Powerful, Wonderful, Encouraging, Challenging, tiring, and Life Changing are just a few of the many words that express what has taken place in my life over the past week. Going into training camp I did not know what to expect to be quite honest. Sure I had EXPECTATIONS of learning what we would be doing and find out what to do and not to do, but in the end this is not what we did at all. In fact I didn't learn any of those things. The first 3 days of camp we intense and at times I questioned why I was doing this and if I could make it. There were NO breaks and it was all just go go go! With this period of challenge came a level of perseverance that I had never experienced. God was my only hope and strength, and guess what? He was WAY MORE than enough. For the first time in my life I came face to face with many realities. I came face to face with the life I will be living and it was great. I am thankful for what little food I had. I am thankful for a cold shower every 3 days. I am thankful for a few hours sleep! You see, this week tore me apart and for the first time in my life I was thankful for every little thing I had and I completely relied on the power of God!
The first few days God really laid things on my heart and I began to see what needed to happen. Michael spoke on Romans 7 and 8 in a way that I had never heard before. I had always realized that I was set free by Christ's death, but until now I didn't truly know what all this entailed. When Christ died he also set us free from the bondage of sin. Sin has no control over me and the rut I got stuck hopeless in was all caused by Wes Webb. I had things in my past that were dragging me down and I had to rely on God to cut them all away. To say the least he did and I began to see his power revealed in me. Until this happened I could not move forward and do what he had planned for me. I was relying on my own strength and putting God in a box. I wanted to do it all on my own and of course I couldn't. I can do nothing without him! I need his power!
During this past week I experienced many first's. I ate in a way that I had never eaten before. I lived in a way that I had never lived before, both physically and spiritually! I worshipped in a new way. I loved the fact that i didn't have a phone, internet, or TV! I'm not scared to say that it was the best week of my life!
