Wowza, today has been incredible! Today my team and I thought we were going to do VBS at a church, but plans changed and we ended up going to this prayer mountain instead. When we first arrived, there were already a couple people there praying. We kinda just joined in, starting out with passages from the Bible, and then we went off and spent our own time in prayer. While I was praying, I just felt this weight come upon me. Weight from other people’s sins and weight from other people’s bondage. I immediately began declaring freedom over everyone and while I was doing so, the one woman started making hissing sounds and was freaking out. The Lord immediately put on my heart to pray for her and once more declare freedom. The Holy Spirit came rushing in and it was so powerful in that moment that I literally began to shake. After we were done praying, we all came together and prayed as a whole. Again, the Spirit was so dang strong and I can’t even find words to describe it. Not long after we finished praying, I felt the Lord telling me that He wasn’t done yet and that we needed to pray more. I found the woman that was making the hissing sounds and began praying over her. We held hands and the second I told the enemy to be cast out of her, she began to shake and cry out. It was so intense and I could tell the enemy was ticked. I began to declare freedom over her, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt the Holy Spirit as much as I did in that moment. I could literally feel the Holy Spirit flow from my body to hers. It sounds crazy and I can’t really even describe it, but I know the Lord set that woman free today and there is a party going on in heaven right now. I’m still at a loss for words at what I experienced today and all I can say is God is so freaking good.
Freedom has been a recurring theme in my life lately and the Lord has grown me in it like you wouldn’t believe. I’m so different from the girl I was four and a half months ago when I started the world race. It’s pretty crazy. The Lord has provided me with countless opportunities to step out in boldness and use the voice He’s given me, which has allowed me to walk in freedom. He started out by having me teach English at schools, which was honestly terrifying at first because I suck at my own language. Although teaching English in a class was scary at first, it gave me that kick to step out in boldness and speak in front of people, which is something I’ve struggled with for years. I would always have major anxiety attacks if I had to speak in front of people, so I never really did. I absolutely hated being the center of attention and hated having all eyes on me, so the Lord was definitely trying to grow me in that. Then when I stayed in Saiphai, our host at the time asked if anyone would be willing to share their testimony at church and I immediately felt like I was supposed to. I kinda pushed that feeling aside and told myself I’d just let the more outgoing people volunteer, but then my heart started to race. Once my heart started to race, I knew I had to, so I somehow got the courage to say yes. I can remember back to sitting in the pews, nervously waiting to go up and speak, and I thought I was going to throw up. I was insanely nervous, but the lord was slowly calming me down as I began to pray. Then the second I stepped foot on that stage, I was filled with so much peace and I was able to share my testimony with complete confidence. The Lord was totally with me that night and when I stepped off of that stage, I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom wash over me. That night literally changed my life and I was able to conquer the fear of public speaking. Then at debrief, I was given another opportunity to speak. It was like breakthrough after breakthrough. I’ve never felt this free before in my life and I now have such a confidence just radiating out of me. So, so crazy! But yeah, God is so good and being free is such an incredible thing. Literally all we have to do is let go and say “yes.” The Lord has already made us free in His name, so we just need to take that first step of faith and let the Lord take care of the rest.
2 Corinthians 3:17 – “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
