I just got home from a really awesome prayer meeting. I don't know why more people don't go to these things, they're just incredible. The prayer was really good, and then when we were done we talked about what God has been doing in our lives lately. This past week one of the guys, Aaron, has really been on my heart and I've just been praying for him and everything because I could just tell that there was something he needed. Well tonight he just poured out this awesome story about how he picked up this hitch hiker and God just spoke through him. He was saying he saw this guy, at like midnight, with his thumb out and felt the Spirit tell him to pick the guy up. He said that before it really even registered with him what he was about to do he was stopped and the guy was in his car. So the Lord just totally took control of his words and he laid it out and said something like "You're in my car. Do you know Jesus?" and this guy was just like "Can Jesus really love me?" and then spilled out this story and all the things that he'd done. By the end of it this man that he had picked up started praying. It was just an awesome time where Aaron was attentive to the Spirit and God moved in a profound way.
When he finished I knew that there was a reason I had been praying for him, praying protection over him, and this was it. I am soooo proud of him! So proud that he heard the voice of God and was obedient, and because of that God was able to do great things and break down some walls in this stranger's life. And then I could really just see it, the greatness in Aaron. Not like Alexander the Great kind of greatness, that fleshly prideful kind of greatness, but the greatness of the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatness that comes from being intimate with the Spirit of God. I could see that he is destined for so much more than he ever imagined. In my excitement at this revelation I actually blurted out what I have just written, and I think it might have freaked him out a little. (Sorry Aaron, couldn't help it, it just bounced right out of me). Seriously though, I just couldn't contain it. It's been so long since I've had anything like that come over me, I couldn't just keep it in.
What God is doing is so... ... ... WOW... ... ...that's the best I can come up with. The human tongue cannot speak the things that I want to say, and the human mind is far to small to think of the words the tongue should say. I wish you could all be here to see it and experience it. I hope and pray that you see God move this way where you live, or that you see God move in an even more awesome way. May peace be with you, and the Spirit of the Living God be upon you, dear reader. There is no greater blessing I can give you than that, it is the best, because it is Love in it's deepest most extravagant form. Yes, Jesus can and does love you, no matter where you are at, what you believe. He has, he always will. The only time it is too late to change your life is when you are dead and burried. But, I encourage you not to wait until then. When you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start right now. So, should you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with the Lord of Hosts, the Christ, don't put it off. Start the rest of your life right now, in this very moment, and live everyday like it's your last.
Monday, October 23, 2006
So Now...
We finished praying over the campus on Saturday night. I wasn't able to go Saturday. Those who were there walked around the entire campus. Friday night we finished the last section of campus, the Music/Art/Communication building and the Library. Eight of us showed up on Friday, and I got to pray with someone I hadn't prayed with before. A most delightful young woman. She's only been a Christian for year, and she knows more scripture, and has more faith than most people I know that have been Christians all their lives. Her strength is astounding! Just another one of the awesome people I've had the privilege to know.
She and I stopped at every section of the building, the graphic arts center, the drawing center, the painting center, the ceramics center, and the campus radio station, as well as the music hall and auditorium. We called down false gods, and brought peace, hope and love to the area, and it was tangible afterward. I know because I had to go back in when I thought I had lost my wallet. It's amazing the kind of physical change you can feel in a spiritual situation. How you can feel a weight, or your knees buckle, or your chest feels heavy and it's hard to breathe. And then when the oppression is gone from an area all that disappears.
There is one thing I'm a little afraid of, and that is that now the prayer team will become complacent about it. An "ok, we've done our job, now we can sit back and relax" kind of thing. Oh, what a dreadful mistake that would be. I'm not really sure how old the campus is, but I am sure that it's old enough to have enough spiritual grossness that one week of prayer walking won't be enough. I don't say this because I don't think God will not take the campus by storm now. No, I know that He will. However, I also know that the enemy we fight against is very stubborn, and they know how important the campus is to the city. The oppression may have lessened, but we are far from victory over the spirit of darkness there. Old sins are hard to kill. So, my hope and prayer is that these people continue go and walk the campus (myself included in "these people") to make it a safe haven for all to enter it. There has been a change on campus, but there will be more. The campus will light up like one giant light bulb by the time God is finished with it. We cannot stop at one week of service. Our lives are made to serve. It's a joy and even an honor to serve these people, especially those that don't even know what we have done. Those are the ones that need it the most.
It's a joy to do these things in secret. To quietly go about our business making a huge spiritual change that most people don't know about, and then to watch and see what God does. To see lives being changed, the lives of people who have no idea that we have been praying for them, and blessing them. What a wonderful thing that is, to know that what I've done this past week, the little it was, is completely rearranging the future of the campus and the lives of the people there. How awesome is that? How great, deep and wide is the love of God? That He would consider so seemingly insignificant a place as this. God is Love, and Peace, and He is coming swiftly to rescue the Bride of CSUP, and I'm excited!
She and I stopped at every section of the building, the graphic arts center, the drawing center, the painting center, the ceramics center, and the campus radio station, as well as the music hall and auditorium. We called down false gods, and brought peace, hope and love to the area, and it was tangible afterward. I know because I had to go back in when I thought I had lost my wallet. It's amazing the kind of physical change you can feel in a spiritual situation. How you can feel a weight, or your knees buckle, or your chest feels heavy and it's hard to breathe. And then when the oppression is gone from an area all that disappears.
There is one thing I'm a little afraid of, and that is that now the prayer team will become complacent about it. An "ok, we've done our job, now we can sit back and relax" kind of thing. Oh, what a dreadful mistake that would be. I'm not really sure how old the campus is, but I am sure that it's old enough to have enough spiritual grossness that one week of prayer walking won't be enough. I don't say this because I don't think God will not take the campus by storm now. No, I know that He will. However, I also know that the enemy we fight against is very stubborn, and they know how important the campus is to the city. The oppression may have lessened, but we are far from victory over the spirit of darkness there. Old sins are hard to kill. So, my hope and prayer is that these people continue go and walk the campus (myself included in "these people") to make it a safe haven for all to enter it. There has been a change on campus, but there will be more. The campus will light up like one giant light bulb by the time God is finished with it. We cannot stop at one week of service. Our lives are made to serve. It's a joy and even an honor to serve these people, especially those that don't even know what we have done. Those are the ones that need it the most.
It's a joy to do these things in secret. To quietly go about our business making a huge spiritual change that most people don't know about, and then to watch and see what God does. To see lives being changed, the lives of people who have no idea that we have been praying for them, and blessing them. What a wonderful thing that is, to know that what I've done this past week, the little it was, is completely rearranging the future of the campus and the lives of the people there. How awesome is that? How great, deep and wide is the love of God? That He would consider so seemingly insignificant a place as this. God is Love, and Peace, and He is coming swiftly to rescue the Bride of CSUP, and I'm excited!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
And then...
yesterday we had what was the third day of the prayer walking agenda. I wasn't able to make it Monday to pray at CSUP. Mostly because I just wasn't being very smart. My Dad is really sick, and I have dog that goes to work with me. How are those two things related? Well, I work for my Dad and Asa, my dog, goes with me, but if I stay in Pueblo late he goes home with my Dad. So Dad went home early, and not thinking clearly, I let him walk out with out my beloved puppy. So I thought I might try to get there anyway, but Asa wanted to go home really bad, so we went home. I'm sorry I missed it too. The group prayed over the Occhiato Center, the Admin Building... and somewhere else but I don't remember where.
Last night, it rained, and snowed. I called my friend that's leading it and asked her if I should go buy an umbrella or go home. However, she, being the wise woman she is, said no! We're going to do this tonight! So I went to Walmart and got two umbrellas in case someone else needed one too. When I got there she was sitting in her car and called me in, and then we drove around the parking lot. It was really, really cold I was wearing two long sleeved shirts, a hoody and a heavy coat and was still cold lol We ended up having six people show up, myself included. We didn't need the umbrella because it stopped raining in exchange for a light mist. We were praying over the entire athletic area, the ropes course, the softball and base ball fields, the soccar field, everything. It was a really large area, so we split up and half of us when one way and the other half another direction to get it done faster since it was so cold. I had some trouble with that. I'm not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, quite anti-athlete (no offense to any sports buffs, it's just not for me. I lack the stamina I suppose). So I really had no idea what to pray, and opted for the usual prayers of coverage, peace, hope, salvation, restoration of God's land. Which was fine, but to me didn't feel like it really touched the heart of what was happening there, and honestly I was quite distracted by the cold of the wind.
When my group had finished we met up with the other group at the ropes course. A fabulous group of powerful, Spirit filled young women, and we prayed with them. That was awesome! I really enjoyed it, and as I prayed with them I felt like my prayers gained a large measure of strength. When we had prayed before, we weren't able to pray together so much because we couldn't hear each other over the wind. In our little group of six, I think we were able to make a big difference in the status of that area. Afterward I was quite joyful, as I often am after walking and talking with the Lord for a few minutes. I hadn't had a particularly good day, but after praying with these marvelous people I felt a lift in my Spirit as though I had been on cloud 9 all day. It was a great time despite the weather, and maybe it was even better because of the weather.
Now it has snowed, and I wasn't in town at all today, so I won't be praying with them tonight, but tomorrow night is another story. I'm very much looking foreward to it! I can't help but be further amazed by the college students I have met at CSUP. They are so Spirit filled, so strong! They are true warriors of the Kingdom of Heaven, and they love God so much that it is simply awe inspiring and quite contagious. I have not met a single one that I didn't like. Many times you meet a person and you can tell in just a few minutes whether or not you'll want to be friends with them or just keep your distance. These people have drawn me in, and I look so foreward to being close friends with each of them, as the body of Christ should be. There is much Love on that campus, and even more now that we have been praying. Pueblo is going to feel the winds of change coming down it very soon I think. The efforts of God's people on campus are going to bear much fruit, and spread like dandilions! That's what I've been praying. That God's word would be like a dandilion, pretty, contagious, and pretty impossible to get rid of =)
Last night, it rained, and snowed. I called my friend that's leading it and asked her if I should go buy an umbrella or go home. However, she, being the wise woman she is, said no! We're going to do this tonight! So I went to Walmart and got two umbrellas in case someone else needed one too. When I got there she was sitting in her car and called me in, and then we drove around the parking lot. It was really, really cold I was wearing two long sleeved shirts, a hoody and a heavy coat and was still cold lol We ended up having six people show up, myself included. We didn't need the umbrella because it stopped raining in exchange for a light mist. We were praying over the entire athletic area, the ropes course, the softball and base ball fields, the soccar field, everything. It was a really large area, so we split up and half of us when one way and the other half another direction to get it done faster since it was so cold. I had some trouble with that. I'm not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, quite anti-athlete (no offense to any sports buffs, it's just not for me. I lack the stamina I suppose). So I really had no idea what to pray, and opted for the usual prayers of coverage, peace, hope, salvation, restoration of God's land. Which was fine, but to me didn't feel like it really touched the heart of what was happening there, and honestly I was quite distracted by the cold of the wind.
When my group had finished we met up with the other group at the ropes course. A fabulous group of powerful, Spirit filled young women, and we prayed with them. That was awesome! I really enjoyed it, and as I prayed with them I felt like my prayers gained a large measure of strength. When we had prayed before, we weren't able to pray together so much because we couldn't hear each other over the wind. In our little group of six, I think we were able to make a big difference in the status of that area. Afterward I was quite joyful, as I often am after walking and talking with the Lord for a few minutes. I hadn't had a particularly good day, but after praying with these marvelous people I felt a lift in my Spirit as though I had been on cloud 9 all day. It was a great time despite the weather, and maybe it was even better because of the weather.
Now it has snowed, and I wasn't in town at all today, so I won't be praying with them tonight, but tomorrow night is another story. I'm very much looking foreward to it! I can't help but be further amazed by the college students I have met at CSUP. They are so Spirit filled, so strong! They are true warriors of the Kingdom of Heaven, and they love God so much that it is simply awe inspiring and quite contagious. I have not met a single one that I didn't like. Many times you meet a person and you can tell in just a few minutes whether or not you'll want to be friends with them or just keep your distance. These people have drawn me in, and I look so foreward to being close friends with each of them, as the body of Christ should be. There is much Love on that campus, and even more now that we have been praying. Pueblo is going to feel the winds of change coming down it very soon I think. The efforts of God's people on campus are going to bear much fruit, and spread like dandilions! That's what I've been praying. That God's word would be like a dandilion, pretty, contagious, and pretty impossible to get rid of =)
Monday, October 16, 2006
Hello Avid Readers
Hi All!
I have a myspace, but this seemed interesting. I'll start with the definition of a lighthouse (see you're already bored just at the mention, but there is a purpose if you'll be patient). A lighthouse is: a strategically placed coastal building, often a tall round tower, with a powerful flashing light, designed to guide sailors or warn them of dangers such as rocks (I got that off of Word Processing in the Encarta Dictionary btw). I am starting this because Idon't see much use for it on myspace. I live near Pueblo, CO and although I'm not currently going to CSU-Pueblo, I have started to go to their Campus Crusade for Christ meetings. I have found that the Lord (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Christian God for those of you who may not know), has opened my eyes to the spiritual oppression of the city, and revealed a desire to see it restored. It's something that is impressed on me more and more everyday. AND the more I visit Campus Crusade the more I see that it is a strategic place for God to start moving on the city. It's on a hill for one thing, you can see it from anywhere in Pueblo even at night. It's filled with young people, the next really strong generation of believers whose time is NOW for impacting the world with the gospel of Christ. The more people I meet there, the more I am amazed at what God is doing. So, I would like to tell you about it. Yeah, this is more or less and evangelistic blog, but not in a traditional sense. I may use it in a more traditional sense from time to time, but right now I would just like to convey God's love for this tiny little city, because if he loves this little speck on the map enough to save it he must certainly love you too.
I'll start with the city. Please allow me to make this clear so that you may understand how the King has effected my response to Pueblo. I really, really, really, REALLY do not like this city. No, it's not really that bad, but it's boring and lifeless. The people here rarely do what they say they will do, and they are completely against any kind of change whether or not it will benefit the city and the people as a whole. However, over the past several weeks the Lord has revealed to me the desperate state of this little town. It's an oppression a person can physically feel because it is so strong, and oppression that sucks the life out of everyone that comes here. There is a lot of gang activity, more than you would expect in a city this small, and even some of the churches don't really seem quite with it. There are also a lot of drugs, which kind of relates to the gang activity. Despite all this, God has whispered to me of his love for this place, and his deep desire to rescue it from the clutches of death, and that he wants me to be a part of that restoration. So, although I hate this city, I can't help but love it because of the overwhelming love the Creator has for it. Then again, I've run from that. After all I am still human, and my desires often override everything else much to my shame. So I ran away from the CSU-Pueblo Lighthouse. I did go there for a semester and then opted for Pueblo Community College... what a mistake that's been! So I'm going to go back next semester and hopefully I'll be able to afford it. Anyway, now I'm going to do with He asked me to do, to saccrifice my dreams to follow after the heart of God. It will be worth it in the end, but getting there is sure to be difficult.
Now for the campus. CSU-Pueblo (hereafter refferred to just as CSU, but not to be confused with the Fort Collins University) is a wonderful place. The classes are fairly small and for the most part the teachers are easy to deal with. The students and pretty friendly, and there is a great view of the city and the mountains from the compus as well. At Campus Crusade people are amazing. You would not believe the kind of leaders and spiritual warriors that are there. We meet on Thursday evenings at an event called JiB (Jesus in Bound) and worship, listen to a teaching, and hang out together. I have met so many believers that have so much faith and strength and passion for the campus, for the people around them that don't follow Christ. They really love these people that don't follow Christ and want to show that love of God to them. There is a really strong movement hitting the University. The leaders at JiB really have a passion that God has given them to see CSU saved and redeemed and then to see that spread to Pueblo. It's a God given thing, that they are acting on. I know it's God given because I've see the exact, word for word kind of exact, messages preached at the church that I have started to go to in the town where i am living.
This week the JiB ministry is prayer-walking over the entire campus in sections, one section every night. Last night we focused on the appartments, dorms and the child care center. I could feel the oppression around us, and we had split into groups, and as we walked around the gym by the dorms I felt a sudden lift. I thought to myself I bet someone has already been around here. And sure enough there were a couple other girls actually inside the gym praying! God had already begun to answer our prayers for that portion of the campus! It was really amazing, because everywhere we were walking I could feel a weight in my spirit, no one else had been there yet and then we pass that little section and it lifted off me like it had never been.
Now, if you don't know the nature of spiritual warfare, do ask! I'd love to talk about it! It's one of the best, and most difficult things, I think, a Christian encounters. It is both wonderful and terrible. I don't think I've been particularly clear on all this anyway, but I'll try again later. There is so much to tell and it seems like there is hardly enough time to tell it. If you have questions, please ask, I don't mind in the least =D
I have a myspace, but this seemed interesting. I'll start with the definition of a lighthouse (see you're already bored just at the mention, but there is a purpose if you'll be patient). A lighthouse is: a strategically placed coastal building, often a tall round tower, with a powerful flashing light, designed to guide sailors or warn them of dangers such as rocks (I got that off of Word Processing in the Encarta Dictionary btw). I am starting this because Idon't see much use for it on myspace. I live near Pueblo, CO and although I'm not currently going to CSU-Pueblo, I have started to go to their Campus Crusade for Christ meetings. I have found that the Lord (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Christian God for those of you who may not know), has opened my eyes to the spiritual oppression of the city, and revealed a desire to see it restored. It's something that is impressed on me more and more everyday. AND the more I visit Campus Crusade the more I see that it is a strategic place for God to start moving on the city. It's on a hill for one thing, you can see it from anywhere in Pueblo even at night. It's filled with young people, the next really strong generation of believers whose time is NOW for impacting the world with the gospel of Christ. The more people I meet there, the more I am amazed at what God is doing. So, I would like to tell you about it. Yeah, this is more or less and evangelistic blog, but not in a traditional sense. I may use it in a more traditional sense from time to time, but right now I would just like to convey God's love for this tiny little city, because if he loves this little speck on the map enough to save it he must certainly love you too.
I'll start with the city. Please allow me to make this clear so that you may understand how the King has effected my response to Pueblo. I really, really, really, REALLY do not like this city. No, it's not really that bad, but it's boring and lifeless. The people here rarely do what they say they will do, and they are completely against any kind of change whether or not it will benefit the city and the people as a whole. However, over the past several weeks the Lord has revealed to me the desperate state of this little town. It's an oppression a person can physically feel because it is so strong, and oppression that sucks the life out of everyone that comes here. There is a lot of gang activity, more than you would expect in a city this small, and even some of the churches don't really seem quite with it. There are also a lot of drugs, which kind of relates to the gang activity. Despite all this, God has whispered to me of his love for this place, and his deep desire to rescue it from the clutches of death, and that he wants me to be a part of that restoration. So, although I hate this city, I can't help but love it because of the overwhelming love the Creator has for it. Then again, I've run from that. After all I am still human, and my desires often override everything else much to my shame. So I ran away from the CSU-Pueblo Lighthouse. I did go there for a semester and then opted for Pueblo Community College... what a mistake that's been! So I'm going to go back next semester and hopefully I'll be able to afford it. Anyway, now I'm going to do with He asked me to do, to saccrifice my dreams to follow after the heart of God. It will be worth it in the end, but getting there is sure to be difficult.
Now for the campus. CSU-Pueblo (hereafter refferred to just as CSU, but not to be confused with the Fort Collins University) is a wonderful place. The classes are fairly small and for the most part the teachers are easy to deal with. The students and pretty friendly, and there is a great view of the city and the mountains from the compus as well. At Campus Crusade people are amazing. You would not believe the kind of leaders and spiritual warriors that are there. We meet on Thursday evenings at an event called JiB (Jesus in Bound) and worship, listen to a teaching, and hang out together. I have met so many believers that have so much faith and strength and passion for the campus, for the people around them that don't follow Christ. They really love these people that don't follow Christ and want to show that love of God to them. There is a really strong movement hitting the University. The leaders at JiB really have a passion that God has given them to see CSU saved and redeemed and then to see that spread to Pueblo. It's a God given thing, that they are acting on. I know it's God given because I've see the exact, word for word kind of exact, messages preached at the church that I have started to go to in the town where i am living.
This week the JiB ministry is prayer-walking over the entire campus in sections, one section every night. Last night we focused on the appartments, dorms and the child care center. I could feel the oppression around us, and we had split into groups, and as we walked around the gym by the dorms I felt a sudden lift. I thought to myself I bet someone has already been around here. And sure enough there were a couple other girls actually inside the gym praying! God had already begun to answer our prayers for that portion of the campus! It was really amazing, because everywhere we were walking I could feel a weight in my spirit, no one else had been there yet and then we pass that little section and it lifted off me like it had never been.
Now, if you don't know the nature of spiritual warfare, do ask! I'd love to talk about it! It's one of the best, and most difficult things, I think, a Christian encounters. It is both wonderful and terrible. I don't think I've been particularly clear on all this anyway, but I'll try again later. There is so much to tell and it seems like there is hardly enough time to tell it. If you have questions, please ask, I don't mind in the least =D
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