In Guatemala, on activation day, I felt like the Lord was telling me to bring my guitar to ministry, and I was hesitant because it was unusual for someone to bring a guitar to activation day when it was ATL time.
It was only a brief moment, and seemingly an unweighted decision, however the pieces seamlessly fell into place as I was standing at the door holding my guitar contemplating.
“You bringing your guitar?” Said Miguel, -my activation day leader/mentor- as he was passing me by on his way to the front gate.
“Yes I am” I said aloud.
A dozen minutes later, we were in a circle, standing and praying together at Central Park Parramos.
We stood together and asked the Lord to guide our ministry. Moments later, one of the girls had described a man that the Lord had shown her in a vision. She said that in her vision, she saw a man who was walking down the street towards us.
There were other great ministry moments throughout the day as we set out, but the focus of the one in this blog, reaches is peak closer to the end.
It was still about 84 degrees, and we were walking down a side street, when the same girl who had the vision stopped us and said, “that’s the man”.
Others on my team said that they had a similar feeling.
We just kept walking down the street towards him, and his silhouette grew more defined.
A few moments later, we gained the ability to see a shadow of a guitar strapped to his back.
Soon enough, there he was, full frame, clear as day. He was a stout, older, Guatemalan man. He had a raggy, old, guitar filled case on his back.
We approached him and introduced ourselves via translator, and began to converse. Things unraveled quickly and soon enough, we were playing our very different guitars together and intermittently talking.
He told me his name -Manuel-. He also told us that he likes to walk around the city, and worship in song using his voice and guitar. He said that he stops whenever the Lord tells him to, and then begins to praise.
As we were talking, the will of the Lord God dawned on me.
“You should give this man the guitar that I have gifted you with”.
I was delighted to share, and further let go of my own desires. The voice of the world died that day, and the voice of the Lord became audible.
The voice of the world wants us to hold on to everything that we have. It wants us to preserve our own happiness so long as we put it in materials on earth. I had no problem losing my guitar because it was not my savior, and it was not my God.
The voice of the Lord wants us to continually step away from the things we love in order to show us that we don’t need them. It’s a idealism that is very rooted in my testimony 1 year ago.
That December, I began to lose absolutely everything. I lost a valued relationship, all 16 years that I had invested into hockey, and any progress that I had in college.
I had to drop it all, and my world came crashing down because I had this life planned out of security, safety, and selfishness. It was all that I had, and it was taken away so easily.
I thought that I would fall, because I had nothing else.
However the Lord held me up with his word.
As a newly devoted follower of Christ, I had only been reading the Bible seriously and intentionally for about a month, but one month and a humble heart was all the Lord needed from me. He needed a complete yes from me. He didn’t just want part of my life, because who can save half of their soul? He wanted it all, fully surrendering.
For those reading, the Lord wants it all from you.
Only then, can he completely show you that he is God, and all that you need.
“”No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Matthew 6:24 ESV
Who will be your master? Is it your way or his way? If his way leads to eternal life, then where does yours lead?
