God's child

I feel as though it's been a long time since I have updated this blog. I'm not sure if that's because my experience in Australia has been a whirlwind of emotions and experiences or just because I feel as if I have been here about 6 months, when in reality its only been a month. Let's get right into what I want to say.

Life on the YWAM base is awesome. Every day is filled with prayer, worship, teaching and amazing people who are here for God. I have never been surrounded by so many people who all want the same thing: Jesus. They want to know Him, find Him, seek Him, know His voice, know how He feels and go after Him with everything they have. They are willing to lay down their own dreams and desires and do whatever He says. They want to change and be transformed so that God's glory and kingdom will be spread to the ends of the earth. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are perfect and don't make mistakes, but they want to love the way Christ loves and tell the world that Jesus is life.

If you ever get to the chance to be in a community that lifts the name of Jesus higher than anything and then lives it out, DO IT. You can't help but to be changed, God is so evidently working in our lives and we aren't ashamed to say that the only reason is Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. You see, we live resurrected lives here. Lives of victory, hope, perseverance, love, peace and abundant joy because He promised us life and life to the fullest. I think one of the most profound things I have been learning is to live a life that measures up to who I am. I am a child of the Creator, seated in heavenly places with God and I have been given authority on this earth. Not because what I did or what I do, but because God said so and God's words are truth and life. When God speaks, truth reigns. Over the past 27 years of my life I have been speaking over myself things that God hasn't said. I think we all do this to some extent. We tell ourselves who we are, what we are worth, what we can and can't do, but in reality the only thing we are is what God says we are. I am in the process of realigning my thoughts to what God has said through Scripture. I am taking the promises of God and making them mine, because they are mine!

 1 John ^{3:9   "}No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God."

Ephesians 1: 4-5 "even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will"

Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

YWAM part 1

I'm here in Australia and I feel as if I need to update all of you on some of my crazy adventures, not in the physical realm, but in the deep places of my life that are being challenged. The past 10 days since I arrived has brought many different emotions, expectations, friendships, challenges, but more importantly, God. At the moment, there are so many thoughts inside my head that this blog may seem to be all over the place, this is because I feel as though my insides are everywhere. At one point I want more, and at the next I am questioning and working out what "more" looks like, what it feels like and how to respond. So here is my response:

This is a lifestyle, not a moment. Jesus is a lifestyle, the Holy Spirit is a lifestyle, walking and talking with God is a lifestyle, learning, wisdom, righteousness, holiness are lifestyle words and God is teaching me that all my expectations are possible, but they don't just happen and they certainly don't happen on my timeline. Lifestyle also means that every place I go takes work and effort, I can't expect that because I show up I can bring my world into their world, that all my expectations will be met or that my learning environment will be the same. So, what else has God been teaching me? Two things stand out:
1) I am trying to learn what it means to go after God out of a place of rest:
When I first arrived all I wanted to do was worship, go deep, ask questions, learn, seek God, pray and meet new people who wanted to do the same. Since the start of the Discipleship Training School I have been trying to learn rest, to rest in God instead of striving after Him. Don't get me wrong, there is a place for going after Him, I actually think that you can pursue God out of your place of rest. Interesting concept that God is revealing to me daily. This leads me into the second one.
2) I am learning what my identity is in Christ
Who am I? I am a son of God, but what does that mean and what does that look like from Scripture? Do you find it revealing that Satan tempted Eve by saying "If you eat of the fruit, you will be like God." Is it not interesting that we already are like God? God said in Genesis 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." Be encouraged today, son or daughter of God :)