We started the day with a visit to Ein Gedi. It’s the spot that David fled to when he was running for his life from Saul. The little boy was anointed king, then he defeated Goliath, then he spent a lot of years running for his life.Feel like there are areas of your life where you’re just running? Can you believe that God might actually be shaping you and strengthening you for your future?
A few months ago I invited a few leaders in our church to pray for me. I was feeling stuck. A lot of it was based in fear that I'm not capable of doing what God is asking of me. We talked about where those fears originated and asked God to heal them at their source.
A combination of factors led me to believe at a young age that I didn’t belong, that I didn’t fit in, and that nobody liked me. Those sound like such clichés as I type them, but for many years those feelings were a constant reality.
What God helped me to see during that prayer time was that the enemy had been lying to me. Instead of those lonely times being a sign that I wasn’t loved, just the opposite was true. Like David, alone with his sheep, I was being protected and prepared for a future that was bigger and better than I could have known.
The same is true for each of God’s children. When we listen to Him and obey Him, He takes every bit of suffering in our lives and uses it for good. But it takes courage and faith—especially when you feel like you’re running for your life. But believe God’s promise: you’re not running to survive; you’re running for strength. You’re being shaped and strengthened for your future!
Next was Masada—a mountaintop fortress build by Herod the Great (the same guy that built Caesarea, the city I wrote about on Day 2). Everybody hated that guy because he tried to make everybody happy. He was a technically a Jew (his family had been forced to convert during the Hasmonean era), but he was a puppet of the Roman government. He built this fortress as his personal backup plan in case either the Jews or the Romans decided to get rid of him.Here are a few other pics of the stunning mountain fortress:






After Masada, we took a float in the Dead Sea. What a bizarre experience! There’s so much salt in the water (about 30% salt as compared to the 3% that’s in the ocean) that it causes people to be more buoyant.
The day ended with the opening session of the Foursquare Convention. How amazing to be with about 3,000 other Foursquare leaders praising God, having fun, and learning about our heritage in His Holy Land!








































