My Life. My Heart.: Ephesians 3:20

(I'm incredibly frustrated because i can't get blogger to recognize my "enter" key. Therefore this entire blog is one huge flipp'n paragraph. For a writer that is incredibly frustrating because the "enter" key is very important. It means "pause in your thought." So with that said, I apologize. Do you best to read and "pause in your thought" when the Spirit leads. :) In college I remember walking down the streets of Orange City, back to campus. My roommate was beside me. Her name was Beth. I had some of the greatest memories of my life with her. She was hilarious in every aspect of the word... yet deep at the same time. It was about 2 years into hers and my relationship with Jeremy and his friends. Beth and I had spent countless hours ministering to them in the dark field of opportunity. We had a conversation that day....but today, the Lord revealed something very fresh and new to me that I had never realized. Back to the streets of Orange City... So we're walking and talking about my dating relationship with Jeremy. She had a heart for him, but was concerned and says, "Danielle, awhile back before you met him you told me that God revealed to you that He would give you immeasurably more than what you could ever ask or imagine. How could this be that?" I paused and thought for a moment about Ephesians 3:20. She was right. With all the baggage of drugs, sex and alcohol (and countless other issues) how was Jeremy immeasurably more than what I could ever ask or imagine? Yet, I was certain he was who God was calling me to. So I replied, "What if it is yet to be revealed?" 12 years later, it was. Jeremy is truly immeasurably more than what I could ever ask or imagine. But it doesn't end there. Today, God spoke to me through my Sunday School teacher named Shon. He said, "We often stop at the first part of that verse, but forget to complete it with the second half." He went on to read Ephesians 3:20, "God can do immeasurably more than what we could ever ask or imagine.......according to the grace that is revealed through us." My heart stopped and it was in that moment that the Lord said to me, "Jeremy has become immeasurably more than what you could ever ask or imagine BECAUSE of the grace that I have revealed to him through.... you." woah. When God calls us to do something, it will cost us. I don't know what God is calling you to do, but whatever it is, it is best. It will cost, but it is best and it will lead to immeasurably more than what we could ever ask or imagine. God clearly called me into this marriage and it has cost me a lot of hardship, pain and suffering. I have found that often when dealing with character, God doesn't work by minutes, days or months. He usually works by years. And sometimes the hardest part is taking the time it takes to become the person God is calling you to be. Jeremy turned 30 a few weeks ago and he celebrated it by getting baptized. This past year (although our circumstances didn't change) has been the best year of my entire life. Why? Because the Lord gave me what he promised 12 years ago, when calling me to marry Jeremy. The Lord did what He promised to do when He spoke Ephesians 3:20 to me after calling me to dump my ex-boyfriend.... By my faith I obeyed, and by His faithfulness I am being lavished with blessings. It is my prayer that you too will step out of the boat. It will cost you. But I promise, it's worth every sacrifice made.

"He can do immeasurably more than what we could ever ask or imagine, according to the grace that has been revealed through us." Ephesians 3:20