Living the Journey

It is so vital to stay in the Word daily and to meditate on Scripture…not just read, but meditate. I’ve been talking to my dad a lot and he’s been keeping me accountable. It is amazing how much freedom one gains when they surrender areas of their life that they do not want anyone to know about. Those secret sins are what keep people in bondage. Even those who are Christians who do not surrender to authority will remain in bondage to sin.

I’ve grown up in ATI and have heard the message spoken about how important it is to surrender to your authorities on several occasions, but refused to let the Lord use it in my life. I thought I could make it through on my own without my parents. I always told myself, “It’s just me and God…just trust in Him.” Satan wanted me to believe I was all alone and that I should not trust the authority of my parents because it would make me look like a horrible sinner, which is exactly what I am anyway. Satan had me believing that I could break the habits on my own. I truly thought I could separate myself from my sin without assistance, yet the whole time I was falling deeper and deeper into more sin.

But I forgot the rest of the puzzle that God commands of us, so no matter what I did or said the sin weighed even more heavily on my soul. The last piece is complete surrender to Godly authority. In Romans 6 Paul said, “What shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?” I understood this with my mind, but not in my heart, and therefore could not apply it to my life. But now, in freedom from sin because I am under the authority of my parents, I have the freedom to live in the grace that God provided.

~ Drew
June 2008 Guys Journey

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Since the Journey to the Heart, the Lord has taken me on a roller coaster through the desert. Although I confessed many things, and wanted to seek the Lord, my heart still felt dark and dry at times.

Before I went on the Journey I was addicted to worldly music. Whenever I would write or listen to a sensual song, thoughts and feelings would arise that were not honoring to God.

I was in the middle of recording one of my “not so wrong” songs when I received a call from Mr. Gothard’s office – they wanted me to help on an upcoming Journey! Even though my parents and others encouraged me to go, I knew I shouldn’t because of this unresolved issue. Due to procrastination I was not able to go on the Journey, but still had the chance to meet with Mr. Gothard. After discussing the situation, he challenged me to come to Headquarters and be cleansed by listening to the Word all day while serving on the lawn crew. With my parents approval, I started the month long trek.

It has been one of the best experiences of my life! Through various circumstances, testimonies and daily immersion in the Word, I came to the point of making a vow. After talking it over with my father, Mr. Gothard, and several others I stepped out on God and made the vow. “I will not willfully listen, perform or rehearse in my mind music that is worldly, sensual or not glorifying to God.”

By God’s grace this vow will glorify and honor Him. Another path leads from here, and where it leads I know not. But this one thing I do know – the Lord has lifted another burden from my shoulders and I will continue this journey with joy.

~ Tim
June 2008 Guys’ Journey

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So it all began when I moved to a different neighborhood that my life started to go down hill. First, I was made fun of and picked on. I decided to change so that I could “fit-in”. I began hanging out with the wrong friends, using drugs and such.

I found out that I had to go to Journey to the Heart and I got all excited about coming…but it was all for the wrong reasons. I arrived at the headquarters and I met this kid named Charles. I soon found out that we had almost the exact same interests. We both LOVED rock music, and we enjoyed playing it on our guitars. We also had similar struggles in different friendships. We decided that we would go and ignore God and everything and everyone and just play our guitars and listen to music. But God didn’t have that in mind for us. Later that night I had an interview with Mr. Gothard and I told him that I listened to rock music. He sat and thought for a moment and then asked me to pray and dedicate my music to God. I did but really deep down inside, I didn’t mean it.

On the way to Northwoods our leader told us to get out our Bibles and have a quiet time with the Lord. I was trying to think of something to read when I looked in the front of the Bible that my leader had given me and saw a list of references that you could go to during times of struggle with your relationship with God. I read Matthew, chapter five, which was convicting, but I tried to ignore it.

The first day in Northwoods we began talking about other religions and Satanism. It scared me so much that I was shaking with fear. I recognized that there is only ONE true God that can save and give you eternal life or destroy and sentence you to eternal damnation. That night I verbally asked Jesus to come into my heart and that I would know that He was real…and He did. The next day I recognized that I needed to call my parents and confess some of the struggles and failures that I had kept hidden. I confessed my moral failures, pornography, my language, and wrong music, which was the hardest thing to do. After I had confessed these hidden failures and different
struggles to my parents, I felt a WHOLE NEW freedom come over me. Later on in the week, we went on a walk around the lake and it was like I was having a conversation with God.

When we got back Charles and I went straight for our guitars but I was pricked in my conscience and recognized the need to play the right kind of music. As I look back on the Journey, I see God’s love for me and His abundant mercy that is so great. He desires our whole heart to be seeking Him, not just part of it.

~ Jesse
March 2008 Guys’ Journey

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” My life-long journey of seeking to know God started last year when I dedicated my life to Christ while I was on the “Journey to the Heart”. Since then, although I have found that it isn’t an easy journey…but I have found it to be the most rewarding and exciting journey ever! I’ve found this journey to be an uphill climb, full of challenges as “rocks and roots” seem to spring out of nowhere, trying to trap me into believing lies and fill me with discouragement, ultimately, trying to make me fall and give up. I truly believe that the last thing Satan wants is to see us living victorious lives and finishing well. I also believe that he is going to try everything in his power to stop us.

When I signed up to go on the “Journey to the Heart”, I knew little of how God would use it in my life. Up until that point, I truly thought that I was a Christian, because I had grown up in a Christian family and I had said the sinners prayer when I was 3 years old. Despite that, I did not have a personal relationship with God. Everything I said and did was out of tradition and what was expected of me. It was during my “Journey to the Heart”, that God showed me who He was and little by little tore down the walls I had built up around my heart. Throughout my life, due to some difficult circumstances I had always thought that I wasn’t a sinner.

Instead, I would look at the crimes others had committed against me and say “those are the sinners… me?… are you kidding!” It wasn’t until I forgave the people who had hurt me that God showed me I was a sinner in need of His forgiveness. While on my Journey, I fully surrendered and dedicated my life to Christ. As a result, I now have a personal relationship with God and since then, He has shown me that my life purpose is to know Him and to make Him known!

It saddens me to think of all the years that I have wasted and all the
things God had to bring me through to reach this point. Despite that, I know that He has a plan and purpose for everything! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

It is difficult for me to put in a few paragraphs all the things God has done in my heart and in my life since I was dropped off at the airport to return home. When I was dropped off at the airport I was very scared not knowing what to expect and not knowing what awaited me when I walked off the plane. To make me feel even more uncomfortable… the man sitting beside me on the plane was viewing pornography on his Blackberry. Despite that, God overflowed me with peace beyond understanding and I could literally feel a huge bubble of protection circle around me. God surrounded and spoke words of comfort, hope, peace and love to me. It was when I gave Him all my concerns, fears and worries that I realized without any doubt that He was sending me where I needed to be most of all!

The next morning after returning home… my dad woke everyone (even the baby) up at 5:30 am for a family Wisdom Search. This was the first time we had devotions in many, many years. Surprisingly, since that morning nine months ago, this has continued on, on a consistent basis. I am in awe! To God be the glory and praise! When I was younger and we did family devotions and went to church I would be very angry because of the level of hypocrisy and the thick masks that we would put on in front of ourselves and others. There was nothing real about us. We were one family at home and a completely different picture perfect family at church. It literally tore me to pieces and taught me to live a life of pretending.

At Headquarters God literally tore off every single mask I was wearing. He showed me that because He is REAL, I have the freedom to be real and allow others to see who I really am. Now as a person who is wholly and holy committed to God, I no longer need to hide and pretend. I am alive!

A few months ago I was asked to speak at a ladies outreach ministry. After much prayer, I felt God was calling me to share my testimony and some of the pain and struggles I have dealt with. While I was speaking not only did I see people sitting on the edge of their chairs, I saw wounded hearts needy of God’s healing and forgiveness. As a result of that opportunity, I have had the joy of seeing God touch and open the hearts of many woman.

Since then I have been asked to be the main speaker at a young girls camp this summer. I feel so inadequate… but in that inadequacy I believe God has called me to be “a prophet unto nations” (Jeremiah 1: 4-10)…“for such a time as this!” (Esther 4:14).
In the meantime, I have started training as a receptionist for my father’s
office. My father has previously hurt me in the past and this is the hardest
thing I have ever done! Yet despite that, I have never felt more strongly
that this is what I am supposed to be doing. God has clearly shown me that He wants me to dedicate this next year to serve and bless my father,
honoring him for who he is as a God given authority figure in my life. Since
I have started to work in his office, I have had this overwhelming burden to pray for my father as I work. Over the past month, as I have done this,
there have been several times my father has stopped in the middle of our
Wisdom Search’s to confess and to ask forgiveness for different things.
Although the emotional pain due to the things that have happened in the past is still very great, I know God has done a miracle in my heart and is
healing it. Right now I am learning to relate to my earthly dad through God, instead of relating to God through my earthly dad.
I am traveling on the road less traveled, which makes my journey long and
steep. Despite that, I can whole heartily say with the hymn writer “It will
be worth it all when we see Christ!” The Lord is my strength and my
sufficiency!

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might
he increaseth strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the
young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)

It is my desire is to live a life that is so radically different from others, that I will be able to make an eternal difference in the lives of every single person I meet! This can only be done by living in the reality of my life purpose, to know Him and make Him known! I want to praise and thank the Lord for the work He is doing and has done in my life. He has rescued and redeemed me from a pit and has put my feet on a rock! “The Lord is good and only does good! Blessed be the name of the Lord!”

~Jessica
September 2007 Journey to the Heart

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I had begun to go into depression. I realized that I couldn’t hear God’s voice anymore. Bit by bit, I lost my desire to even try to make a difference. I didn’t want to wake up and face another day of pain…

…The result of the Journey was life changing. God revealed to me the reason why I was depressed and also how to deal with it. I now have answers.

~ Cullen
March 2008 Guys’ Journey

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“At first I did not want to come…but now I am glad I did! There are three major highlights/ things God did during the Journey. The first was the time we spent praying…the power of speaking with God Himself, especially with sisters in Christ was amazing!  Also all the time we had in the morning to spend alone with Him! Through our prayers and cries, God answered, showed Himself, and taught us wonderful things. Before now, I had never realized the power of prayer when two or more are gathered together in His name!

The second thing that I got from this journey, is the freedom that comes when we confess our faults to one another (and pray for one another) and to God. Realizing that I have sinned before God (in many ways I had never realized before) and that my heart was full of things that hinder and cut off my communication and love for God. Getting rid of these things and surrendering the many rights that I have/had, have brought me closer to the Lord and given me greater love for Him and a tender heart that can actually detect when I have done something which displeases God.

The third thing I understand better now as a result of this Journey, is the reality and workings of spiritual warfare. All this week, I have been in a constant battle against Satan and his powers of the flesh. I would feel great heaviness in my heart, hindering me from sweet fellowship with my Lord and those around me. Every time I felt this or another hindrance I would ask the girls to pray for me and each time, Satan would leave and I would experience extreme joy and great love. It is hard, though, to fight and struggle against Satan…when challenged to be a soldier in active duty (2 Timothy 2:1-5), I told the Lord “yes”. God told me that He would give sufficient grace for every trial. One of the girls on my team encouraged me in the truth that, through Jesus Christ, the victory has already been won! We just need to CLAIM that victory before Satan!!!

The Lord, MY God, is powerful and mighty! I praise Him for what He has done this week. I have been greatly blessed through this Journey and I pray that God would knock His way through the remainder of my heart, convicting me of His grace and power that to be free from a hindered heart, convicting me of what I need to change and then give me His grace and power to be free…so I can impact the world for Him and be a bright light!!! Blessed be MY God and Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is worthy to be praised!!!!”

~ Bethany
September 2007 Girls’ Journey

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