Heavenly Helper!
Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works. My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!
Our lives are cluttered with rule books, but the authors never come with us to help us follow the rules. But God does. That is the uniqueness of our Bible. God not only provides the rules and guidelines, but comes with us personally each day to strengthen us so that we can live according to those rules. All we must do is invite him and respond to his direction.
Just a few words
The power of words. I really do believe that words can make a HUGE difference in your life. That’s why it is so important to have the right ones and to say the right ones. I usually am not at a loss for words. I can always come up with something to say, whether witty or serious. My wife says that I have been given a gift to be able to talk to people about anything without even have prepared myself. I guess I do enjoy speaking to people and given the right environment have been known to be the guy who is being the loudest. (ok, you can stop laughing now). With all that said, I am going to try to use some words to describe what just happened at youth 2011 Winter Youth Camp. If your a parent of a teenager, I encourage you to read through this.
As many of you know, I have been engaged in ministering to teenagers for over 16 years now. I’ve had a lot of opportunity to be with teenagers in all kinds of events and meetings. I have seen God to some of the most amazing things with teenagers as well as seen some teenagers do some amazing things for God. If you know me well, you know that my heart of hearts truly finds happiness in seeing a teenager get a hold of God and run for Him and with Him. Other than being with my wife and kids, there really is anything else that excites me more. In all the years that I have been born again, which is at least 30 years (for those of you who are wondering, this year I turn 36), I can boldly say that the most powerful and meaningful meetings, services, events that I have ever been in, have been with teenagers. Don’t get me wrong, I have been in some AWESOME adult services where God spoke to me and His power and presence filled the meeting. I’ve been going to church for as long as I can remember and been in meetings with some very powerful men and women of God speaking. But, nothing truly can compare to the times that I have been in services with only teenagers. There is just something about it.
SO, this years winter camp was no exception. The teenagers in our church raised the bar of their expectation which caused God to show up BIG. From our first night meeting on Thursday, to our last night meeting on Friday and everything in between was way more that we expected. There really are NO words that I use to describe was happened, what we felt, what we heard and what took place inside of our hearts. In all my years of walking with God, I have NEVER been to the place in His presence that I was in on February 4, 2011. I truly believe that we were at the throne of God and He was doing some major upgrading to our lives. There were visions of angels, words of prophecy spoken by teenagers, gifts imparted, burdens lifted and hearts completely changed and turned around. I have “felt” things that I have never felt being in His presence, I heard things that I never heard and I saw things that I have never seen. You might be reading this now and saying to yourself, “well I’ve heard all this before. That’s what you always say after every youth camp.” That’s exactly what I am trying to say. I does happen. Every event I have with teenagers is the BEST experience that I have had with God. And don’t just take my word for it, you can ask the other adults that were here. it was AMAZING and has left me wanting more of God (if it’s even possible to get more that I got, which was a lot). WOW! Go God! I am up at 6:00 in the morning on Saturday writing this post, still feeling the residual of last night and still amazed at what happened. It’s was almost too good to be true. I have been asking myself, “Did that really happen?” WOW! Can’t wait for whats next.
So parents, take courage knowing that God really does have a plan for your teenager. He is doing something dynamic and fresh in their lives. Know that God has got it in control and that His plan for their lives will be fulfilled. I would say to you to not let anything, not money, school, sports, or even family stop them from being involved with youth events, youth camps or youth services. I found the call of God on my life during a youth missions trip and it changed my life and helped put me where I am today. The same thing can and will happen for your teenager if they are given the opportunity to be in a place where God will show up!
Thanks for reading.
Check out the photos from our winter camp here: Crossfire Winter Camp 2011
God has given us the power to call things. He has given us the power to create with our words. Proverbs 18:21 says that the power of life and death are in the tongue. We must use our words to create life and frame our destiny.
My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe.
Everyone has been created with the ability to reach out beyond his own grasp. But it is God who draws me, and my relationship to Him in the first place is an inner, personal one, not an intellectual one. I come into the relationship through the miracle of God and through my own will to believe.
We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it. The greatest spiritual blessing we receive is when we come to the knowledge that we are destitute. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves.
There are times when there is no storm or crisis in our lives, and we do all that is humanly possible. But it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.
