Revival overwhelms me. For the longest time there was a lot of fear attached to it, but now it is more of an “I am one person, how can one person impact a city or a nation? What the heck can I do?” Yes, I carry the Spirit of God. Yes, I am not alone because God is with me, but saying that and living it out are two separate things. I want to be a person of action, not mere talk. So what can I do? If I am honest, I am still learning the answer to that question.
This week was the first time I saw vision for something that FAR exceeded me, but at the same time included me. I think this is the most exciting thing about Nashville for me. It was city number 81, but it was the first time I was able to see His perspective, dreams, and desires for a city. Most people know that Nashville is known as Music City and many people come to the city to try and make it big; but there have been prophetic words saying that it will be known as Worship City. This week we got to be a part of so many different ministries that believe the same things. They are fervently interceding and passionately evangelizing for the revival of Nashville. The Spirit of God can’t be stopped, it will continue to go out into the cities surrounding it, then Tennessee and then our Nation.
Our first night in Nashville we got to volunteer at a Bethel Worship Night (at the Grand Ole Opry!!!). The Lord helped me connect with a fellow volunteer and we got to hang out a bunch. Building relationships is normally stressful and difficult for me, but somehow (Jesus!!) this one was easy.
I also got to go to a Thompson Square concert with a teammate. It was there that the Lord showed me that I do experience him tangibly and I still do physically feel his presence, it’s just in a deeper more intimate way.
This year the Lord has been walking me through having a foundation with him away from feeling. I can now admit that I am a high feeler and that I rely way to much on my feelings rather than what I know to be true. Relying too much on the feels can pull you away from the truth that the Word tells us. God is here, even if you don’t feel him. He is good, even if you don’t see it. He is speaking, even if you can’t hear him. So this year He pulled back my feels. Worship was no longer about an emotional high or rush, but instead worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth.
At this concert I realized I do feel the Lord, it just has been in a deeper way. It’s like my Spirit (wo)man has been feeling him, even if my physical flesh cannot. I take spirit over flesh any day!
We got to prayer walk and evangelize down a highly influenced tourist street, Broadway. A teammate and I met a homeless man and got to sit and hear his story. We got to pray for healing and we got to see the Lord touch his heart.
Most important though, I realized how far I have come. The last time I was in Nashville was in 2012. It was my high school graduation vacation trip, also known as the time I experienced a mental breakdown and legit spiraled out of control to a point of near suicide. But here I am 7 years later, standing in the same spots, but a completely transformed and redeemed woman. I can barely recognize the girl I was then, it feels like a completely different person.
Today on our way out of Nashville we got to walk with A21, an organization created to raise awareness of human trafficking. We walked the city of Nashville as a silent protest to raise awareness to the fact that slavery still exists today. We then got to connect with some friends and sit for hours and chat and pray for each other. Then we got to go and deliver coffee to some of the workers at David’s Tent, which is a movement that started in Washington DC, they set up camp and nonstop pray and worship 24/7 in cities all across the United States. This was a blessed and highly favored moment for me because this is something I have been wanting to see all year. We had many divine appointments there and it was the sweetest way to end our time in Nashville.
This week the Lord has seriously touched my heart. He has spoken straight to the depths of my heart and brought some clarity over my time after World Race America. The Lord is just so crazy, how can it be that he allows us to see the things he is doing? I don’t understand it, but I love it.
So what the heck is revival anyways? For me it is still a truth that is being unfolded. I think it is seeing people come fully alive. Seeing people wake up and live, but not just live, live abundantly. It is walking free from the chains that dragged you down for years. It’s setting free the people who feel so shut down and boxed in. It’s waking people up to walk in the full potential that the Lord has for them. It’s making the spiritually dead, become spiritually alive.
We have 4 weeks left! 4! Where the heck has the time gone. This year has felt like 7 years packed into one, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Love,
A
