An exciting time, part one!

Well that title is certainly an understatement. God is moving, opening doors and good things keep happening. Because of all the details I am going to break this one up into at least two parts.
If you want to read about it just take the jump!

Highlight Reel

Well, I realized today that I haven't done as much testifying to how God has been moving on campus this year. I can't go back and detail everything, but I'm going to lay it out as best I can and hit the highlights.

Jehovah Shomer

The Lord our protector. Lately I've been seeing a trend stand out in my reading, that the Lord is our protector. This isn't exactly a new thing, I've heard for a long time that He is our Shield, our Strong tower, and all the stories from the Old Testament of Him winning the battles for His people. But the theme is just a little broader then I previously thought. Looking at Jeremiah 1:19 & also Psalm 3, 4 & 5, God makes it clear that He is on their side. Psalm 3 & 5 both speak of God as the shield, verses 3 & 12 respectively, while Psalm 4 says "for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." The line in Jeremiah 1 is this "'They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." He is with us so we don't have to worry about being defeated and He gives the promise of salvation, which is so very sweet!
But do we operate that way? As if God is the one who makes us dwell in safety? For most people I would say no, at least in this society. Unfortunately, we have all we need, so that we really don't need God. We never have to worry about true persecution, yet, and there is so much abundance of all the resources that people really only go to God when they get in a jam. He is Merciful and does meet people in that time, but He is so much more than just a heavenly vending machine. If we would live as His people then He will protect us.
Does that mean that we aren't going to go through hard times? Absolutely not! Being a follower of Christ is one of the hardest things you can do. I'm only 23 and man it's rough having to kill my desires, and I have another 50 - 70 years of doing it to look forward to, unless things get bad and I get taken out. But He will protect us, as we faithfully walk in obedience to His orders.

definition of submission

noun
1 the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person : they were forced into submission.
• Wrestling an act of surrendering to a hold by one's opponent.
• archaic humility; meekness : servile flattery and submission.

The unshakeable

I can't exactly remember when I first heard the term oaks of righteousness but I think it was sometime last year. Well last Saturday before outreach it came to mind and I started studying one of the oak trees that are in the courtyard. It didn't take too much examination for me to see that there were many scars on the bark.
Keep reading after the jump