The Holy Spirit Has Mad Skills

 
We had set aside an entire day to focus our minds and hearts on the Lord. No ministry, no meals, no distractions. Everything was planned out, the schedule set. The chairs and speakers were ready to go, the Bibles, journals, and pens sitting in our laps. I sat there, emotionless, wishing for the day to be over. I just wasn’t “feeling” it. “8 hours of worship,” I thought, “is going to be spiritually draining for me.” That was my first problem: I was making it about me. I had no idea that, by the end of the day, God would rock my world.
 
8 of us gathered in the living room. Jared was the first one scheduled to lead a segment of worship. “Great, here we go…..let’s get this over with”. As time passed, the Lord began speaking to my heart. I pushed it aside, reasoning with myself that I was making things up and that He didn’t have anything to tell me.
 

 
As Jeremy starts his segment of worship, I am rapidly journaling. As he is praying, I am journaling about how I feel insignificant, and I want to know how He plans on using me this year because thus far I’ve felt useless. Literally, as I’m writing these words, Jeremy begins playing a worship song that speaks directly to the contents of my heart. The words were, “I have a plan for you. I have a plan for you. It’s going to be wild. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be full of Me.”

 
During Jeremy’s segment, God gave me a vision. He told me to share this vision with my team, but I didn’t want to. I have always been timid when it comes to sharing my heart. I’m afraid of what people will think of me, so I kept it to myself. He kept knocking on my heart. “Share my vision with them. They need to hear it.” Still I sat there, journaling, keeping silent. Finally, at the end of the segment, I couldn’t take it any more. I started pouring my heart out to my team, sharing the vision my Daddy had given me as tears streamed down my face. He DOES have a plan for me this year. I so often feel insignificant, like I have nothing to bring to this team, or to the world. But that’s simply not true.
 

 
It was nearing the end of the day, and the last two people were set to lead us to closing. They shared how they believed that we all came together with certain gifts, gifts with which God has graciously given us to better serve Him and the Kingdom. Silently I laughed. “I have no gifts.” Almost immediately one of them asked if any of us felt that we were lacking. I timidly raised my hand, for I was deceived into thinking I had been overlooked by the Spirit. On the contrary: almost immediately our team leader, Steven, spoke up and said that he felt strongly that I was given a spirit of boldness. He went on to give examples, and others on my team agreed and gave more examples.

                    It began 3 years ago. Someone prophesied over me that God would take away my timidity…
                                                               And He would replace it with a spirit of boldness.
At that moment in my life I laughed. I am shy. I care too much what people think.

                But no one on my team knew this.
 

 
As we prayed for our teammates to impart our gifts into them, I randomly shared part of this with some of the people on my team. However, God was asking for more. He told me to share this with everyone. Reluctantly I did. What became of it was something beautiful. There was a sense of freedom in obeying. Then He shared something amazing with me. After sharing the prophesy given to me throughout the last three years, He spoke to me….
 

 
Yeah, right! The Holy Spirit doesn’t do back flips! But apparently He does. When He told me that, I felt a sense of calm. I shared it with my team, and felt so much better.
 
All He wanted was my obedience.
All He wanted was for me to lay down the walls I’ve created to shut people out.
 
The Holy Spirit does back flips. He has mad skills.