Bringing Us Together

This week I learned that I have a BIG family.  It was so incredible to spend a week with other Missions and kinda see that we aren't the only ones out there. haha  It feels like that sometimes so it was nice to get away.  I met a lot of incredible people, all of which who love God with all of their hearts.  I think my favorite part of all this was that we didn't know each other but when everyone got together it was like we were all one big family.  That's exactly what we are...a family. 

All of The Mission's at Lee University

Anthony Braswell

God was really speaking to me through The Mission Gathering about letting go.  There are a lot of things in my life that I needed to let go of in order for God to be able to bring out my full potential and use me for His purpose.  It was a huge point that Anthony Braswell hit on the first night and kept driving it home until we got it.  "You can not be used by God until you allow him to do something to you."  It's such a powerful statement and it spoke to me on so many levels.  Right before this Rhonda Parris was talking about the SAME subject and it seemed like that night was targeted at all of us broken people that were in the crowd.  We were following God but there was something holding us back and it was released on that night.  She said two things that were really good points.

1. 80% of those in the "people industry" (anything dealing with people) have been abused
2. Bodies were designed to respond to touch and it doesn't mean that you're gay because of it

The statistic that she pulled for those in the "people industry" blew my mind.  She said that 80% had been abused in some way...that includes physical, mental, verbal...whatever, they have been abused.  When she said the second thing it was one of those Ah-Hah! moments for me.  There are so many people that think they are homosexuals because of the circumstances they've been dealt.  Maybe they were influenced that way as a kid or they hate men/women because of how they were touched or treated.  When she talked about this she used an example with one of the girls in the room and I'm paraphrasing..."If we took this girl and blindfolded here and stuck her at the front of the room and let everyone touch her she wouldn't know whether it was man, women, 6 year old, or 60 year old."  Her point was that human bodies are designed to respond to touch, wherever it comes from, and just because you respond a certain way to it doesn't mean that you're a homosexual.

The last thing I want to leave you guys with is for all of my men out there.  Especially if you are in the ministry because that is where Satan attacks the hardest.  He attacks in our minds and our desires...I know we all struggle with it even though most won't admit it, so I'm just going to put these points down here that Anthony Braswell taught us.  This is all from his session with us on purity.  Really read these and take them to heart.  Apply them to your life.  Don't fail at the calling God has placed on your life!

Safeguards Against Failure (Purity):

1. Stay Humble!
2. Realize: God's blessing does not keep you from temptation!
3. Count the Cost! (The cost is minimized in "the moment")
4. Keep Resisting!
5. Avoid temptation zones! (We all know what those are)
6. Flee!!!

1 Corinthians 6:18 - "Flee sexual immorality"

2 Timothy 2:22 - "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart."

Stay strong in all that you do and always remember that you can only do it because of GOD!