Every time I feel discouraged or question if I heard the Lord correctly about moving forward into full-time ministry, He always provides words of encouragement to keep me going.

Last Wednesday I asked the Lord again for confirmation that I am on the right path. That evening in youth group the pastor delivered a timely message that spoke to my very need. His message was on vision.

VISION:
A mental picture of your future.
Without vision the people perish.
Vision comes to pass through hardships. Ex: failure, endurance, mistakes, etc.
Vision is a battle! There will always be struggle with a real vision.
Vision takes time and is usually preceded by a wilderness experience.
Our wilderness experience can define our vision.

Jesus' ministry began after the wilderness. During that wilderness Jesus sought the Father, prayed, worshiped, and craved more!
The enemy tried to get Jesus to doubt or question God, just like he did with Eve saying, "Did God really say..." Jesus replied, "I shall worship the Lord and serve Him only." Then, the enemy left, angels came, and miracles began!

The greatest thing we can do in a wilderness is worship. This is where genuine worship is exercised. When we worship God in our wilderness we can expect Satan to leave, angels to come, and miracles to begin!

Not only did God encourage me through this message, but this past Sunday a miracle took place at Richland Bible Church that reminded me how amazing God is. God provided above and beyond the financial needs of RBC at just the right time. A friend reminded me that God can do the same for me and really, He already has.

Just one month before my family and I headed to Russia back in 1995, our family did not even have 10 percent of what we needed to leave for the field. In just that last month the Lord provided the rest of the $80,000 we needed for that year. Perhaps this happened then to give me hope now of what He is going to do next.

As Nehemiah said, in the midst of unfavorable circumstances, "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down..."