10/4/08 - whoa!

Tonight we had youth at my church. I will tell you one thing for certain: it was a very, very powerful night tonight. Everything that I experienced tonight can only be described as powerful. God was moving in a powerful way; our prayers for each other and other people in our generation and community were powerful; the anointing, strength, and boldness that was poured out on all of us was powerful.

Sometimes I think people forget the true power in prayer. We shouldn't take any of the time that we spend on our knees or with our eyes closed lightly. It isn't a time to loaf around spiritually. Praying for God to bless you and your family and the missionaries isn't always enough. I really think that God has called Christians--or at least myself--to take the time they spend in prayer as a time to really make a difference. How can I expect my generation to change if I don't take the time to pray for the people in it in a way that not only "blesses them," but protects them, frees them, and leads them?

It is time that people started waking up! I honestly think that the biggest area where we need to be awake is in our prayer. A lot of times I sit back and wonder what kind of things could happen if more people took the time to pray for things and people... myself included. How many times has someone taken the time to complain about something, when they could have spent that time making a difference by dropping to their knees, submitting to God, and letting Him take control ?

But anyways, something else that God revealed to me tonight is that everything that has happened in my past has created me to be who I am now for this moment in time. Knowing that is such an incredible comfort. God has been watching me and leading me throughout my whole life! But that being said, I don't want to be ashamed of what God led me through to get me to this point. Yes, I have sinned time and time again, but God has been able to use the outcome of that for His glory. It is such a beautiful thing to know that, from a bunch of broken pieces of my life, God has shaped them together to create me. I don't want my past to be thrown into my face as something I should be ashamed of or something I should regret. I want to look at my past with a smile and say, "look at how God has pulled me through!"

There are so many other things I could discuss that I have learned tonight, but I am close to snoozing in my chair. I suppose that this will have to continue a later day.