There was an evening not to long ago that I just wanted to quit the race.
I felt defeated and incapable of victory in a couple of different areas of my life and I was convinced that I had made a mistake by coming on the Race. I desired to see miracles this year, I desired to develop a more radical faith and up to that point I felt like the Race was a dud in the area of radical faith. (I now define radical faith differently and realize how selfish I was being.)
The enemy was doing what he does best, he was throwing out lies and I was having a really hard time not buying into them.
“….He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (NLT) *Parenthesis and emphasis added by me.
I was tired and I didn’t want to battle anymore but I decided to reach out to family and friends in the States and ask them to partner with me in prayer.
The next morning God rocked my world.
My team and I met before beginning ministry that day and after sharing with them the struggle I had been having we were all reminded of the authority and power that we have as followers of Christ, to speak truth into the lives of people and to see that truth set them free.
That reminder spurred us into action and we began calling each other even further into the callings that we see on each others lives, and eventually that lead to praying for one another.
This is where it goes from really good, to mind-blowing incredible.
Note: If you don’t believe that God still does miracles today, then I invite you to open your heart and your mind to the idea that He does because He wants to take you to a whole new level of relationship with Him if you will let Him. The following is a testimony of the miracle that my team and I had the awesome privilege of experiencing.
While we were praying for one of our squad-mates, Megan, some of us began to pray in the Spirit. One of the girls was standing in front of Megan, facing not only her but also Sandra who was standing directly behind Meg. In an instant, that girl looked up, made eye contact with Sandra, pointed to her and said in English, “Understand,” then went back to praying in the Spirit.
Instantly, Sandra grabbed her face and started to freak out a little bit. We all glanced up at her and she said, “Oh my gosh guys, I can totally understand what she is saying right now!”
She had received the gift of interpreting tongues!
A lot happened over the next four hours but I’m pretty sure I remember one of my teammates responding by saying, “Well then, what is she saying?”
As Sandra began to interpret the intercessory prayers that were coming forth from the Holy Spirit and even promises and affirming words that were coming straight from the Father, most of us began to cry as we experienced first hand just how personal our God is.
It was incredible.
It was that morning that God reaffirmed my being on the Race while simultaneously feeding my hunger to grow in my faith.
Since that morning, August 7th, it feels like my eyes are open much wider to what the Kingdom of God is like and just how incredible it is to partner with Him to bring His kingdom here even if that means going beyond what I think I know. I wish I could say that all of my frustrations have been forever defeated and that my understanding of the things of God have increased tremendously as a result of experiencing the extraordinary (which He desires to actually be the ordinary) but that’s not the case. However, my life is forever changed because of that morning and so is my understanding of the power of our living God.
Thank you to all of you who partnered with me in prayer and to those of you who continue to pray. I pray that you never doubt the power of your prayers or the power of unity. Our God is alive and He is personal. Don’t be afraid to pray dangerous, radical prayers and if you crave to see God work in certain ways and aren’t seeing it yet, be encouraged, because His will if perfect but know that He is not limited to our expectations. Consider asking Him what He wants for you in this time of your life while being willing to let go of expectations that you have because trust me, His plans for you are incredible and more then you could think, hope for, or imagine. As for me, I desire greater discipline in getting in the Word in and consuming it daily because I want it written all over my heart and to live completely surrendered and free from myself. I want my thought life to consist of less of me and more of His wonders and truth. We only have one life to live and it flies by so why not live extraordinarily and free?
