Finish the task

 
          So after our week of Spiritual warfare we were able to go to Ohio and be apart of Dts conference called: Finish the task.
We had a lot of different DTS students coming together from all over the United States.
Our journey there was longer then we expected. About 10min into our trip, early in the morning, our bus broke down and we had to wait for about an hour before we were able to get back on the road again. It was fun because half of the time we just stayed in the bus and the other half we decided to take the little van and group-by-group take the students back to our base. Afer everybody got back to the base and settled down, some ate their breakfast and some thought about taking a shower when we found out that the bus was fixed and ready to go again. It was funny to see how people started running around and getting ready for another try. We got passed the spot where our bus broke down and felt like we can do this. Our bus ride was long but a lot of fun. Good for me cause I was able to talk to one of the Northwood dts Staff members  (another dts 2h away from us joined us for the journey) on our way to Ohio.
      The night we got there was a happy moment. The minute I noticed my dear friend Nicole, I ran to her and didn’t even care about the ongoing konference meeting that was happening, I just hugged my dear friend and told her how much I had missed her. I realised I had missed a lot of people so It was so nice to re-unite with all of them.
The conference was one challenging experience for me. Having all the people around me and getting out of my comfort zone, while sharing a big gym floor with about 100 girls, having no privacy while taking a shower in a basement where the shower water was up to my ancles, having to sit with new people while eating my breakfast/lunch/dinner. But I must confess, it was nice to meet other DTS students and hear all about their program.

We didn’t just meet new people, but I also spent time with God, and taking part of different sessions.

Some of the things I learned:

During the conference they talked about different topics,
I really liked the thought of my identity.

„Your greatest identity is to be known as the Child of God“

I want my identity not to be in what I do, where I go but in what I know - Jesus Christ, my saviour.

I loved that they touched the topic about Passion as well.
One of the questions during that session was:

What is it for you?

One of the students answered: Fuego, another one said that in greek „passion“ means „suffering“ . God’s passion for the people can be put into suffering.. He suffers for us.

One of the things I learned about passion was that passion is not about emotions. It is the work of Christ on the cross!!

But how do I get the passion?
Intimacy with God, I need to ask for it, exepting God’s love, receiving it. Also getting around people who are passionate.
So I also cant let the enviroment around me change my passion, I am not a thermometer, that changes in the enviroment.
So I know now, that it is not about my emotions, I can feel happy, sad, cry, not cry and still be passionate, because I know what Jesus did for me on the Cross and it makes me passionate for this world to know about my Jesus.

During the conference I heard God speaking to me while hearing the topic about Justice.
We were in the middle of talking about biblical justice and how the people are so much more important and how we need to seek for the Lord for solutions, when I got this understanding in my heart:
    I can never go back to normal!!

Basically I came to the understanding that I can never go back to what I did before dts. It was so sudden and so real. It was almost a bit scary to think that my life will be changed forever but exiting as well!

I want to be passionate for God and for His people, for the rest of my life!

One of my fav sessions was hearing about Muslim culture.
it was so very exciting to hear how this family lived among Muslims in India and in Thailand. How they lived amond the muslims. They learned about the culture and language and how to become friends with them and love them. And not forcing Jesus on them but letting the Holy Spirit work through them. Because we are not the Holy Spirit, He will reveal himself when it is the right moment. And he will give you the opportunity to witness to them. Not judging them would be a great start already!
Knowing also that the discipleship proces is not fast, it will take time.

Something that I learned about muslim people is that they have a great power of shame and honor in their culture – at times it is so strong that it can lead them thorwards killing their own children if needed. Why he said that was when a muslim becomes a follower of christ, and is no longer a muslim it is a great shame to the family.

I also learned that I as a „white person“ will be labelled into a „christian“ group, and the group is an overall statement, but in their culture it is not about you declaring you are a christian, but you showing you have a relationship with Jesus. It is personal and never a religion.

I believe I am called to missions, I don’t know if full-time, I don’t know where, but I know that I will never go back to my old life again. I want to give my life to god. It is life-for-life desicion. Jesus gave his life for me, and now I give my life to Jesus and let him use me where I am needed.

I really enjoyed my time in Ohio, and learned new things about this world, about God and how to continue my relationship with Jesus and being confident in who God created me to be!

Week of Spiritual warfare

        Hey guys, I am sorry I haven’t written anything in my blog recently. You guys have missed some of the awesome things that have happened here.
Week before this week, we had a very neccessary topic. A guy from Germany who lives here came to talk about spiritual Warfare!

First of all half of our school, Rescue Ops, left us to go and do their week of camp in Arkansas - so the beginning of our week was so different, like waking up without being woken up by some of the girls for work-out or not having to run in order to get your breakfest before it’s gone, or class being half empty, just little things that were missing but they were noticeable.

So let‘s get to the topic and what I learned this week.
I don’t know how about you but I didn’t know much about spiritual warfare before I came here. I don’t really remember that we had talked about this in my church or online churches. If they did then I just missed it and I feel bad because it is a very powerful topic and every church should look into it more.

During this week I learned that I should be careful when accusing God in everything or saying that he is behind everything that happens, that it is His will for this to come into my life. Not everything that happens is from evil, but they don’t go by Bible, we need to through them out. So like if there is a lie in your head and it is something that God hasn’t promised, or Bible says differently about it, you should consider taking that as a lie in your life and getting rid of it.

There are 4 areas in us, we should protect:

·      Mind

If you have thought of lies, it’s gonna effect your everyday life

Thoughts of fear are really strong – they can keep you from doing what you need to do.

*      Thoughts of condimnation – you are not pleasing to God; you are not

being spiritual enough? Wrong. We want to get rid of it, Go to God with it.

You think about others all the time, but what is it for you?

*      Interiority – under-dog; doupt of everything you ought to be. You always

compare yourself to others. You won’t step up for what you are meant to do.

What are some areas you feel insecure about? What are some areas in your life where enemy wants to have power over you?

Ask the lord, pray&don’t be afraid to step up!!

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5

For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, bt are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.

·      Heart/emotions

     Proverbs 4:23

Above else guard your heart, for i tis the wellspring of life.

     Ephesians 4:26-27

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity.

   2Corinthians 2:10-11

if you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him – for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ, so that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes).

·      Mouth

Be careful of what you say. Encourage one another when you truly see it is needed. Don’t just say whatever but think before you say anything. A lot of times we just want to speak out encouragement not because we want to encourage that person but because we want to speak out words.
Speak out the truth so it would be fruitful.

Psalm 141:3

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

·      Relationships

Forgiveness

This week I learned that spiritual warfare is not a magic thing. We wrestle not with flesh and blood. People are not the enemy. The power behind all the people who do wrong things is the enemy, the spirit behind them. So be aware of the enemy and not impressed with him.

How did Jesus deal with people in sin?
He never converted the ones stuck in sin, he showed kindness, love and mercy.

We cannot win battles by arguing with people, but in our innersession we can pray for them.

Ephesians 6:11

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

So learn to recognize the strategies of the enemy, refusing to co-operate with them, agressivly cutting them off in the name of Jesus.

Ask yourself „ What would I do to me if I was the enemy? “

Know the nature of the enemy

Look at statistics&conditions (areas where a lot of something happens)

Ask the Lord for stratégy against the evil

Live by Spirit –

Galatians 5:16

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature

1Corinthians 2:10-13

God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of  a man except the men’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

How do you live by the Spirit?

Remove the hindrances

1Thessalonians 5:19

Do not extinguish the Spirit

Stronghold

Not just know and talk about it

God shows this to us so we could avoid it’s influence

God shows us what the strongholds are in a place so we could pray more specifically

Live the opposite (give up something that to you is normal, but the community has problems with)

Without God, man cannot do it, but without man, God will not do it.

Have Authority

It is an actual legal reality.

It is not a feeling, or how long I have been a christian, or my personality.

My authority is based on what Jesus did to Satan

Colossians 2:15

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

1John 3:8

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work

God gives you power to continue.

1John 4:4

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

I hope that this will help you to realize the reality of Spiritual Warfare and the fact that we are able to overcome the enemy in the name of Jesus and what he did for us on the cross!