I have the YouVersion Bible app that I use to read my Bible and follow some devotions. One of the ones that I am currently going through is called "Face To Faith" and it's a 366 day plan. Now, one of the devotions that hit me hard came from a passage in Ruth concerning the blessing that she received. 

For those of you that do not know the story of Ruth, I would recommend reading it. But I will provide a summary. Now an Israelite, his wife and two sons moved from Bethlehem to the land of Moab. The man died, and after that his sons married women from Moab, of which one was Ruth. They were married ten years had no kids before the sons died. The wife (Naomi) decided to go back to her homeland, and told her daughter-in-laws to go back to their families. One did while Ruth pledged to go back with Naomi and make Naomi's God her God. She went backed worked in the fields was noticed by the man that owned the field, told her to gather from his field only. Long story short, this man,  Boaz, later redeems Ruth, marries her, and they are blessed with a child. Ruth finds herself as the great grandmother of King David. 

Ruth, a women that did not know God at first, decides to go after the one true God and make Him the center of her life. And what does God do? He blessed her. Boaz, had God at the center of his life as well. And when these two people got married God blesses them with a child. How amazing is that? 

When we make God the center of our life, He blesses us. God wants us to pursue Him. He wants us to run after His heart. God is right there to make Himself know to all people who decide to go after God. God wants to bless us as His children. And when we walk away for God, when we decide to go after the desires of the world, He waits patently for us, God still loves us in these moments and He may withhold His blessings in our life while we walk in disobedience. But, when we turn back towards Him, He is there with open arms, with all the love and forgiveness you can imagine and more, and blesses us. 

I want God to be the center of my life. I want to run after Him, to know God more, to swim in the oceans of His love for me. I want to know the heart of God, and I want the blessings that God wants to give me. I know that with my focus and heart going after God, that the world around me may fall apart, but I will still have joy and peace because God is with me. Amen.

The title says it all. Our faith gets tested. That's how we grow. Last week was no exception for me, I took a beating. It was Wednesday of last week, I just finished up 3 days of fundraising. I took some time to relax a little. By that afternoon it was over, the van that I had been borrowing to go to these fundraisers was no longer with us. It was taken to the dealership along with another car from my family and traded in for 1 vehicle. This sent my world spinning. I no longer has the ability to go to the fundraisers I had planned for the rest of the summer. How in the world was I going to raise the $6,100 needed by September 1? I felt like I was falling and fast.

Thankfully I was able to text a couple friends. I was able text out my feelings and what I was going through with these wonderful people. It is nice to know that someone is there standing alongside of me. As I talked with them I began to calm down. They reminded me that God has everything in His hands and will take care of it all. 

I know this is true. I have experienced God taking care of my needs. When I was on the last mission trip I needed $4,500 to stay on the field, the day of the deadline God provided $7,500. I have seen God provide for me to go to the dentist when I was last in the the Philippines, or go to a doctor when injured my ankle in Ukraine. And not only that. When I was tired and needed strength God was with me. When I was sad God brought me joy and comfort. When God says that He will never leave us of forsake us, God means it. 

I can look back and see what God has done for me in the past and know He will stay true to His promises in the future. God will provide for me and will be there for me every second of every day. I know God has called me to be a missionary in the Philippines and God will provide the support needed for me to be there. 

In times of testing I am reminded of these verses:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4 NKJV)"

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 NKJV)"

We do not need to worry when things happen in life. For me I should rejoice when it happens, knowing that God is working on me to bring me more into the man He has called me to be. I thank God for what He has done in my life and will do in the future. I put my full faith and trust in God knowing He will take care of me. 

It is that time of year where we as Americans celebrate our independence. Our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence to the British government because they were announcing that they where separating from the British Empire and why they where doing that. It was a way of saying we have the right to be free from oppression and that we had freedoms. One of the most recognizable parts of the Declaration is; "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

In 1776 our founding fathers believed that freedom was worth fighting for, even in the movie Braveheart, William Wallace knew freedom was worth fighting for and the same holds true today. In our world today over 27 million people are victims of human trafficking (2013 U.S. T.I.P. Report), they do not have the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans each and every day. These people are hoping for an end to their captivity, a way out and a better life for them and their families. I believe that we are called to help bring an end to human trafficking and bring freedom to those that are captive. 

As we celebrate our freedom this week, let us remember those around the world that do not get to enjoy these same freedoms. Freedom has been, is, and will always be worth fighting for.

If you would like to help me bring freedom to those affected by human trafficking in the Philippines, please make a tax deductible donation today at worldoutreach.org/donations and select Robinson, Joshua - Philippines from the list. Every gift is important and I know that God will bless you in your life.