Some things I learned at World Race Training Camp:
– South Africans are really smart
– Everything is always just a little damp in Georgia
– Spiders love the inside of my tent
– I do not love spiders inside my tent
– Losing my wallet means having to dance to One Direction to get it back (yes that actually happened)
– Crickets taste like sunflower seeds
– God can and will use all things to make us grow, including my swollen foot
Just about 12 hours ago, I returned home from Gainesville, Georgia, where I lived at the Adventures in Missions campus for 11 days. I slept in a tent almost every night next to 47 others that will be joining me for nine months starting in September. Everyday I woke up, attended teachings on what we might experience and how to prepare spiritually for this journey, received food that I had never seen before, and experienced God in radical new ways. I witnessed healings, saw visions of what the Father has for me, and learned to dance with Jesus.
But I also learned that the enemy will stop at nothing to keep us from intimacy with our God. People often forget that spiritual warfare is a very real thing that happens. During my first few days in Georgia, I was plagued with lies and doubts about myself and what I’m trying to do. I desired nothing more than to block those out, but I just couldn’t seem to do it. However, God works in funny ways sometimes, and in all his whimsy he reminded me of something by getting me to talk about it to others over and over again until I fully believed it myself.
Ephesians 6v12 says this: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This scripture stands as a constant reminder that as children of God, we will face things that are far beyond what any man can handle; that we’ll try to fight things that are supernatural and, in a word, horrifying. It’s not hopeless, though. In that same passage, we’re told to equip ourselves with the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. When we take up God’s word and all that he has told us in our hands, and abide in Him, we become warriors fighting for His name that can stand against and bring truth to the lies that are whispered in our ears. We can’t do this when we rely on our own strength. I’m not sure how many times I told this to others before it finally clicked with me, but when it finally did, I can’t fully describe to you the freedom I felt.
So learn to block out the lies. It’s not easy, but only hearing His truth is so worth it.
