Day 16 – Equipped

Whew! What a long day! I am speedily easing my way into my new job, so far so good! Normally I like to spend more time writing about my thoughts from the scriptures that I am meditating on, but I have not spent as much time as I would have liked to this week.

Today, as I went about my day, the Lord is constantly reminding me that He is with me, and I fully believe that is true as I live each day to please my Father in Heaven. I am constantly trying to push to the next level in all areas of my life and the Lord often reminds me to slow down. This morning as I was driving into work I had such a gentle reminder from God, that He has fully equipped me with everything I need to fully complete the purpose He has for me today. Even as I write this He is reminding me that I can, at anytime tap into to the Lords power as I humble myself before Him.

Yesterday I wrote a little about the grace of God I feel on my life that helps to make each day so much more beautiful. Today I was thinking about the day I will get to meet Jesus and how it is going to be so unbelievably amazing that everything else will be so insignificant in comparison.

So tonight is another evening of writing barely able to keep my eyes open and I can't seem to think much past what I’ve already written. I look forward to the weekend and spending some more time reflecting on what the Lord is doing and putting some thoughts on paper. Right now I am learning how to listen to the Lord’s voice in ordinary chaos both challenging and exciting.

I can hear the Lord whispering in my heart, relax, still yourself, listen and let me speak to you.

Thank you Father that you are my strong tower, my refuge and I trust in you to protect me from all evil.

Amen


Alicia

Day 15 – Mission Impossible!

God’s grace is so wonderful! I am so thankful for the times where He seems to pour an extra portion of His grace on me! There are times that are tougher and I know God is teaching me many valuable lessons and growing my character. Then there are the precious times where He pours out His grace and mercy so much more to help me complete the things He has assigned to me.

The first time I really noticed this was in Haiti. I would constantly look back on the day and just be amazed at the things we as a team did, wondering things like how on earth we were alive after the crazy truck and motorcycle rides, how the heck did we just deliver a baby in the tent city or how we had such a huge capacity to love. I could write a novel purely on the list of things God’s grace covered while being in Haiti.

I bring this up now because as I begin this job and this new season home in Canada I can feel that God has this kind of grace on me once again. To be able to withstand things I could not on my own, resist temptations, stay grounded in my faith, not fear man and continually surrender turning my eyes back to Jesus. I know these things have also come through fiery trials, iron sharpening iron, testing of my heart and faithfulness to the Lord to grow my character. These things are still a part of my walk with the Lord, but I am incredibly grateful for times like this when I reflect on a day and I see how the power of the Lord and His grace enabled me to do so many things I truly could never do on my own.

I am far from perfect and I understand the deep need for God centered relationships in my life and I pray that God will continually surround me with people of faith who can encourage me and in turn I can also encourage them.

I am beginning to see what my mission field for this season looks like and I look forward to the days ahead.

Thank You Father for everything you have done and do for me. I acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from you.

Alicia

Day 14 – Prayer Please!

Wow! The Lord sure has me busy fast! I chose a job in faith, believing that this may lay a foundation to propel me and free me into doing the work the Lord will call me too later in my life. I am actually really enjoying it and learning so much every day!

Lately I am so aware and I am amazed at the goodness of God and all the people He has surrounded me with. I am truly blessed! It is so neat to get to know people and see the beauty of how God created them to be. I think the best part about this job that I am doing in a fitness facility is that I truly have the chance to help people through exercise, gain confidence, health and really learn who they are as they spend time physically pushing their bodies. There is so much opportunity in this job position and I am really excited to see where the Lord takes it.

Amidst all the commotion of a new job, training athletes and my own training my bible reading is definitely slipping, I still always manage to find time to read it, but I am not taking time needed to really study scriptures. I know once I get a routine down it will be easier but I ask for your prayers that I will put this at the top of my priorities. I know this time in the word is so crucial for me so that I do not get caught up in the self worship that is so evident all around me. So I ask for your prayers and I thank you so much for all of your support!
May the Lord Bless you with renewed hope and joy this week!

Blessings
Alicia

Day 13 – God Is With Us!

I am so thankful that Jesus knows every part of my heart, He knows what I like, what I dislike, and He knows how to win my heart back to Him when all seems lost. In fact He knows my heart so much better than I do and I am constantly learning new things about the way God created me to be as I spend time with Jesus. I am learning to take my disappointments and turn them into experiences where I learn more about who God is and in turn more about whom God created me to be. Often I think I know what I want or what best for me, when really God has had it all is figured out since the moment He created me. So cool! What a relief that I can have complete faith and trust in God and that He knows exactly what He is doing with my life! He will never mislead me, forsake me, lie to me, steal from me, inflict unjust discipline on me, and He will never ever stop loving me! Life is so much simpler and so much more beautiful knowing the God of the universe is interested in my life. God goes with me wherever I go! That is seriously awesome!

Thank you Father that you will never leave me or forsake me! Thank you that you showed me the ultimate example of love by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins so that I may one day have salvation. Thank you for sending your spirit to guide me every day. Bless you Abba!

Alicia

Day 13 – Grace

I am so thankful for the grace of God.
There is so much depth to it that I know I will never even come close to fully understanding it
It covers so many of my weaknesses
It helps me through so many days
And so man tough situations
It overwhelms me with peace
And allows me to overcome my circumstances
It gives me comfort, assurance and security
That Jesus Christ is all I need.
It washes over my sins
And purifies my soul
Without it I am lost
Broken, forgotten and desperate
With it I am full of peace and joy of the Lord.
Thank you Lord for covering me with you everlasting Love.

I pray that you come to greater understanding of the Lord’s grace each and every day.
Blessings,

Alicia

Day 12 – The Air I Breathe

Sometimes, days are just really tough and no matter how hard you try, when you are isolated, you just can’t seem to find the Godly perspective on things. So Lord I ask you, “How do you see me?”
He says:

“Beautiful, lovely, gracious, full of mercy and compassion, kind, gentle, caring, understanding, peaceful, strong, courageous, bold, encouraging, joyful, patient, longsuffering, royalty, daughter of the King of Kings, friend of God and disciple, sister, lover of Jesus.”

Thank you Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit for these gifts.

Lord please help me to see myself as you see me. I need you more than the air I breathe Lord. Thank you for giving me life and for loving me as your child.

Alicia

Day 11 – Hugs

This evening I am thinking about all my friends out on the mission field around the world. I am so thankful to know so many amazing people and to be able to read their stories. I have to say when it comes to sharing the love of Jesus, there is nothing quite like sitting and holding orphaned children. They have so much love to share, we give them a little bit and they give us a 100 fold back. Often when you hold a very young child, or a baby they will immediately fall asleep on you, they just never get the physical touch that they so desperately need. If you even think of doing a mission trip to a third world nation, even for just two weeks, I would highly encourage it. You don’t need any special skill because showing the love of Jesus by holding a mother and fatherless child is powerful than you will ever know, every little bit of love counts.

I am especially encouraged my amazing friend Marisa and the stories she shares. Here is one from this week in Jamaica:


Ministry Highlight

At the orphanage we visited I got to spend several hours with this precious girl, Chantel. The volunteers there didn't know how old she was, nor could they remember her ailment, but I would guess she was between 4-6 years. When I came across Chantel she was lying alone on a worn blanket, with hands crumpled up and legs stiff. Every 5 mins or so her body contracts into what seems like a seizure, with muscles tensing and shaking uncontrollably for a good 15-30 seconds. Chantel is one of about 7 children there with mental ailments due to incest and alcoholic mothers.

Lying there alone I couldn't help but go to her and although she couldn't speak, she loved having me talk with her. As I sat with her in my lap there was a moment where I was overwhelmed with such deep desire to take her home with me. It broke my heart to feel her body rage out of her own control, leaving her whimpering after each attack. She and I had a wonderful morning together singing, dancing, praying and praising God for the way He loves her more than I every can!

"For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth."
Psalm 71:5



May God Bless you and keep you in the light of His presence and comfort Marisa.
Love You!


Alicia

Day 10 – Abba

I truly am blessed with an amazing father here on earth, I could not ask for a better dad, always there for me to stand up for me, show me his love, kindness and mercy.

I also am so thankful that our Heavenly Father is such a good father and He loves us so much. He even lets us call Him Abba, a term filled with so much love and adoration. I love that He is always guiding me, always teaching me, and always loving me. I am so blessed that He is with me wherever I go. I am far from perfect, but my father sees me as perfect by the blood of Jesus and that is all the security I need. The miraculous blessing of calling God of the universe Abba!

It seems my next season will look far different than I imagined, I am constantly seeking the Lord in that I am going the direction He is intending for me, I want nothing less than all that the Father has for me. I want to do His will; I want to be the world changer He created me to be. I want to be gentle as a lamb, but fierce as a lion. I know the love of Jesus is power and I know there is a real enemy out there, looking to put me in a lion’s den. I am in the last moments of decisions for my next step and I am trusting in the Lord to show me a clear answer.

I would really appreciate your prayers! I ask for prayer for protection, increased wisdom and discernment in decision making and new relationships.

Thank you so much.

Bless you!

Alicia

Day 9 – Privileged

What is the miracle today? Well I was thinking about the fact that I have been trying new recipes for the last month and I haven’t burnt down the house the house yet, I defiantly think God deserves the credit on that one. For real though, I knew that after writing that post yesterday that the Lord was going to challenge me on my truthfulness of finding my Joy in Jesus despite my circumstances. So I am challenged today in that very area and I just really love the peace that comes with knowing and believing the Lord’s plans are far better than our own. I’m so privileged to have the most amazing mentorship around me right now (Thanks Mom, Dad, Kim, and Marilyn). I don’t know what I would do without it! I count my blessings and look forward to what each new day brings!

Thank you Lord that you are my provider!

Alicia

Day 8 – Redemption!

I am so grateful for what God is doing in my life right now, He is breathing life into my dry bones by providing opportunities to work in what I love, athletics. I won’t go into details because it is still a work in progress, but the Lord is continually showing me His goodness and how valuable I am as part of His royal family, a sister of Jesus Christ, friend of God. I had so much peace today, I’m about to embark on an incredibly difficult journey but I could not be more excited! A lot of things in my life have not gone the way I wanted them too, and still some things are not, but I take great joy in Jesus, and not in my circumstances. So I sit here, waiting, moving forward, one step at a time, and learning to enjoy every minute of it.

I’ve been reading through the book of JOB, possibly the oldest book in the Bible, a book on suffering, a book on ‘Why do bad things happened to good people?’ How often do we ask that question? I feel like I can relate to so much of JOB’s feelings as he cries out to Lord. Then in Chapter 10 verse 32-35 (Sourceview NLT) I was struck by the reality of the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the intercession He makes daily for us. How awful it must have been to have lived in a time like JOB where Jesus had not conquered death.

JOB 10:32-35
“God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. 33 If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. 34 The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. 35 Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.”

I think about my trials, the pain, the torment, I know it is the work of satan, but God allows it to happen, and I have experienced and believe He allows it for very specific reasons. He is building my character and teaching me lessons. A while ago I made conscious decision, whenever things were going really awful in my life, I would spend the time and truly seek out the lesson that God was teaching me and praise Him in the storm. I am determined to learn the lesson first time round because I just got plain tired of going around the mountain over and over. I’ve never had a kind of life where things were just simple and easy, I’ve always had to fight, I’ve always had to persevere and I’ve always had to suffer. I look back and I know the only way that I am redeemed from the fiery trials is by the blood of Jesus, and a merciful, gracious God. I know I am still in a season of training for something even greater and I am so thankful that I get to do it in a work field that have I tremendous passion for.

I keep getting this picture of me sitting in an interrogation room, God on the other side of the table and Jesus and the Holy Spirit on either side of me. God has a kind gentle smile on His face but He is asking me to plead my case before Him, this is a part of training. As I read through the Bible I see many of the Lord’s chosen ones, pleading for themselves and on behalf of the people, I don’t think it is an uncommon practice. Today we often call it prayer and intercession, praying the Lord’s will from Heaven to earth. So daily I make prayer and plead my case before the Lord and I plead on behalf of others who will not acknowledge the Mighty Power of God.

What is the miracle? It’s the redemption from our fiery trials by the blood of Jesus Christ and that we can absolutely and completely trust that when we turn to Jesus for forgiveness, we are completely forgiven and washed clean on the spot. We can face our sin, confront it, ask and receive the forgiveness and it is a new day for us. Jesus is so good!!!

I thank you Lord Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins, Thank you for your mercy Lord, Bless you Father.

Amen

Alicia


Picture: Teaching Health and PE in Antigua

Day 7 – It’s Not Sacrifice

I think it so cool how we can serve a God that wants a relationship with us, a real deep and meaningful relationship, a relationship based on love. I just love how we don’t have to do anything for God to fall in love with us, He is already so completely in Love with us and nothing we do, good or bad, can change how He feels about us. It is so comforting in a world that teaches us the exact opposite.

I’ve just been thinking a lot about the miracle of this kind of love (probably obvious since I tend to write about it a lot). I hear so many teachings on sacrifice, a relationship with God is sacrifice, this is very true but when you put love in the picture, it changes absolutely everything.

It’s like falling in love with someone, when you do, nothing else matters, you would do anything for that person and you wouldn’t spent all your time thinking about every sacrifice that you have made for that person, that wouldn’t be a very good form of love, in my opinion. I have found myself recently convicted of this I think about the prices I’ve paid and I say “Hey God, remember all this stuff I did for you, all this stuff I gave up for you…” Well I feel a bit silly now writing it, but God reminds me, although He is pleased that I would give up everything to know Him, it’s not the point, because I don’t have to earn His love, I already have all of it!

So I continue to contemplate this kind of miraculous love, learning more each and every day.

I pray for you and fresh touch of God’s love in your life!


Alicia

Day 6 – Simplicity

I had much swirling through my mind today about what to write but then I felt that those messages were for another day and today was simply this: I am thankful for the miraculous gift of life on this earth. I woke up today, so it meant I had still had a purpose to be fulfilled, I am thankful for this.

Father, thank you for teaching me about the beauty of the simple things in life; making my bed, cooking a meal, the sunrise, the sunset, giving someone a smile and receiving one back. It’s the little things that make life extra special.

I love you Lord Jesus.

Alicia

Day 5 – Exercise!

I have to say, I am so grateful for the gift of exercise. I’ve been involved in some sort of sport since a very young age and during my kinesiology degree I was blessed to be able to learn so much about this amazing human body that God gave us! I spent 5 years studying it and only tapped into the beginning of its complexities! I enjoy learning about how the body works, exercise and healthy eating and I was sure I didn’t take this for granted.

Well, when I went to Haiti the large majority of our food was unhealthy, it hurt my stomach so much every day, and I couldn’t exercise, either because there was nowhere to exercise, my stomach was in too much pain from the food, or it just was not safe. A few times in Port au Prince I was able to convince one guy and girl to go out for a morning run with me (we had to have 3 people, a guy being one of them). At another house, we had a 3 meter by 3 meter deck and a short flight of stairs. We would spend an hour or two jumping up and down on the deck, singing and running the stairs, while a guy sat on a chair on the roof next to us, watching us like some crazy American television show. A few times I was also able to skip with the girls or play some soccer with the boys on the rough uneven gravel ground with roots sticking up everywhere. We also went on a hike one day to go feed and pray for some people way up in the mountains, I think it ended up being like a 10 hour day or something, most people were grumbling, but I was so ecstatic to be doing so much exercise!

I really struggled with this, I wanted to be humble, I wanted to be obedient to the Lord, so I went to Haiti, knowing that I would not get much exercise or good food. I also gave up rowing, which is my greatest passion, I wanted to follow the Lord, and I knew that I was putting sport ahead of God. I thought it would be easy, but it was far from it. I struggled with guilt, feeling bad that I wanted so badly to exercise and eat well when there are millions of people starving to death all around me, it was so incredibly difficult. I felt so incomplete, so lost and through this time, instead of always using exercise as an outlet I had to go deeper with the Lord, and discover new ways of release. The way the Lord planned for me to do this was what I was worst at, communicating my feelings, believe it or not. I am able to write much easier than I am able to speak my feelings out loud to others. So I ended up getting deeper relationships with those around me, then I otherwise ever would have. I still am working on communication, but I am excited at the blessings God has given to me through it.

Two of the months in Haiti were some of my most difficult times and I am so thankful for them. When it comes to exercise, I really do feel I have achieved a healthy balance most of the time, the Lord always has to come first. This is not the first time I have laid down exercise for the Lord, but I hope that if I can maintain the balance He is asking for me, that I can have much of it in my lifestyle. Every single day since arriving home from Haiti, I am thankful beyond words, every time I get to exercise; even thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. It may seem silly, but when you give up something you love to do, more than anything, your greatest passion, and the merciful Lord restores it to you, it shows God’s merciful love in such a new depth, it’s indescribable. Now I know, when the Lord asks me to give things up for Him, He has a better plan, simple as that, some things He may restore tenfold, and for other things, the blessings are waiting in Heaven.

I don’t normally like to just quote the verse below by itself because I don’t want to be taking it too far out of context, but it is true. The Lord does have good plans for us, but when I read this verse, I’m always reminded that the Lords ways are higher than our ways and we have to trust Him with even our greatest passions, to make them better.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Isaiah 55:9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I pray that you too will experience much joy in keeping a healthy lifestyle!

Alicia

Picture: Rowing 2010

Day 4 – Co-Laboring with God!

It is really something extraordinary to be on this earth, co-laboring with the God of the universe! He could do it all himself, but He chooses us, to be a part of His Kingdom and a part of His great story!

When I pray, and I mean really pray, intercede on the behalf of others, I often feel as if I am right beside the Lord and He is whispering in my ear what to say. It is the most amazing time of intimacy with Him, it has a cost, it’s called dying to self, but there is no greater reward than Jesus Christ. If you keep your eyes on the joy set before you, the eternity we receive with Jesus Christ, any cost we pay on this earth is so incredibly insignificant! I fight daily to keep this perspective and I don’t always win but God is so gracious.

I desire to bring this kind of intimacy into my everyday life, in the practical, the ordinary. After reflecting on the day I just realized the coolest miracle, the first time I’ve actually recognized it. I felt, like my intimate time in prayer, was walked out in my day today, I felt so close to the Lord, I really and truly felt like I was co-laboring with Him. It’s like Jesus was telling me exactly what to say, I am not even sure how to describe it! It was one of those moments when all your suffering seems so pale in comparison to Glory of the Lord, and His plans, that are far better than our own!


John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:16
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

I pray that you will have your own personal revelation of the intimacy of Jesus Christ!

Alicia


Picture: My other half! I wish you weren't so far away!

Barefoot

Barefoot
(A Song for you)

Chorus
I just want to go barefoot today,
I just want to feel my toes in the sand,
I just want to hear, your still small voice,
Whispering sweet love in my ear,

I don’t feel like hiking boots today,
That mountain, it looks so high,
I just want to stay down here today,
In the gentle ocean breeze

Chorus

The path looks so hard,
The weeds have taken over,
The chill in the air,
Cuts to my soul,
Please, just let me stay with you,

Chorus

I feel you with me,
I feel you with me now,
I don't want to lose your gentle touch,
Would you,
Would you stay with me?


Without you, I have nothing,
Would you keep me,
Close to you?
I long to know your touch,
To feel your heartbeat,
To be one, with you
Always and Forever



Copyright@Alicia Borsoi

Day 3 - God Speaks To Us!

Wow, when God moves He sure moves fast! It always amazes me how He will be so quiet for such a long period of time, but then, when He speaks, your world can turn upside down in an instant! It is so great! I’m sure glad I don’t live in a time when God is quiet for 400 years! What a blessing that He chooses to speak to us today, despite all of our sin and short comings! He is so gracious and merciful!

Something the Lord has been showing me is how much He actually LOVES my weaknesses! I can feel the Holy Spirit bouncing with Joy inside my spirit. Take a moment to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you this! It is so cool! God says, His power works best in our weakness! So sometimes, I just love my mistakes, because God can shine through those moments and His Glory can be seen!

This lesson is a never ending theme in my life, I cannot count how many ways God has used the following verses to show me so much! I guess that’s why at the beginning of this journey, why my blog was titled “When I am Weak, Then I am Strong”.

2Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT
“Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Many Blessings to you today!

Picture: JOY!

Day 2 - Little Encouragement Miracle

Part of the reason why I decided to set my focus on God’s little miracles is because I often tend to overlook them. During my school of Circuit Riders, which was only 5 weeks, I experienced so many different miracles in one day, directly in my life, in my brothers and sisters lives, and in the locals who had never accepted Jesus before, this school seemed more like 5 months long! It was absolutely incredible, in so many ways!

It’s funny though how, by our human nature, even miracles can become the ‘normal’ and you can lose the ‘wow factor’. I don’t think I necessarily lost the wow factor during the school, but when I arrived home, the ‘little’ miracles seemed so insignificant to me, I just expected the Lord to answer my prayer because I know He does, in His time of course. I don’t think expecting God to answer is a bad thing, but I didn’t like where I was headed, I never want to lose the wow factor of every little and big miracle the Lord does! When I say ‘little miracle’ I don’t mean that it is not amazing, sometimes the tiniest things can make all of the difference in the world! I mean look at babies, there are so small, so cute, and birth is one of God’s most amazing miracles! Although I haven’t had my own children yet, delivering a local women’s baby in the tent city in Haiti certainly taught me about the supernatural grace and beauty of a women giving birth!

Lately I have been struggling with worry over my finances, I have been praying for quite some time on what the Lord wants me to do next, and how He wants me to make the money for it. Long story short, it has been a gigantic challenge and far from easy. I so much want to follow the Lords leading, and often it doesn’t make sense. I am trying to find the balance between trusting in the Lord, and waiting (yes I’m still waiting back from before I wrote the blog on Aug 8, and doing my best to keep it Joyful! This season may be longer than I originally thought!) Anyways, I don’t want to sell myself short of what the Lord has for me, but I’m also desperate! Needless to say it has been very interesting, and I know one day, I will be very thankful for this lesson. Every time I ask the Lord I hear, “trust in me, I’m testing your faithfulness to me”.

So the Lord, just to give me a little bit of extra encouragement on a day where I really needed it, my devotion was a story, almost exactly what I am experiencing! The wow factor of how the Lord is reaching me in so many different ways is amazing and I constantly almost overlook them!

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5

Lord please help me to never forget the power of your mighty name in Jesus Christ!

I love you Lord!

Alicia

Picture: Marisa and Jessika! I miss you both so much!

Day 1 - LOVE

LOVE — It is a small four-letter word that will cost you everything:
laying down your life, passion and compassion, giving without expecting, feeling His very heartbeat and surrendering to His rhythm, and following the Lamb wherever He goes.



Today is the first day having my writing focus centered on God’s miracles. Already I am overwhelmed about what to write, do I write the about the five small but meaningful miracles from the weekend, or do write one of the hundred stories of the poor, orphans and widows that constantly swirl around my mind? I also feel a message pressing on my heart so I suppose I’ll start with this and see where it leads.

When I was crying out to the Lord for mercy and blogged a prayer (Jesus I’m desperate for you) the Lord then walked me through a number of things. First He brought me to Psalm 91, I pray that as you read it, you will have an encounter with the Holy Spirit, and the power that is behind this Psalm.

Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

The Lord is teaching me that He is the one and true refuge, and He makes so many promises in this Psalm to those whom the Lord is their refuge, and who love the Lord. Read it again, the mighty power of God radiates out of every word! The Lord is worthy of our trust, our faithfulness, our love, and our lives!

The Lord is healing my heart, from past brokenness, this is painful. He has me confronting all the suffering and hurt in my life, and also in the lives of others whom I was privileged to have been a part of, especially in my travels. I found in the past I have often compared myself to others thinking “this hurt wasn’t that bad, so many other people suffer much worse”, this may be true, but the Lord has shown me the danger in this. Since I have not allowed the Lord to heal my hurts, it is limiting the capacity that I have to love others. The reason I use the word ‘dangerous’ is because Jesus’ Love is the strongest power on this earth, and if I am trying to function out of brokenness, I cannot offer much, if any of Jesus’ love to others, therefore, His power is dulled and maybe even ineffective. So I am confronting and healing. This season is very difficult, but I am excited to know Jesus more through my suffering. I also am very excited for it to be over because in a heartbeat, I would go where the Lord wants me to go and enter into others pain again so that they can experience the Love of Jesus and have their Salvation.

On Heidi Baker’s website there are a couple quotes that describe this perfectly, when I read it, I said, “ah yes, that is me, that is what the Lord is doing in my life”.


LOVE — It is a small four-letter word that will cost you everything:
laying down your life, passion and compassion, giving without expecting, feeling His very heartbeat and surrendering to His rhythm, and following the Lamb wherever He goes.

A New Breed of Missionaries
There is a new breed of missionaries being released across the earth, transparent saints, with oversized hearts, beating in rhythm with the heart of their Bridegroom King Jesus, carrying His glory across the earth. Fearless, laid-down lovers that know a love that has no boundaries, and are ready to run into the darkest places of the earth and bring in the lost, the dying, the poor and the broken. Jesus came with ceaseless love for both the one and the masses. Now we must do the same: stop for the one, but believe for the multitudes.


So what is the miracle? Well I would say the Love of God is a pretty darn big miracle. Maybe we overlook it because our minds are not able to comprehend it, like when Paul talks about our carnal minds; we are still babies needing milk or the writer of Hebrews who also talks about this. It is only when we can experience the difference between spirit and flesh, and when we can let our spirits lead our understanding. I find it is then that we truly can have a revelation of God’s amazing love, and the amazing power that came with Jesus Christ dying on the cross!

There are many little miracles that occurred for me to even write this blog. For example, the Lord leading me into Psalm 91, and Hebrews and Corinthians to piece together ideas. Coming across the Heidi Baker’s quotes, the Lords grace to face my pain, and the Lords grace to write this blog by how He pieced it together over the last couple weeks and was just waiting for my fingers to type the words.

I could even go into an in depth series of little miracles that got me sitting here now at a computer in my home, when this was the last place I wanted to come too. I wanted to be away in some exotic country preaching the gospel and healing the sick. I think about how the Lord told me to come home, even on a specific day, I knew He had a reason; God will send someone, even just for one person. I believe for me, that person was the youth I was sitting beside on the plane ride home, if I had not immediately obeyed the Lord I would not have had the chance to minister to that youth. His parents just so happened to be missionaries in Africa, who started a hospital and many other wonderful things over the last 30 years, I was encouraged! I was wondering what he was doing in America all by himself, I found out He was going to university, he shared his life story with me, and I was able to pray and share some encouraging words from the Lord to him. I pray that this was just the encouragement he needed to press on, and I believe it was. Also as a blessing, when arriving home, I was able to have dinner with almost my entire family, and extended family, I had not been able to do this for over a year, I was so grateful. God is good!

God is so much more powerful and at work in our lives than we know; take a moment to see how He got you to right where you are sitting, reading this blog. I pray that as you think over it your thoughts would lead you to the miracles God did for you today, and that it would put a smile on your face.

Blessings!

Picture: Playing Kickball, best kickball game yet!

Thank You! 365 days, Here I Come!

I am so thankful for everyone who has been a part of my life in one way or another. I am constantly reminded these days of how blessed I am to have the family and friendships that surround me wherever I go, your encouraging words and prayers mean the world to me. After my last prayer I wrote on my blog the Lord, as usual, has done much in a short time! Although I am still experiencing moments of pain in my heart, and I am slowly learning to discern what it is, sometimes it can even be kind of fun. When I have prayed the prayers, learnt the lesson, or just let myself cry, the pain goes away, and sometimes I just think because the Lord is gracious He lets me have a break. That being said, I’ve realized the entire point is not about the pain, it’s not suppose to be about the pain, but rather the joy, there is so much joy in life, that if we choose to focus on the pain, we can miss all the miracles that God does in so many moments of each day.

For this reason, and many others, I have decided to do an extension to my blog. I feel like a book on my life has closed, and a new one has just begun! I am so excited! When I arrived home last month, the Lord had me write a 12 page story, it was about my life, the points that ended up being highlighted were interesting to me, the little miracles that God has done, to show me His love, and when I finished it, I had tears in my eyes, and this strange sense that something had been completed, and something new was about to begin.

I am never great at explaining myself in words unless it is in writing, starting the blog helped me process through so much of my journey with the Lord. For this new season of my journey, I am going to record the next 365 days. I would like to write about God’s miracles! The Lord is so Good, He is constantly trying to win the hearts of His greatest creation, us, humans, but we get so busy and we miss it. I am going to write about the miracles the Lord does each day, and in great anticipation and excitement, I look forward to the next 365 days. I can’t wait to see how the Lord is going to change my life, simply by making the effort to live a life of gratitude.

I love storytelling, more specifically I love to tell the true stories, the ones where God gets the glory, the story is told, as is, and the voiceless, can have a voice. I have no specific agenda for this writings, because in my journey with the Lord, I take the simple steps of obedience, and the Lord takes care of the details. So some days I may write about the miracles of those days, or some days I may write one of the many stories I have heard from those whose voices may never be otherwise heard and are so loved by the Lord Jesus.

I think this is going to be a great way to reflect on what the Lord and done in my life, and to look forward to the future as I focus on the Lord day by day. I am so thankful that the Lord’s grace is sufficient for what I need each and every day! The manna of God is so much better than anything else! I pray that these writings can touch your heart, as the Lord touches mine!
Much Love and Excitement!

Alicia

Picture: In Hawaii last month painting for the Aquaponics tank our outreach team set up. This little girl loved to paint! And we got it everywhere!

Jesus I'm Desperate For You

I know I need to write, but I have no idea what, so I’ll start with this.

My name is Alicia Borsoi, I’m 25, educated, and absolutely heartbroken. Why am I heartbroken? I don’t even really know the answer to that.

Once upon a time, life was simple, I woke up, I ate, I went to school, my mom packed my lunch, my mom picked up from school, then I usually I went to play some sort of sport. I grew up, did the normal stuff Canadian youth do. I found myself completely unsatisfied, longing for more. I believed in God, and I knew, that if He was who He said He was, then there certainly was more to life than what I was doing.

So I embarked on a journey, I decided to go with YWAM, went to Kona, ended up in Haiti, came home radically changed, and pretty shook up. I felt the Lord calling me back to Kona to do a 6 week school called the school of the circuit riders. My life was even more radically shaken; I came to experience not only the Radical Love of Jesus Christ, but the urgency of the times that we are living in. It was a time of learning how to live the full gospel, and experiencing sweet moments of Heaven on earth, it is possible.

Now I am home, tormented day and night by the pain in my chest, the deep deep ache of a permanent brokenheart. Is Jesus really sharing His heart with me? Is this the burning and aching for the lost souls? Is it aching for my own life? For my own desire to meet my husband, the one who I can partner with and spread the love of Jesus all over the earth?

Everything looks strange to me now, different somehow, I can’t quite explain it, I think it is something you have to experience for yourself. Maybe God has answered all my prayers for His perspective, this certainly isn’t my perspective. There is so much evil in the world, there are so many different people and places that I want to help. I sit here, dumbstruck, so incredibly overwhelmed, but seemingly frozen, unable to move, unable to think, broken, hurting, weeping; Lord will you answer my cry?!

Maybe He is, maybe I’m just not listening, is this heart ache Him, or should I have been in the hospital five months ago? All I want to do is share the love of Jesus with others, but my pride gets in the way, my fear, I shrivel, I think, “it’s too hard, I can’t do this”. There are so many people who don’t know you Jesus, and you are desperate for your bride, what do I do? How do I help? How can I reach them, where are my brothers and sisters? Why are we all so busy with our lives? Help me! My flesh fights my spirit and I don’t know what to do! I’m desperate, lonely, helpless, crushed. God I need a miracle, nothing else will do. I need you God, I need divine help, I need divine guidance, and I’m so desperate for you Lord.

Please Lord, hear my plea, how can I help, my courage and boldness dwindle, and I feel like an ashamed child. Jesus please come and teach me, I only want you. Please take away this pain, it hurts so.

I can no longer think about my selfish desires; it only makes my heart ache more. Lord I am a new creature in you, please show me how to live.

Lord I ask for the song to sing, the words to say, Lord would you give me air to breathe. Lord would you take away my tears and replace them with your tender love. Jesus I know you are coming soon, and I am hiding my light under a table, Lord forgive me and redeem me with your love. I can bear this pain no longer, my human flesh is nearly disappeared, my heart is sick, I need you Lord Jesus. Please, please, send your presence back to comfort me; I cannot live without your presence. I feel I have lost my mind, Lord I cry out for your touch, nothing else matters but you Jesus. Please save me from this torment Jesus, I can bear it no longer.