A year and a half ago I grew dissatisfied with life as I knew it. For eight years I had been preaching and teaching the Word. I witnessed people experience breakthrough as the truth penetrated their hearts and Jesus set them free. I had received a great deal of deliverance myself. I knew that He was faithful to heal and restore. I believed that His power was available to all who would seek Him with all their hearts. I trusted that the God of Acts was still alive and well, desiring to pour out His Spirit on a church that longs for Him.
But what I read in the pages of the Bible and what I knew to be true in my own life were worlds apart. I had only glimpsed His presence and power. I wanted so much more. There was nothing I desired more than to fulfill the calling God had placed on my life, but I wanted to do it with power. I didn’t just want to preach a sermon, I wanted to carry an anointing that would break the yoke of bondage off of the lives of everyone it came into contact with. When people left the room, I wanted them not to remember who I was or how good the message was, but how powerful their encounter with God had been. I longed to be a vessel through which His power could freely flow. Signs and wonders were something I had only ever read about, but I began to wonder if it was possible that God would use me in that way. Before then, I was always happy just to teach and preach. Not knowing what else to do with this brand new stirring in my Spirit, I began to pray.
I prayed for the Holy Spirit to begin to break down the walls that stood in the way of the fullness of what He wanted to release in and through me. The church I was raised up in was not one who walked in these things, so I was in unfamiliar territory. At times, I did not even know how to pray. Often, I doubted that there would ever come a day when I would see my hearts desire come to pass. My mind battled against what my Spirit knew to be true. Religious mind sets were almost overwhelming but I refused to give up until I began to see what I now believe to be an invitation and promise from the Father. I knew that if I would press in, I would see it one day.
Since that time a year and a half ago, I have seen in small part what I have been seeking. These are the days of small beginnings in this new dimension of my calling. I am still learning, seeking and growing but God is taking me on a journey to go as deep into the things of the Spirit as I am willing to be led.
It was, to a certain extent, this desire that led our family to leave Medicine Hat. The more we prayed for God to release His anointing, the more He began to lead us places we have never been before. It has been one step at a time and I am still not able to answer many of the questions that surround this season of our lives.
I came to this new city believing that our future was planned out. Once I got here, I saw that the direction He has in mind is much different than the direction we thought we were heading. We thought we were coming to settle in a new land. However, God continues to whisper in our ears: this is your pilgrimage…
Fire Starter 