head to not go.  I knew that he would try his hardest to make this difficult for me.  I ended up turning off my phone and restarting it, hoping it would work as I drove.  When the phone came back on, it never was connecting and so I smiled a big smile and said, "Okay God, you want me to go, your going to have to direct me."  While driving and looking at my phone at a map the old fashion way, while it was never updating, I had thoughts of, "Well, if I'm not there in time for class, Ill just sit in my car till church service, cause I don't want to walk in as a new person and everyone stare at me," "Rachel, are you sure your supposed to go, it wouldn't be this difficult if it was meant to be", "Maybe, you can just turn around and head to a different church".  I knew in my heart that was the devil trying to discourage me, because I knew the peace I had that I was supposed to go to this church.

So I'm driving and I'm still looking at my map trying to figure out where to go.  I pass a street I know and end up passing it and turning around because alot of cars was turning there. I thought, "Oh, they must be going to church!" When I turned around, I realized they were going to a fast food place.  I laughed and kept driving down that road that I turned on.  I knew that I needed to get back on the main road so I got back on and was totally backwards from where I thought I was.  I turn left and kept driving straight.  I still kept looking down at my phone and it had me way off from where I was.  I kept driving and knew I was getting to far from everything and I knew I needed to turn around.  In that moment, I see a street to where I can turn around, but I passed it by 10 feet, but when I looked at the sign, it was the street I needed.  I remember thinking, "NO WAY!"  I did a U-turn in the middle of the road illegally and had tears rolling down my face.

Jesus makes me happy :)

Now I know you might be thinking, "Why in the world would you get so emotional over that?"  I'll tell you why.  In that moment it was more feelings and God touching my heart than just a found street.  First, it was God leading me and me trusting Him that He will get me to where I need to go.  I knew in my heart it was more than just a church, it was God reminding me that in my life He is still leading me and He will get me to where I need to go, I need to keep trusting Him.  Second, it was a reminder that the enemy will try anything and everything to distract me or feel me with doubt, but I need to follow my heart.  The enemy was just talking up a storm in the car to me and I cant lie and say I didn't think about listening to him, because it would of been easy and simple.  My heart though is what I wanted, even though I was a little nervous to be walking into a new church all alone.  Third, right when I was about to turn around is when God stopped me in my tracks and showed me the way.  That can be applied to all of our lives if we allow God to guide us.

Now I cant say that it ended there.  I pull into the parking lot and park and get out.  Theres a man standing there that helps guide people to where they need to go.  I went up to him and told him that I was looking for this certain class and he said, "Sure let me help you."  He introduced himself and said, "Hi, I'm Brian, whats your name?"  My initial thought was, "Of course you are" (I swear every person I meet is named Brian).  I told him that my name is Rachel and right when I said that my phone says, "You have reached your destination".  To my phone: Well, didn't you decide to start working at a great time, considering I'm already here!!!!  You might think I'm crazy, but I knew then that the enemy was trying to stop me from going and wanting me to get aggravated and frustrated to not go.  I really know in my heart that he had some power over my phone, but when I got there he was done, he lost!

Now the man guided me to where I needed to go, handed me over to another man and then to my teacher.  It was a full class to where they were bringing in chairs from outside and the teacher kept calling me Angela, so everyone got a kick out of it, including myself, I can be a jokester.  Service was good and I enjoyed myself.  To be honest, I don't know where God wants me to go, its something that I will need to keep praying about.  When the incident happened and God showing me where to go, I knew in my heart that was why I was supposed to go there.  God used a GPS to show me how He is directing my life.  He used going to a place that I have been by once, to show me He will not let me down and He will guide me to where I'm going if I just simply trust and believe.  God works in mysterious ways and I have been so vulnerable to wanting to hear God and have Him show me things.  It shows that God doesn't have to speak to me in order for me to listen, its simply Him working in His loving ways for me to see that He is still working in my life.  Sometimes when  everyday happens and it seems like you don't have a purpose or that maybe God forgot about you, its the simple reminders that mean so much to me.  It was a reminder that not even my friends could tell me when I wanted some encouragement.  God knew what I needed when I needed it, but it took my obedience and me following what He laid on my heart, for Him to show me a true blessing.  If I never went or if I listened to the enemies lies because it would be "easier", I would of missed out on true peace, the best gift Jesus left us.  

John 14:27 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.