Woo... what a weekend!?

Wow, I don't even know what's been happening to me the last few weeks, days, hours. I feel like I have been getting out of my slump, only to be again knocked on my face by another trial and spiritual attack. But is good, and he definitely has been faithful. Even though I've been really confused and frustrated in this season, I know that God is showing me a lot and is preparing me for something. It's hard to deal with things like jealousy, pride, and comparison sometimes. But in a strange way, it's really good to be broken more and more each day. I know that I still have more work to do because there is still so much of me that struggles with the weakness of my flesh.

But anyhoo, on a lighter note. This Friday we had our first Epic meeting. It was, well, amazing! God began something that night, but it definitely did not come without a cost. But in the end, I know that God did something Friday night that He is going to continue to cultivate and grow in His timing. A group of about 17 of gathered to just worship and seek God. As we worshipped, I really sensed a burden among our group. I felt like our worship and praise was somewhat forced. As we came to the end of the worship set, I knew that I could not allow everyone to leave without encountering what God wanted to do in our hearts. I prayed over the group, and as I prayed God the presence of God definitely began moving. The whole atmosphere began to change as people began to be lead by the spirit and putting away their burdens. People began to cry out to God and sing spontaneous songs.

I know we have a long way to go still, but more and more each day God is showing me the need to be led by His Spirit and allow others to experience the power and freedom that comes from being in His presence. So often in our small groups and churches, we have failed to leave space for the spontaneity of the Spirit to take place. We go to church and yet, we often leave empty and even more unsatisfied. I don't want to see a church where we fail to experience the movement of the presence each time we meet. I want to see simple churches raised up - churches that will throw away the agenda and the programs and listen to the Spirit. We need to raise up and empower leaders to be led by the Spirit and experience the goodness He has to offer. I want to see transformation.

It was great to see what God did on Friday night. But I know that I will never truly have it figured out. There is a long road ahead, and it requires continually dying to myself every day. I must give up my conceptions of what it should look like or who should be there. I must not look with human eyes, but I must look with spiritual eyes for the soil that is fertile and receptive to bearing a thirty-fold, sixty-fold, and even one hundred-fold abundance. It's going to take a lot of heart surgery and humility to allow God to completely take over. But I know that in the end, His will is the best.

So anyway, it was great to see God move on Friday night. Afterward, one of my friends walked in during the end of our service and ended up giving a prophetic word to me and to my brother and his friend. My brother and his friend are an amazing testimony to God raising up laborers and revolutionaries to make an impact in our generation. They are composing new songs - prophetic outcries that will waken up our generation. They are both culturally relevant and spiritually empowered to change the world for Jesus. It's great to see what God will do through them to revolutionize the media and the arts and our society as a whole.

But the reality of spiritual attack became even more evident after such an amazing encounter with God. As we were picking up some stuff in my dorm, we came back to find that one of our tires had been slashed. The car we were driving was my brothers. The tire that got slashed was only on the right side. I feel as if God is showing us that our ministries especially my brother's is under attack, and Satan is trying to take out our right-side - our partners. We must remain vigilant and aware of the spiritual darkness that overcomes us. But like it say in James 1, we must count it all joy when we face trials of many kind because it produces perseverance. Also, we must also take hold of the promises found in Psalms 91. Even though we are under attack and our right-hand men and women are in danger, God offers us a promise. "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not com near you. you will only look with you eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place - the Most High, who is my refuge - no evil shall befall you, no plague come near your tent." (Psalms 91:7-10).

God is doing some crazy things at ASU. The whole idea of tents is another story. Just this past weekend, a huge storm came by that knocked down a multi-million indoor sport's facility which essentially was a huge tent. We really feel that God is breaking down the old regime and the old covering over ASU. God wants to establish His covering over the campus. As I read over Isaiah 22:15-25 , I think that it might be speaking to this situation. But I also am reminded of Luke 10:17-20, "The seventy-two returned with joy saying, "Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name!" Ad he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

This passage speaks so much to me because I feel that as these storm are coming Satan is loosing his grip over the campus. Nevertheless, now more than ever, we must not rejoice in the triumphs we have been experiencing. We must instead rejoice because we are loved by God. This alone is the one truth that we must hold on to. Satan can steal our health, our families, our homes, our possession, but he can never take away our love. We must daily be reminded that it is our intimacy with Christ that sustains us and offers us true hope in the midst of darkness. God is working in wondrous and mysterious ways on our campuses. He is empowering us to do great things for Him. But at the end of the day, all of the gifts and all of the power falls void if we exalt the gifts and not the giver. Intimacy with Christ will allow us to keep on moving. We must not rejoice because we are gifted; we must rejoice because we are loved. Even in the face of fear and the darkness of the current season, we must hold strong. Perfect love casts out all fear. Live out of Love.

God, we know that you are the author and perfecter of our faith. We know you are faithful to keep us from falling. Above all, we know you are a God of love. You are a true hope and our true satisfaction. May we never lose sight of the cross. You are our redeemer and our friend. As the world spins around seemingly out of control, we know you are in control and hold the whole world in your hands. You are the hope of all eternity, and so we set our eyes on you. "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 24)