Trust without borders!

Woohoo!! Completion on my house completed last Friday and God was faithful even though at times it looked impossible! So here is the journey Papa has taken me on to get my house sold, the good stuff and the not so good. I have written some of this previously but felt Papa say that I should tell the complete story.

After Christmas I started to seriously sort out my house to sell it. There was a lot to do, including putting in a new floor, ceiling and cabinets in the kitchen. Thankfully I had some good friends who gave me their expertise and their time. Eventually, with a lot of person hours and 4 skips later the house was ready to go on the market in April.

I felt that Papa said at that time that I should expect an asking price offer within 2 weeks and contracts in 6 weeks. Sure enough I got an asking price offer within the 2 weeks (or at least I would have done had the estate agents done their job properly) but sadly it fell through. The couple who had made the offer were my neighbours friends and I felt Papa say that I should offer to rent it to them. This made sense to me as it would mean contracts in 6 weeks, granted different contracts to those I imagined but contracts nonetheless!

I got the phone number for the lady who had made the offer, I knew she was very upset at not being able to buy it as she had set her heart on it and the house was beside her best friend. I rang her and offered to rent her the house for a couple of years until they would be in a position to buy it. She was lost for words and did not know what to say. We agreed that she would ring me the next day with a decision. I was so blessed just to have the conversation with her knowing that the offer had blown her away. I was also quite certain that they would rent it.

The next day she rang me back. First she told me that she could not believe someone would do what I had done. She said it was truly the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. However, she chose not to rent it as she was concerned they may not be able to buy it in a few years and she wanted security. I understood completely and was amazed that what I thought was such a simple offer had had such an impact! This impact was confirmed when my neighbour (her best friend) told me that my offer had lifted her friend out of depression that was setting in. Wow! The offer was simply for the offer so that this lady could be blessed. Love how Papa works. 

Had to accept at this point that I had probably heard wrong about contracts in 6 weeks (unless it meant 6 weeks from accepting an offer) but that was fine, I know I don't always hear right and sometimes my desires get in the way. I wanted contracts in 6 weeks. I wanted everything sorted quickly so that I knew it was done and I could sort out all the other stuff I needed to do with ease. Papa knew my wants but he also knew what would be best for me and that was his plan!

Of course, this now meant that I still had a house I needed to sell and thankfully I had another asking price offer within about a week of the first one falling through. Wow! Would contracts be done in 6 weeks? My solicitor said they could be but it was not to be, 9 weeks later I was still waiting and all sorts of hurdles had been raised in the process. 

Finally, in the 10th week I finally had a phone call saying that the buyers mortgage had been approved and we could go ahead. The following Monday I got a message from my solicitor saying the mortgage had come in the wrong name but as soon as that was sorted we would be ready to go. I spoke to the estate agents who had arranged the mortgage and gave them a deadline, a week on Friday to complete or I would withdraw from the sale. Two days later we had a letter from the buyers solicitor asking for new information that could take 4-6 weeks to obtain. Aaarggh!

At this point I was a little frustrated as it seemed like everything that could possibly delay this sale had and there was only about 6 weeks until I left the country and I had lots to do once the house was completed. However, I felt Holy Spirit say I should trust for my contracts to complete the next Friday, at the point he said this it looked impossible from a human perspective but I decided to declare and believe truth. Not easy! It was made harder as I believe that Holy Spirit said that God loves the 11th hour, that is the last moment to do anything, as that builds our faith.

The estate agents had told me that completion generally needs to be arranged 5 working days in advance so that funds can be organised, so to me, the next day was the 11th hour (the Friday before the Friday I wanted to complete). Just before close of business on the Friday my solicitor rang, my 11th hour. The issue with the mortgage name had been resolved but not the additional information question, though there was a fairly good chance this could be done on the Monday. We left it that she would ring me Monday and confirm whether we could still complete on Friday, thankfully the mortgage provider of the buyer did not need 5 days to arrange funds. It was looking looking more positive!

Late on Monday evening, bless my solicitor for working late, I received an email saying that the paperwork issue had been resolved and the buyer was keen to complete on Friday. Woohoo!! However, the buyer still needed to return the signed mortgage deed and pay their deposit before contracts could be exchanged and completion arranged. She would keep me informed, it may or may not be Friday.

By the Thursday morning I had heard nothing but as I was driving to Huntingdon I was singing Oceans or more specifically the lines:

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me, take me deeper than my feet could ever wander where my faith is made much stronger in the presence of my Saviour"

As I was singing I felt Holy Spirit say to think about what I was singing and then say that I should expect my faith to be stretched when I asked for it. I have been singing these words over and over recently and he showed me that the ups and downs I was seeing with the house was my answer. Wow! For a brief moment I thought I might not sing it any more but it did not last very long, I was soon singing it again!

I still had no idea whether we would complete the next day but I was determined to believe what Holy Spirit had spoken to me, it would happen. Woohoo!! God is so good. About lunchtime on that Thursday I had an email saying we had exchanged contracts and we would complete the next day. Wow! Though I had to wait until the 11th hour to find out, God was faithful and we did complete last Friday.

I am so thankful that Papa is always faithful but I am also grateful that he knows what I need to grow in each and every situation I face. There were times when I wondered if I had got it all wrong, especially when I did not get contracts in 6 weeks but the truth is Holy Spirit leads us in ways that maximise our growth, even when we do not quite hear it all clearly and let our own desires get in the way. Wow! Love how God works! Love how he knows how each situation will challenge and grow me and has patience with me in it!

Thanks for reading, hope it was encouraging!

I am significant and not a fraud!

Firstly and nothing to do with my blog title I just want to say, woohoo and aaargh!!! After my post last week, a friend and I are now going to Alton Towers in the next few weeks so that I can go on Oblivion. Not so sure now that I really, really, really want to go on it now but it just has to be done!

So to this week's subject, this is a bit of a hard one again but seeing as Papa has once again brought release and freedom I want to give glory to him with my testimony.

One of my gifts is that I am an encourager, I love to get words from Holy Spirit to build up those around me, especially women. I also love when Papa uses me to challenge people into stepping out and doing new things. The last couple of weeks have included both.

Firstly, I was given a word for a friend that I gave and it encouraged her into stepping out in faith to do something and the result was awesome. Wow! I love being on Papa's team.

Next is something that has not happened for about 9 months. Before my husband died I used to send a lot of encouraging texts to the people I knew, some specific words for people and some just wonderful truths that edify and build up. I had not done this since my husband died but felt Holy Spirit leading me to send a few texts last week. All the texts were specific for particular people and I was really encouraged myself as people texted me to say how they were encouraged. Wonderful!

As a result of the texts I ended up meeting with two ladies individually and seeing God work in both their lives. Unexpected but awesome. Again, I so love being on Papa's team and seeing him at work.

I then got the words 'push off' that I really felt were for another friend but it sounds kind of rude so it took me a while to text it. I should know by now just to go for it, as the person texted back saying it was absolutely right. Wow!

Now you would think after a week like that I would be super encouraged and be walking in the full knowledge of my identity in Jesus. Me too, but on Saturday night I had a big wobble. I was at Women of Presence, an awesome women's event run by my church. We had amazing worship and Holy Spirit came and presenced himself with us and this was followed by an awesome preach. Holy Spirit gave me a word to give to the woman who had spoken and then I went to the back and got on my knees. As soon as I did I started crying and as I started crying I was just overwhelmed with a sense of being a fraud and not belonging in that room full of wonderful ladies and how dare I think I heard from God for others. This was not what I was expecting!

At that point I had two choices, believe or refute the lie. Thankfully I recognised it as a lie and was able to deal with it there and then. The minute I had done this I got a word for one of the leaders of our church that was linked to something I had seen and felt earlier. Wow! This was a real test as to whether I had dealt with the lie or not, would I give the word or just go home. I did start to gather the ladies I was taking home to go but then said I would be back in a moment and went and gave the word. Know that step of obedience was a key to my freedom in this!

The next morning at church during the worship I knew Papa wanted me face down on the floor. That was fine, however I felt him say that I had to do it in the centre of church where everyone can see me. Aargh! I was obedient, though I did not like it because I felt on show, and spent the rest of the meeting like that. It was not that I could not get up, I just knew Papa was saying I should stay there. Well, I did know Papa wanted me there and then I started doubting. Am I lying here to make myself look good? Am I trying to convince myself that I really am not a fraud? Then, at the end of the preach they spoke about lives laid down and as clear as day Papa said, 'do you think it's a coincidence you are on your face now?'. I would like to say at this point I leapt up rejoicing and praising God but that would be a lie. What I did was get to my knees and say to Papa that if I had heard him right I wanted someone to come to me with a word. Wow! Papa is so loving and faithful as one of the beautiful ladies at church came and told me she had been praying for me that morning and had been told to tell me I was loved with an everlasting love. Thankfully, Then I got up and rejoiced and praised God. He truly is awesome, even when we test him to the nth degree!

So the truth is I am significant, the Creator of heaven and earth loves me with an everlasting love and calls me his priceless daughter. I am not a fraud, that is a lie. Wow!

Lastly, before it finish this post I just want to bring you up to date on the house sale and what I am believing God for. I believed that we would complete next week and then at the beginning of this week a spanner was put in the works. The spanner means that there are two possibilities, the first is we still complete next week and the second is we may be able to complete in 4 or 5 weeks. I am believing that because my God is faithful we will complete next week (the other option brings far too much complication really!), however I have had no further news for 2 days. This seems a little scary but Papa is always teaching us and training us, preparing us in the now for what lies ahead. Yesterday he showed me in a variety of ways that he wanted me to believe and he reminded me that he is the God of the 11th hour and likes to step in at the last possible moment because this builds faith. So my declaration of faith today is that before close of business tomorrow I will know we will complete next Friday. Thankfully because my Papa is so faithful I do not stand in this alone but have many awesome women of God standing with me. Wow! Blessed! Excited! Will let you know how Papa works in this to his glory.

I hope you have been encouraged as you have read this. We all struggle at times but Papa is so faithful to meet us where we are at, dust down our hurts and encourage us to move forward again. He just asks that we trust him and believe the truth he says about us. We are priceless, you are priceless because he paid the highest price to rescue you, his Son.