Hi there! My name is Olivia Frost and this summer I had the opportunity to serve as the Guest Services Intern at the Billy Graham Library.

My path to getting this internship was anything but conventional, but ultimately it was the Lord’s sovereign hand that led me here. I was expectant and nervous about this opportunity but quickly became enthralled by the goodness of the Lord.

Below are two lessons God has taught me throughout this internship.

Lesson 1: Faith through Enlargement of Territory

At the beginning of my internship one of my ‘tasks’ was to read a book titled The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson based on an honorable prayer Jabez prays in 1 Chronicles 4:10.

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil.”

At first, asking for a blessing and the boldness required to pray for an enlarged territory, caught me off guard. However, I soon found myself reflecting on how the Lord wanted me to trust, by faith, that this internship will be an opportunity to enlarge my territory for His glory and my good.

Faith was my word for the 2020-2021 school year and something I prayed that the Lord would help me grow in abundantly. Jabez displays abundant faith by praying for a deep understanding of his dependence on God and his ability to prosper, if his territory did expand. God used this example of Jabez to help me better understand faith and reliance on the Lord to cause my ways to prosper.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God, must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Seek the Lord. Ask that His hand may be upon you. Be bold to pray for your territory to be expanded. Your faith and relationship with the Lord will be blessed in unimaginable ways.

Lesson 2: The Three D’s of Destruction

If you are anything like me, discouragement, discontentment, and doubt tend to be the areas Satan tries to attack most. I like to call them the three D’s of Destruction. Here is what the Lord has been teaching me about combating these areas.

Discouragement

Billy Graham wrote, “Discouragement is the very opposite of faith. It is Satan’s device to thwart the work of God in our lives. Discouragement blinds our eyes to the mercy of God and makes us perceive only the unfavorable circumstances. I have never met a person who spent time in daily prayer, in the study of the Word of God, and who was strong in faith who was ever discouraged for very long.” (Christian Worker’s Handbook, p. 104-105).

We live in a broken world. This is the reality, whether you are a Christian or not, we can all agree upon. Since the world is broken and in a continuous state of unrest, it’s no surprise that our human nature can easily become discouraged.

However, the discouragement that comes from living in this world is disrupted with the eternal hope of new mornings and new mercies (Lamentations 3:22-23). As Christians, we shake and counteract the hopelessness with the promise of joy that is everlasting. Discouragement does not have to be destructive, but rather a tool in the hand of God redirecting our weary hearts to the promised day when discouragement will be eternally destroyed (Revelation 21:4).

Discontentment

Discontentment rears its ugly head when our sinful flesh is convinced the Lord is withholding something or someone from us. This stems from expectations and desires that dishonor the Lord.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Similar to the psalmist, we believers must recall daily that nothing we have is our own—it is all from God, the giver of all things.

Ultimately, gluttony and uncontrolled desires of the heart can lead to personal destruction. This is why we labor with the help of the Spirit to be self-controlled in word, thought, and deed. As we consistently wage war on our flesh we are engaging the muscle of contentment, while trusting God to be our portion (Psalm 73:26).

Doubt 

Doubt creeps in when we question God’s purpose and allow ourselves to slip into the sins of jealousy and pride. The writer in Ecclesiastes comments on jealousy, “Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This is also vanity and a striving after wind.” Comparison goes hand-in-hand with doubt and confusion lingers as an unwelcome friend. The brutal sword of pride touches our minds and brings on feelings of inadequacy, but the reality is that all striving we do is meaningless and doubt never spurs positivity.

The good news of the Gospel that I have been reminded of each and every day I walk into the internship is grace. I am reminded that this is a privilege and a joy to be able to serve the King of all Kings. For the person reading this article today, I hope you know that the Lord has placed you specifically where you are to also serve His Kingdom and have it be on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). You do not have to doubt where you are or God’s timing, because it is always perfect and He is never late.

So What?

The primary Gospel truth that resonates throughout the entire Bible is that we are saved by grace through faith, not work and striving to be the best, do the most things, or earn the most (Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 7:13-14).

My desire is for you to trust in the goodness of the Lord and by faith cling to His promises. Remembering that discouragement, discontentment and doubt do not have to be your reality. Pray continuously, be active and patient. Ask, “Holy Father, by your Spirit, let Your will be done in my life. Amen.”