Neil T. Anderson, a renowned Christian author with a ministry dedicated to seeing sons and daughters step into their identities and shake off the lies of the enemy, once wrote, “No one can consistently behave in a manner that is inconsistent with how he or she perceives him or herself”
I’ve seen the truth of this statement manifested not only in my own life but in the lives of those around me as well. If we see yourselves as sinners instead of saints, we will continue to behave as such. If we see ourselves as unworthy, we will carry ourselves as such. If we perceive our circumstances as hopeless and unchangeable, we will continue living as such.
But if there ever comes a day when the scales fall from our eyes and we choose to no longer live under the weight of oppression and the lies of the enemy, AND INSTEAD, step into the truth that we are sons and daughters of the King who were “born to make manifest the glory of God that it within us,” then our lives and what we do with them will begin to reflect just that.
This is what the Lord began stirring inside of my heart while sitting in a church service in the middle of nowhere Kampong Speu, Cambodia. And He reminded me of a talk that Seth Barnes, Sr. (CEO of Adventures in Missions and Beloved Coach of L Squad) gave at our debrief in Thailand. During this talk, Seth discussed five essential questions that every person on this earth are trying to answer for themselves.
- Who Am I?? (Identity)
- What Am I Worth?? (Value)
- Can God Be Trusted?? (Belief)
- Where Do I Belong?? (Community)
- What’s My Purpose in Life?? (Purpose)
That day, sitting in a church where the pastor didn’t really speak English and there was a dog tracking dirt and dust everywhere as he roamed throughout the rows, the Lord placed it on my heart to begin creating a 9 month-2 year program called Freedom Journey, designed specifically for men and women in prison and drug rehab facilities, that would focus on answering those five questions of who they are, what they are worth, what their purpose is, where they belong, and whether or not there a God out there that can be trusted.
That said, it is still in the VERYYYYYYYY early stages, but as most of you know, my heart has been for prisoners and addicts for years now and it would be a dream to actually create it and then have it implemented in prisons and rehab centers across the U.S. Until then, I will continue to say yes the next thing that the Lord has for me. What that is right now still remains to be seen, but as soon as I know I’ll be sure to update you guys as well 😀
NOW,
To see some of what our team actually did in Cambodia, check out this awesome video that Jessa put together!!
