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11 Things I Learned at Training Camp: Part 2
6. God is at work in every moment of every day
In the hum drum business of our everyday lives we tend to forget that God is at work. We pay our bills, drive to the bank, maybe work out (if we’re feeling extra awesome that day), eat some food and then forget that God is at work in between those boring moments too. There were times at training camp where it started feeling routine, or I would wonder why we were doing something but then God would take that moment and turn it into something beautiful. Like the moments when a surface level conversation would suddenly become something deeper, or getting chocolate milk for breakfast would feel like the biggest blessing ever, or seeing the brilliant rays of the sun again after days of rain and puffy dark clouds. God is alive and moving in every small moment and it is so important to train yourself to acknowledge this because it is then that you begin to see that God is blessing you all the time.
5. God is Relentless
My team and I were having the hardest time coming up with a team name. This would be a name that had to encompass what we stood for and believed. We talked and talked about it but were getting nowhere. Thankfully 
someone finally suggested we pray about it so we did. It was in that moment that God revealed Himself to us and spoke to us the word Relentless. All week long God had been relentlessly pursuing us in all our ugly sin and calling us back to Him. We were going to be relentlessly pursuing the unreached to show them the Love of God. We would be relentlessly pursuing loving and serving each other throughout the next year. Relentlessness was all around and it wasn’t until we quieted down and asked God what He thought did He reveal it to us. We are Team Relentless, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of being Christ to the world.
4. Expect the Unexpected
This whole week was filled with unexpected moments; moments when God revealed Himself, or revealed a gift that was previously hidden. But the most unexpected moment for me came when I was called to be a team leader. I had been wrestling with God all week (and really my whole life) with leadership. I’ve known for so long that God has been calling me to be a leader but my own lack of self worth and doubt has led me to believe the lies. I believe He has been prepping me my whole life for this and I just never saw it until He smacked me upside the head and said, “Brian, be who I’ve made you to be.” This is going to be really hard for me but I know that God is using this to challenge me and mold me into exactly who He knows I’m supposed to be. And for that I am so grateful and blessed.
3. People can become your family in just a few days
Simple as that. When you are in a community of people all going through rough times and victories it pulls you closer together quicker than you’d ever think possible. Also, I’m incredibly blessed to be with the most amazing squad of all time. I can’t wait to be reunited with my family in 6 weeks when we take on the world together to be the hands and feet of Christ.
2. There is very real spiritual warfare going on all around you
There is so much I could tell you about the spiritual warfare that occurred while at training. The enemy was working overtime to try and make us ineffective but he overplayed his hand and it started to become laughable. Even though it was truly frightening at times it was so encouraging to know that this was happening because he feels threatened by what God is going to do through us. It was also encouraging to know that no matter what God is bigger than any of it. People were being oppressed, hearing voices, and one person even got physically attacked. It happened on a night when we were all gathered to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us up. The enemy of course doesn’t want that so he tried his hardest to make it not happen. One of my squad mates was attacked by a demon who told its name but thankfully our leaders are solid prayer warriors and he wasn’t attacked for long. I’m purposefully being vague here because I don’t want you to concentrate on the story but instead focus on the fact that there is a spiritual battle waging at all times, we’ve just trained ourselves to turn a blind eye to it. Instead we should be facing it head on as warriors for Christ and be a generation of Christians that the enemy is completely ineffective against.
1. The Holy Spirit works in crazy ways
I could spend hours regaling you with stories about how the Holy Spirit was working this week. How I saw healings before my very eyes, or felt Him moving, or received spiritual visions, but I’m going to give you a quick story about my encounter with the Holy Spirit.
After all the above mentioned happened I started feeling really depressed. We were all asking the Holy Spirit to fill us up right then and there but I was feeling nothing. I was kicking myself and wondering if I wasn’t “holy” enough. Then someone, I don’t know for sure who, came up and put their hand on me and prayed for me. When they finished they said, “Give it all up,” and then walked away. Suddenly I understood, so I walked to the front of the stage and knelt down and for the first time ever I fully gave all my past, all my present, and all my future to God. I felt an immense weight that I didn’t even know was there lift off of me and instead was filled with the most unexplainable feeling of love and peace wash into me.
I immediately started crying and laughing which is a really confusing emotion to have. I then invited the Holy Spirit once more to fill me up and at that moment I felt something like a mixture of fire and electricity course through my entire body. It was the greatest thing I’ve ever felt. I couldn’t move. As this was happening I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, “Ask and you shall receive,” so I asked that God give me the gift of spiritual healing and not a split second later my finger tips ignited with electricity and it slowly worked its way into my hands, up my arms and into my head. To say that that night was the best night of my life is an understatement. That was the night that God became completely real to me for the first time and it was when I finally understood the magnitude of His power. I tell you this rather long story not to be like, “Oh look at this amazing experience I’ve had,” but instead to challenge you to simply let go of everything holding you back. I was a naysayer for so long about things like this but God has shown me my error. Let go, and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you up. I think you’ll be surprised by the results.
In reading this rather long winded blog I hope it has encouraged you to open your eyes and see that God is still working in amazingly beautiful ways. Spiritual gifts are not something of the past but are still being used today. We have closed ourselves off to God’s power and majesty and instead focus on legalism and religion. We must never forget that God is all powerful and He wants to use us in crazy ways, we just need to be ready and willing to receive it.
