Michelle Leanne Renich. Since December, when Michelle and I began dating, she has been and will continue to be the largest blessing God has bestowed upon me. Those who know me, know that the moment I saw her I was captivated. Literally. The moment I walked through the doors at City Central, on my first visit to Tacoma, and saw her...that was it. Through her, God has revealed so much to me about myself, and more importantly, who He is. Through her grace, compassion, forgiveness, honesty, tenderness, encouragement, and ability to love so freely I have gained a better understanding of God's character. She is the essence of Christ; and I have never before seen a woman walk so closely in step with our Savior. It's an awe-inspiring thing to witness, and I love every moment I get with her. To pray with her (which we do a lot of!). Talk. Grow. Listen. Learn. And ultimately bring glory to God through our relationship.
The day after Christmas, Michelle and I, along with five others packed into an SUV and headed to the International House Of Prayer's onething 2010 in Kansas City, Missouri. It became one of the best weeks in my life. So many words.... to describe so much. I've decided I'll take a few highlights and list them. Also, the teachings and worship sessions are available on the IHOP website ( http://www.ihop.org/ ), and I highly encourage checking them out.
- Praising God alongside 30,000 people is absolutely incredible. The presence of the Holy Spirit was in full power; transforming hearts abundantly. It's amazing how God works. You ask to Him to meet you in one specific area, and he meets you over here, in a place that was desolate and unknown to you- but needed the healing, wisdom, or revelation even more- he plugs the hole, and fills the gap. His love is a filler.
- Relationships are a blessing indeed. I connected with two men who I am so grateful for: Steve Walters and Matty Kossler. Steve is a member of our community here in Tacoma, who was there with his daughter and her friends. His zeal and fire for God is amazing. He prayed with me and together we opened the door to developing my own prayer language! Praise God. Matty, is a IHOP staff member, who moved to Kansas City with his wife after helping to build up the IHOP prayer room in Hawaii. I have never met a man with so much love flowing through him for others. It was an instant connection. We now have weekly phone dates scheduled, amen. Godly men pursing more of God and walking together- cant get any better than that!
- Working with Michelle, we were able to speak into the lives of several people. One experience that I cherished most happened on the last day we were there. We met a young woman from Nigeria while receiving prophetic prayer. Which, that opportunity in and of itself was a blessing, since the list for prophetic prayer was filled within an hour at the start of the conference. Not to mention, Jesus spoke to the heart of Michelle and my relationship. He spoke about using us together as a ministry team for His kingdom- how gloriously awesome! I regress... Her name was Esther. While praying we discovered her doubts she had with the Lord. Feelings of lack-luster love, and insecurities within feeling the fullness that flows from our God. We invited her to pray with us. As a team, we prayed to God for revelation regarding her circumstances. Faithful as always he spoke exactly what she was dealing with; from strongholds to generational curses. He spoke in such an exact nature we were able to dial in to her exact issues. Specific circumstances within her family and past events. FREEDOM. We prayed with her for over an hour, breaking and binding, blessing, and speaking the word to her heart. FREEDOM.
- During a session of prayer for healing I was given the opportunity to pray for Michelle. She has been dealing with food allergies for over two years that have prevented her from eating any dairy products at all. I mean, all dairy products to the slightest degree. Our Lord has a heart for healing. Needless to say, last night, we enjoyed a Hawaiian pizza piled high with cheese!! Praise God! She is healed.
Heading into 2011, my vision is simple: To be completely and utterly sold-out for Jesus. Not to be mediocre. Not to be 75%, but to give my full portion. All of me, for all of Him. What does this look like? It means releasing possessions, physical and emotional, mental and spiritual. Losing my identity in Christ; meaning living with no regard for myself but for Him only. It means, no wasting time on worldly desires but concentrating on the things above. Living in anticipation of the coming Bridegroom. It means asking and responding to the hard questions.... Loving Jesus more than others, and putting him first and above all.
The act of coming to Christ and accepting Him is just the beginning. Furthermore, attending a weekly church service, meeting with a devotional group, and reading the Bible twice a week are all good things; but they are not enough. Christ called us to do much more. He asked us to die to ourselves and seek Him with full abandonment to ourselves and this world. The good thing is, when we experience more of His love, we want to do more. We want to read our Bible twice a day instead of twice a week. We want to spend hours in prayer instead of just one. He pursues us as we pursue Him. He longs for us with a fiery affection.
Lets all make 2011 the year we surrender all of ourselves for all of Him. This is not only my prayer, but echoes his heart as well. Lets transform the world by transforming our hearts. We love Him - and He will do the rest.
To Him who makes all things new, and who longs to have all of us and not just a portion! To Him who pours out blessings to those who live with a "naked intent" to know Him more. And to Him, who says " I AM your God, and have called you by name....come; know me, and experience the fullness of my love- you will never regret it!"
Much love, and Happy New Year!
