Living the Journey

Hey! I’m Katie and I am preparing to go on the September girls Journey to the Heart!

For three nights in a row last week, I would wake up having dreamed about being attacked by someone or something. One night, I woke up startled from one of these dreams and gripped with a fear of my future as well as a fear of pain or getting hurt. I knew that God did not want me to live in or sleep with these fears and dreams, but how could I get rid of them? I didn’t know.

The next morning, Mr. Gothard called a few of us into his office for a time of prayer. He asked around the little group to see if any of us had any prayer requests. For a moment, I didn’t want to say anything. I thought, “Hey; these people would hear what I was struggling with!” But God prompted me to go ahead and ask them to pray for me.

Mr. Gothard seized the opportunity to impart some wisdom and explained several simple truths. He first asked if I had ever dedicated my life to God, to which I answered “yes”. He then explained that because my body belonged to God, Satan could not attack me in any way that God did not allow. He also mentioned that if I ever were to be attacked, that I should just cry out to God, and He would protect me according to Psalm 50:15: “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

Mr. Gothard shared how when he was younger, he purposed to die for God. He didn’t care how or when, but knew that when he died, it was going to be God’s appointed time and way. He encouraged me to do the same thing.

That night I knelt down beside my bed and rededicated my body to God. I told God that I was willing and ready to die for Him. I also prayed out loud and completely gave God my sleep. Then I prayed that if it was His Will, I would be able to rest well and wake up whenever He wanted me to. And finally, I prayed that I would be able to get something good out of my Bible time the next morning. With that, I rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up with my alarm at six ‘o-clock the next morning . . .  refreshed! And I don’t remember even waking up at all after I asked God for sleep. I got out of bed, and started reading through a part of Psalm 119. As I was reading through the verses, one stood out to me which I took for my rhema that day. It was Psalm 119:37 and says, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.” My challenge now is to live out this rhema by looking continually towards the Lord instead of being distracted by anything that does not bring about an eternal impact!

When I cried out to the Lord, He answered me. It has now been over a week and none of those fears have come back!

I now know that if I am ever struggling with doubts, fears, or anything else, I can bring it to Him in prayer. The well known and deeply loved hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, expresses this so well:

“What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

~ Katie
September 2010 Girls’ Journey

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1. Form a Group of Two or Three

2. Be in One Accord

3. Pray Out Loud

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4. Use the Names of Jesus

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

The name of Jesus is powerful. The disciples affirmed this when they prayed that healing signs and wonders would be done in the name of “thy holy child Jesus” (Acts 4:27). The name of Jesus includes more than just the word “Jesus.” He has many appropriate titles. For example, when we pray for the salvation of a person, we should use the name “Jesus our Redeemer” or “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

We should begin our prayer with His name “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name,” and we should end it with praise to God’s Kingdom, power, and glory. (See Matthew 6:9-13.)

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Remember the sheet in your Journey binder that listed the names of God? Take it out and use it as you commune with God during your quiet time this morning!

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During our Labor Day weekend retreat in the Northwoods, many of the Journey to the Heart team had the fun opportunity of learning Chalk Art Evangelism from Matt Bowman. We had a blast!

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Here are some thoughts from several members of the team:

“I am really excited about the opportunity to use chalk art to share the Gospel. When I go home in Junior Church, I’ll be use chalk art to keep the attention of the young people. I’m excited about the possibility of also being able to use it in the Juvenile Detention Center where my Dad ministers as a chaplain.” – Priscilla Keller

“Matt did an amazing job of teaching us how to do chalk art! I never really pictured myself doing a chalk talk before, but I am excited because this is such a simple and effective ministry tool. Messy, yes, but it is a great way to grab people’s attention! You could just set up your easel on a street corner and quickly draw a crowd. And if you’re creative, you could use it almost anywhere!” – Sam Oliverio

“I grew up around chalk art. My sister was a great chalk artist so I saw some pretty incredible pictures. But my first thought when I heard about Matt Bowman coming to teach us was ‘How on earth could I do this!’ However, as I started understanding the basics, I began to realize that this is really a tool that anyone is capable of learning. I am looking forward to seeing how the Lord will open doors of ministry through this!” – Abby Swanson

“I had always been afraid to pick up chalk art because I thought it took a whole lot of training. However, I realized that with a little dedication, this is an art that someone can pick up really quickly and start doing ministry after just learning one picture. I enjoyed the way the course was set up with lots of hands-on practice and I now feel equipped with the basics!”
– James Staddon

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If you’re also interested in picking up this skill through one of Matt Bowman’s courses, contact him through his website at www.eternityarts.com!

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1. Form a Group of Two or Three

2. Be in One Accord

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3. Pray Out Loud

“They lifted up their voice to God with one accord… And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:24,31).

The power of praying out loud with one accord was demonstrated in the early church. It is based on the truth that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21) and on the principle that faith must be expressed by the words of our mouth and the beliefs of our heart. (See Romans 10:8-13.)

Crying out to God with our voice is also the means of achieving effectual fervent prayer by a group, and experiencing the results promised in Psalm 50:15 “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

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Have you ever cried out to God “in the day of trouble” and saw Him answer your cry in a supernatural way?

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Thank you so much for praying for the last guys’ Journey to the Heart!  God worked mightily through your prayers.

As we continued as a team in the Word of God, I saw the truth setting lives free. Free to live in Christ, to experience God’s love and to give it to others.

I had the great privilege of seeing relationships restored.  Early in the week, one young man who had been in rebellion responded to God’s conviction in repentance and called his parents to ask their forgiveness.  He was just beaming when he got off the phone, and the next morning I was again struck by the Joy of the Lord in him!

Many of the young men commented that they wouldn’t have traded this journey for anything!

God was so good to me.  When I arrived at HQ for the Journey at 2 a.m. last Sunday, I’ll admit I was a little tired.  I had just spent ten days in OKC taking several law exams and doing a moot court, not exactly sleep-accommodating exercises.  But throughout the journey, God gave me His strength (although I’m a bit tired now)!

Thank you again for your prayers!

~ Marty Moore
Team Leader, August 2010 Journey

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