I want you to know where my heart was up until this past week. See I was a skeptic. In my head, I knew God still healed the sick, gave men words to speak, visions to see, the Holy Spirit still filled us with power and authority. In my head, I knew that God loved us and was present, that He heard our prayers. In my head, I thought I knew what it meant to love God. And that's where it stayed, in my head. When I heard stories of God's power (ESPECIALLY STORIES OF PROPHECY!), I was often reluctant to believe, choosing rather to tell myself that the one telling the stories was overzealous, or seeking attention, or sometimes even delusional. When I told others, and myself, that God loved us, the words felt hollow… hopeful at best. And when I told God that I loved Him, it broke my heart because deep down I knew that I was failing to force feelings for a God that I didn't think I could experience. My skepticism thrived even as I, Natasha Paschal, and Celeste Lombardo got into a car aimed at Georgia (and training camp).
Roughly 300 of us arrived at Taccoa Falls, Georgia for a week of uncertainty, each with our own preconceived notion of just how much God would do. I believe it's safe to say we were all guilty of, unknowingly, severely underestimating the power of God. Myself especially, because as much as I hate to admit this, I wasn't even sure if He'd show up… PRAISE GOD, HE IS NOT LIMITED BY MY EXPECTATIONS!!! As I'm sure you surmised from the title of this post, God showed up indeed. He was so busy at work in each of us that I'll have to post another blog in a few days with some more incredible stories and limit this one to just a few miracles! HA! Oh, how I never would have dreamed of writing a sentence like that last one… "limit this on to just a few miracles"… what a hoot!!! 🙂
On one of the first few days, a fellow Racer stood up and introduced herself. Her introduction was no more exceptional than yours or mine would be… except for the cast. This young girl (I forget her name, remember, there were 300 of us) was a dancer who had torn some ligaments and couldn't walk without a knee high boot on her leg. Long story short: we prayed, God heard and healed, and this past Friday… She got on the stage in front of her new family of 300… and she danced. She danced beautifully, without reservation, to the glory of the Lord who had healed her! And her story did not stand alone this past week…
In case you didn't know, this past March, I was separated from the US Army for permanent disabilities in my back related to Airborne Operations. I spent 6 months in physical therapy and saw countless doctors with no improvement. My range of motion was severely limited, as was my ability to pick things up or carry anything heavier than 15-20lbs. Again, we prayed, God heard and healed, and on Thursday (or maybe Wednesday, the week was a bit of a blur at times)… I showed the men on my squad how to perform a "Fireman's Carry" by putting a 200lb man (sorry if my estimation is a little high Tim lol) on my shoulders with ease. You can't see me from your side of the screen, but I just stood up, bent over, and placed my hands on the ground with no resistance. GOD HEALED ME!
The physical miracles are great to read about. And yes, they're great to experience. But there's something that's better. God showed His presence, His power, His LOVE. Not only did He transform my infirmities into miraculous stories of healing, but He rid me of doubt and disbelief. He made known to me that He's not a distant God, but that He's here, where I am and where you are. The Holy Spirit is not a foreign concept to grasp at, but rather, He lives inside of me. For the first time, my heart abounded with love for God, my soul danced with the Lord, and my once unrelentingly skeptical mind finally shut up and gave in.
Keep an eye out for my next blog… I'll be writing about a gift God has given me.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
It's called prophecy…
