*vulnerable and real*
On March 4, 2017 the Lord used my story to bring freedom to a group of youth students who have been drowning in guilt and shame.
Rewind. On March 4, 2010 I found myself convulsing on the floor of my high school from over dosing on prescription drugs.
You see, I heard Christine Caine explain it one time using a boomerang. The devil throws something at you intending to knock you out, but before too long the very thing he threw at you is knocking him off his feet to bring glory to the Kingdom.
So here’s the story.
My team and I were asked to speak at a youth group. As we were praying as a team the Lord told me “offer time for prayer.” That’s all he gave me, as he told my other teammates their specific roles. We all agreed and went about our day.
Our day started out with children’s ministry and feeding program about 45 minutes from our house. Since church is in the same area we ended up staying at a near by house where we had wifi! During our mid day break I got on Facebook and realized the date was march 4, a day the devil intended to use against me.
Surprisingly (but not really) I totally forgot that I was assigned to lead the youth group in listening prayer.
Scared I told my teammate Mary, who was giving the word, “if I give you the hand signal, you lead listening prayer.”
As the service started I asked the lord, “do you want me to talk about my over dose?”
He clearly told me “yes” but as I was praying into what to speak about He wasn’t telling me anything.
Mary gave her word and it was about to be my part of the service.
Right before I was suppose to speak the lord showed me individuals who were carrying heavy burdens. He said “don’t hold anything back.”
As I started to share the words came out of my mouth like I had rehearsed them 1,000 times.
“You see, I started taking pills to numb the guilt and shame. I grew up knowing what was right and wrong. I grew up knowing Christians aren’t suppose to have sex before they are married, but I messed up and I wasn’t the person I was suppose to be” I told the students.
The tears started falling down their cheeks and you could see freedom starting to breakthrough. “If you are drowning in guilt or shame talk to someone, tell some, tell God. Dont hold it in, when we tell someone we no longer give the devil room to tell us lies” I said.
As I ended my story I encouraged them to sit in silence and listen to what God had to say to them.
Some got up to talk to the adults, some sat in their chairs and cried and me, well I realized the power of a testimony.
After the service Mary and I asked to talk to one specific boy and as we began to talk I felt like I was looking in the mirror talking to myself.
“How many times have you confessed this” the Lord told me to ask him. “Over and over again” he said.
“Todd*” I said “the first time I heard the Lord speak to me was one time at church. I said ‘lord forgive me for drinking,’ then the next morning at church I said ‘Lord, forgive me for drinking’ and God said, ‘Morgan stop, you repented last night, I don’t keep a filing cabinet of your sins, that was delt with at the cross, I threw your sins as far as the east is from the west, you keep bringing it up, not me'” I explained, “guilt and shame is not from the Lord.” Mary suggest for him to read Romans 6, 7, & 8.
We prayed over Todd, spoke into his life and told him he is a leader. Todd is going to impact nations and more importantly the Kingdom.
I tell you this story not bring attention to myself, Mary, my team, or the World Race.
I tell you this story because our stories are powerful and they are worth telling.
Free people free people.
So, Satan, go on and sit down you’re only throwing boomerangs.
*name was changed
