“Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

If you were to ask me what my past month or so has been, I would say, a lot of “Process” and a lot of “Preparation”. I’ll give you some context. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been in the house hunting process for a while now.  My roommate was looking to buy a house, so we thought we would have at least a few months to prepare. I was excited but wrestled with the idea of moving. I have been in this house for about 5 years. I love it. It is safe, comfortable, and familiar. It is perfect. And I could have stayed there. I really didn’t have to move. But I knew if I chose to stay where I was, it would be out of fear and complacency. I knew I had outgrown that place and that season, and that He was calling me to step out and step into something new that would challenge me to grow. I knew it was going to propel me into a season of preparation for something BIG that was coming. Not anxiety-inducing at all. We were looking at a house she was going to buy, which would give us almost a month and a half until we could move in. Good! That would give me time to emotionally and mentally prepare and to take my time packing. This made Jesus laugh, so He said, “Hey Gabriel, watch this.”  We ended up not buying the house but decided to rent, which meant getting a text from Emily saying, “I found a place, they have an availability, we can move in next week, you down?” Well… that escalated quickly…  Meanwhile, life at work (an outpatient behavioral health clinic) was getting cray-cray and I ended up having a conversation with a co-worker one day about how we were both stressed and overwhelmed and how getting hit on by creepy mentally ill men was not pleasant…and literally, the NEXT DAY, I get a text with a job offer at Teen Challenge’s home for teen girls, where I have worked before, but this time to come back as a Biblical Counselor. And so, I prayed on it, said yes, put my two weeks in and ended up leaving a job, moving and starting a new job all the same weekend. My need for control and desire for “safe and comfortable” were all out the window. ’Twas fun. Thanks Jesus.

But I knew It was time to prepare, it was time to move.

It was during this season that two words stood out to me. Available and Aligned

Available – to be preset or ready for immediate use. Qualified or willing to do something or to assume a responsibility.

Align – to be in or come into precise adjustment or correct relative position.

Put together, they basically mean: to make room to be used by God.

Let me say that moving required a lot of cleaning out, getting rid of junk, cleaning out things I have somehow accumulated from who knows where discovering an abundance of hidden clutter, etc. Not to mention the fact that moving in with a roommate has required getting rid of a lot of things too, bad habits, laziness, singing into the end of the broom handle…JK I still do that… The crazy thing is that when you are standing in a place looking out on the future possibility to step into something new, you have to weigh the consequences. Are you willing to do what is required to move into that new season? Are you willing to leave behind what you need to leave behind? When you step into something new, it will require something new of you. A new season requires stretching past your fear, your insecurities, your comfortability, being average, or complacent.

Get ready to be uncomfortable!

God wants to do so much MORE in you and through you but that requires increasing your capacity. So what is needed to help align you with Father so you are available for Him to move and work? Well…what is the first thing you need when moving into a new house? WiFi duh!

Worship and the Word– Press in deeper. He has so much more if we would only pursue more time with Him

Intimacy – He HAS to be the main source you plug into.

Focus – What is your focus? Fear? The past? The negative? Remember our verse for this week. Focus on your FAITH and the new thing you are preparing for!

Identity – The Identity of your God, as well as your identity IN Him. The two things the enemy will attempt to make you forget in order to hold you back

  I’ll leave you with some lyrics to help you get your Wifi connected. To listen to the whole worship set click here. (the song itself starts around 32:00)

“If it seems like we’re going places we’ve never been. Like we’ve left all we know to chase a voice on the wind. We’re not lost, we’re just looking for You.

If it feels like we’ve lost all composure and pride. If it feels like we’ve laid our restraint to the side. If we seem desperate, it’s just ‘cause it’s true.

If You’re looking for a city, for a place to show Your glory, look no further, we’re available. If You’re searching for a people who are hungry for revival, look no further, we’re available.

If it sounds like Your Kingdom’s all we’re talking about. If it sounds like we’ve tuned all the other noise out. We’re just listening, we’re just listening for You.

And if our praise and our prayers seem outrageous and bold, If our worship gets too big for this building to hold. We’re not making a show, we’re just making room.

We volunteer, we volunteer, to be the place You pour Yourself out. We volunteer, we volunteer, for whatever You need. We volunteer, we volunteer to be the carriers of Your glory. We volunteer, we volunteer, for whatever You need.

Make this the time, Make this the place, Make us the people.”

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