Seth and I (Nicole) were both saved at a young age. God used the Bible in Seth’s life to convince him to pursue unreached people group (UPG) ministries and God used various missions trips to show me the same need.
Early on, God taught us to be involved and serve our local churches, knowing that we couldn’t serve Him overseas if we didn’t serve Him in our home country.
Our personal walks with the Lord look totally different, from how we study and view the Bible to our individual prayer time, but God has taught us that we need to be steadfast in His Word, saturated in prayer, and involved in the community of believers. All 3 are essential for healthy Christian living. But as an individual, you should look at His Word and actually study it, know it, and be practical with it – not just read it as a good luck charm.
God is always teaching and challenging us to be faithful to Him daily, not to settle for mediocrity, and live with an eternal perspective. Materialism and earthly pleasures are but for a season. We know we are already fully accepted in the Beloved, and it is our privilege and opportunity to serve Him (we “get to”).
Our encouragement for people to think about in this life would be as follows:
1. Know the Lord is Sovereign, understand and rest in that. This will impact everyday of your life.
2. Understand Biblical suffering, this will prepare you for life and expectations.
3. Dream about what you will bring before the throne when you meet your Savior, will you bring seashells from the beach or a tired vessel that served to the upmost?
Relationship advice
1. Do not settle, make sure they have their own strong walk with the Lord.
2. Make sure you both have the same goals and aspirations in ministry. Is serving God peripheral or primary? Make sure there is evidence to their claim.
3. Seek counseling early on in your relationship and always invite others into your relationship. Know your spouse’s family will play a part in your marriage.
4. Make sure you can have fun and be each others best friend.
5. Examine each others’ relationship with their church, their mentors, and their family.
Some of our favorite quotes are:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot
(This quote makes us focus on how fervent we ought to serve the Lord.)
“Don’t let the ‘good’ become the enemy of the best.”- Paul Fleming
(This quote reminds us that some Christian works are “good”, but those who have never heard the Gospel once must be preeminent and at the forefront of our mind.)
Written by Nicole Stokes
HannahIvelisse 