In order to show the heart of Christ when ministering you must be able to put your full self aside and allow the Lord to work through you. I must empty myself so that He can fill me. I am convinced that this is the only way to effectively minister to God’s people; the only way to truly impact the world. Such a process has begun for me.
Yesterday, while in the mountains (aka “hills” for you all in the northwest) of Georgia our team took a hike of “surrender”. We prayed about what the Lord was asking us to leave behind, to abandon in preparation for the world race. (I need to take a quick moment to explain part of what we have been learning is that the world race is not just an eleven month trip, rather it is a life style of complete abandonment for God; to give up everything that I might gain Christ. “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Phil 3:8) Before we set off on our hike, a staff member prayed over each of us individually then released us. We hiked alone and individually in silence to commune with God.
During my hike the Lord showed me that not only did I need to surrender what He asked of me, but I also needed to surrender the process. I have been trying to give this up to the Lord for some time now, but that in itself was the problem. I was trying to give it, but what the Lord wanted was for me to stop and just allow Him to take it. As I entertained fears of not being able to handle the process, messing it up or just allowing my sin to get in the way, the Lord was so gracious in His encouragement. He reminded me that He had already overcome the power of death and the grave; therefore, He could certainly handle any mistakes that I might make.
I rounded the lake, rested at camp then climbed up the first half of the mountain. At that point more staff members were present to pray with me and encourage me. I climbed up to the top of the mountain where there was a cross at which to surrender my burden to Christ. I took a moment to pray and sit with the Lord, then, I surrendered. I prayed with another staff member and sang a song of praise before descending down the mountain back to camp.
Now as I am continuing to process this whole experience my only reaction is Praise the Lord! He is so good. The Lord knows me better than I know myself. He knows what I can handle and is faithful to grow me without crushing me. My heart sings praises to my heavenly Father and my soul in overjoyed.
“that I may gain Christ and be found I him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Phil 3:8-11
