On May 18th, I arrived at The World Race Training Camp with a burning desire to grow in my Faith. On May 25th, I left the foothills of Georgia as a Man on Fire. Words cannot describe the impact of my whole experience, but I will do my best to touch on one particular experience that blew me away. Before I begin with my experience, allow me to provide some context.
The beginning of Training Camp was all about us, The Racers. When Racers set out into the mission field, it’s all about giving. So before we deliver the message of Hope, we must have it ourselves. We must deal with our own afflictions and wounds. You simply cannot give something to someone that you don’t have yourself.
Leading up to Tuesday evening, many powerful messages of healing, grieving and forgiveness had been delivered. Not only were the lessons given on point, but the worship services were incredible! Now while I’d much rather rock out to some Eric Church, Luke Bryan or Jason Aldean, I had no trouble getting into the music that A Beautiful War put on. It was their last night playing at camp and spirits were high. As the night progressed, the band gradually began to soften its sound until only the strum of an acoustic remained. At that point, one of the guest speakers came over the mic to say this:
Men, there are a lot of hurt women out here tonight. There are a lot of women out here that have been used, disrespected and led to believe that their self-worth is only valued in their body and what they can offer. And maybe at one point in your life you had something to do with that. So men, I want you to bow your heads and pray. I want you to pray for forgiveness of lust, sexual impurity and for God to continue to work in your life so that you can continue to be the Godly men you were designed to be. And when you’re done, I want you to go to one of your sisters and pray over them as well.
My immediate thought was conviction! As I reflected on some of my past relationships, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of my transgressions. So I began to pray:
Father, thank you so much for restoring me to be the man you created me to be. Please forgive me for my sins of lust and sexual impurity. I pray that you would continue to show me what it means to be a Man of God.
As I lifted my head and opened my eyes, I knew my job was not done. I walked up to the first girl I could find and gently asked if I could pray for her. She smiled and said yes. I thought, “What now?” I had absolutely no idea what I was going to say. After sending up a small prayer for myself, I began to pray for her. With my hands on her shoulders and hers on mine, I said:
Father, thank you so much for this beautiful woman that stands before me. She has been hurt over and over again. She has been used and disrespected. I pray that you will continue to fill her heart with your love. I pray that you will continue to reaffirm her beauty and confidence. Your timing is perfect and in time, by your grace, you will bless her with a Godly man that will always value her.
When I looked up, I saw tears rolling down her cheek. She said:
Thank you for that…In my past relationships, I always placed the needs of others in front of my own. And every single time, it was never enough and they always left. Thank you for reminding me that my Father’s love is always enough and that I can Trust in Him.
After that, I gave her the biggest bear hug I could muster up and reminded her that she should never pursue any man. She is worth being pursued and she is most certainly worth the wait.
Confessing and Repenting in our sin is not easy. It’s a continual process we will always face. Conviction is not to be used to condemn ourselves, but rather to thank God for showing and teaching us something that we didn’t see or know before. It’s not easy for me to openly discuss the sins of my past but I am reminded that it’s not about me. It’s about shedding light on God’s grace and the impact that Christ can have in your life when you Trust Him. While it’s hard to understand or conceive, Trust that His plan is far greater than your own. He has more in store for you than you can even imagine. All it takes is for you to Trust Him with your life. This is especially true for relationships. Relationships built on Faith and Trust, rather than intimacy, will Persevere. I have no idea what it’s like to be married, but I can tell you that I deeply desire a family of my own one day. That is where this message comes from: love not judgment. God Bless.
