I just got back a few days ago from probably my favorite annual conference ever, The Onething Conference, hosted at IHOP (International House of Prayer)
** Here is a quick description of what Onething is for those of you who aren’t familiar. This is a conference with 30,000 young adults driving and flying in from all around the country (and world) to come together for four days and bring the new year in by worshiping Jesus and renewing our minds. Some of the speakers were Francis Chan, Allen Hood, and Corey Russell and some of the worship artists were Jesus Culture, Matt Redman, and Misty Edwards.
I knew God had big plans to do a great work in me this year, because I could feel spiritual warfare occurring almost the whole month before I left for this conference. I have quickly learned the enemies timing in attacking Children of God is always similar in the timing when the Lord is preparing us finally for that breakthrough we’ve been waiting for.
So what was it going to be?! I was anxious and excited for God to reveal some BIG word to me or heal me from some brokenness in my past. But, God is the King of the unexpected, and so He did nothing I anticipated and everything I had hoped He wouldn’t.
He revealed to me my sin.
He showed me how my impatience is affecting my relationships of those I love and how my impatience is even affecting my relationship with HIM.
This season I am entering into requires a heap load of patience
- Patience in His perfect timing for all things
- Patience that the finances I need for this trip will come through, in His timing.
- Patience that the process for healing will happen, in His timing.
- Patience in my prayer closet with Him. That if I give Him a devoted time everyday, with no distractions, that He will meet me there.
These are just to name a few.
I know God is going to have hurdles set forth before me where I will really need to lean and rely on Him in order to overcome this thing, but I also know that the Holy Spirit dwells inside of me. I have full access to the Fruits of the Spirit and at any given moment, even in the moments where it feels like my emotions are dictating me, I can take authority over them. I can declare who I really am as a Daughter of Christ.
My challenge for you all this week, that I learned from my friend awhile ago, is to replace the word LOVE in the scripture 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, with YOUR NAME. Let the meaning behind this scripture become personal and allow it to be a challenge for you to really live these things out.
” Love [Megan] is patient, Love [Megan] is kind. It [Megan] does not envy, does not boast, is not proud.It [Megan] does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love [Megan] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It [Megan] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
