Alright, I want you to picture this:
Picture a tiny 5’2”, 100 pound girl who does not work out, let alone run frequently.
Now picture that same girl with a 35 pound backpack on her back, running 2.2 miles up steep hills and worn down, uneven paths in the Georgia heat and humidity
Oh yeah, and picture her doing this in less than 38 minutes.
That girl is me. (it’s kinda funny you can laugh)
On July 11th, I was taking part in what is called the “fitness hike” during The World Race training camp. The point of training camp and the fitness hike is to prepare racers, like myself, for the mission field.
Let me tell you, this “hike” was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting to be able to walk the entire thing with my pack on and still be able to pass in less than 38 minutes. Because of all the hills and uneven paths, that was not the case and I had to run most of the way.
Just as I was expecting the hike not to be too hard, I was not expecting the hike to change my life spiritually in the way that it did.
As my team endured this hike together, we were shouting and screaming prayers, bible verses, encouragement, and Jesus truths at each other. My voice was so hoarse after all the screaming. That was the only way we were going to be able to finish strong without the enemy trying to plant seeds of doubt in our heads.
The Lord immediately put the word WIND in my head. At first, I was praying out loud, asking God to send a literal wind because it was dang hot in Georgia. As I continued to speak this prayer out loud, it turned into praying that the Holy Spirit would carry my team along the path with His wind, and that He would breathe life into our lungs with His wind.
I had been praying so hard that week for The Lord to give me a word that would hit my soul, like a punch my soul in the face kind of word. I had even mentioned to my sweet squad-mate Kate, (hearts for you Kate girl <3) how badly I wanted and needed this word.
Later on in the day after the fitness hike, I was hanging out with Kate and I remembered the word WIND. I immediately asked her and another squad-mate what bible verses have the word WIND in them. We searched and the verse, James 1:6 stuck out to me.
James 1:6 “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the WIND.”
This verse is speaking on doubt. I had witnessed a lot of physical and spiritual healings that week, and I was struggling with doubt! I WAS SHOCKED. This verse was speaking directly to me and cast out the doubt that I was experiencing.
The Lord spoke to me again through the song “Sails” by Pat Barret, Steffany Gretzinger, and Amanda Lindsey Cook. If you have not heard this song, please go listen to it. (I will link it down below) I had this song on repeat everywhere I went for weeks before I got to training camp.
When they sang this song at training camp, a speaker said, “your sails cannot be opened or pushed without WIND”.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! I realized that, God has been speaking this word over me for a long time, I just wasn’t listening.
Another speaker highlighted the verse John 3:5 which says, “No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”
You might be wondering how this applies to this testimony? Well, I learned from the notes in my bible, that the Greek word for Spirit can also be translated as WIND.
After all these revelations and insane encounters with the Holy Spirit, I learned deep down in my heart that God is speaking this word over all the fears and anxiety I have held onto.
The anxiety of leaving everything I know has been blown away.
The fear of leaving my brother and sister here alone has been blown away.
The worry of saying goodbye to my friends and potentially never being friends with them when I return has been blown away.
The scariness of walking an unknown path has been blown away.
You see, God has a plan for me, my friends, my family, and you. He is carrying all of us with his WIND.
His WIND is big and strong, but it is also sweet and gentle.
This is a word I carry with me for the rest of my life.
Thanks,
Megs 🙂
