Sounds profound, eh? Well my friends to be honest I am still having a hard time trying to find the words to share with you what happened 10 or so days ago. If I could sum it up in one sentence, I would have to say: I got scared and asked a scary prayer, the Lord showed up, I’m a new man! To give you a little bit more context of what I’m talking about please check out Matt Snyder’s blog entitled “Owning Freedom”. This will give you a little bit more of an overview picture of what I’m about to share with you.
Ever since our training camp back in late August down in Georgia, I’ve been more aware of the supernatural. What I mean is that I started to sense things that I have never encountered before. I could distinguish darkness from the light. I remember nights that I was scared spitless and I didn’t know why! Was this oppression something I needed to deal with? Was there something I needed to lay at the Lord’s feet that I didn’t know about? Was this a spirit from the enemy?
So back to that Thursday evening as the 4 guys shared about their experience that day, this deep oppression hit me again. But something in me knew that it needed to fight. I knew instantly that their was a battle greater than this earthly realm we walk in. I immediately turned to God and asked for help. I was scared, and I felt that this was something bigger than what I’d experienced before. So I stood up, interrupted my fellow racers’ wonderful story of spiritual freedom and asked for a prayer from my team (Jan ’08). Of course my brothers and sisters in the Lord stood up and layed hands. At that point the Holy Spirit poured down on us……..
There was alot of confusion and alot of skepticism about that night’s events that we as a team have worked through. But the point of this blog is share with you that during this time of the Holy Spirit’s pouring out, the Lord Spoke……..
God revealed alot of brokenness in my heart that I was holding on to. To make it brief, my heart was renewed in that I AM A NEW CREATION in Christ and I NEED TO WALK IN HIS’ TRUTH!
First off; I always believed in Jesus as my Saviour through His sacrifice as payment for my sins. But the Lord showed me that I wasn’t walking in that truth with all of my heart, my head, nor my soul. I had to lay down my desire to hold on to false assurances and trust Him and Him alone. I shouldn’t worry about the unknown and try to hide from the fact there is a battle greater than this earthly one. And so He spoke to my innermost being and revealed my identity in Him. I no longer walk in my own ways. I no longer look for joy in things that are only temporary. I no longer trust in myself and go to God only when I need him.
I have chosen to step out and walk in that authority that Jesus has given. He is a lamp to my feet. What’s the point of walking in the darkness and scrambling for the light when I could walk in the light in the first place?
And secondly; I have never understood what it was that the Lord wants me to do, what to share, or where to go. That’s part of the reason I’m here on the Race I guess. I followed a longing and here I am. And so the passage Jeremiah 1:7-10 was shown to me. This is what it said;
“But the Lord said to me, ” Do not say ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and rescue you,” declares the Lord. The the Lord reached out his hand and said to me, “Now I have put words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
God showed me my insecurities in myself and broke those walls down. He then proceeded to empower me. Just as he empowered the prophet Jeremiah, he empowered me to walk with His word and breakdown the false kingdoms in people’s lives. The enemy has many footholds in many lives. In my one month down here in Peru I have seen some of these strongholds broken down. There are many more and the Lord has given my authority to break down more of these false kingdoms that people hold on to. I had a huge kingdom in my own life shattered and destroyed and I know what freedom is.
Whether you believe or are skeptical of the things that we experienced that night, I personally cannot deny what the Lord did. I turned to God when I had nowhere else to turn as the darkness hit me that night. The Lord met me and as I tried to rebuke this darkness. He met me in a powerful way that I’ve never experienced before. He showed me that I have the authority in Jesus’ Name to rebuke the darkness of this world. I take that authority seriously and now choose to walk in it. The amazing thing is that I’m not alone! I trust the gifts, the faith, and the uplifting words of truth from each and everyone of my fellow racers.
I want to end off by saying that I come from a pretty conservative background. Nothing I have ever studied or have been taught has prepared me for what I experienced that night. I’m not one to bring up controversy or start arguments of things like speaking in tongues, seeing the enemy, people having gifts of the spirit today, etc. but, I will never limit the Holy Spirit like I did again! My view of God has been radically changed and I cannot deny the presence of Jesus in my life. The Holy Spirit spoke to the deepest parts of my soul that night. I am a new creation in Jesus Christ as the old me is gone and the new me is here. And as I choose to walk in His authority I have freedom! Praise be to God! Amen!
