Living the Journey

We have an amazing account in Scripture in which Satan complained about the hedge of protection that God put around Job. (See Job 1:10.) We are able to experience the same protection today by asking God to put a hedge around ourselves and our family, as illustrated by the following testimony:

“After learning about the importance of praying a hedge of protection, our family traveled to Georgia to visit friends. We were going to ride four wheelers on the first day, so our fathers prayed a hedge around us boys. We did not get hurt.

“However, they forgot to pray for the girls, who were going to ride horses. My sister lost control of her horse and hit a big oak tree. She loosened and chipped her bottom teeth and slightly injured her neck. We prayed for everyone in detail from that time on.

“Shortly thereafter, I was allowed to operate a huge tractor to move a big pile of dirt. We prayed for a hedge of protection. As I took a large load of dirt, I hit an uneven piece of ground and lost control, but God protected me. My friend’s father was close beside me on a Bobcat. If I had flipped, he would have rolled down a steep hill.

“The next day we rode horses on an old road and of course we prayed a hedge around us. I was galloping down the road around a slight bend and a truck pulled out of a hidden driveway. I reined in my horse just in time. If I had been two seconds late coming down the road, I could have been killed.”

~ Paul
September 2008 Guys Journey

3 Comments »

As I look back over this Journey to the Heart I am amazed at how God met with each of us in a special way. I remember praying before the Journey that God would do a mighty work that none of us could ever orchestrate – that it would be clearly Christ’s power working in us by His Holy Spirit. He truly did answer that prayer.

God quickly drew our team together and every day there were profound insights shared that the Lord had given. One evening, a team member told how she had called home that day to confess something to her parents. That convicted the rest of us to make things right with our parents no matter how big or small the issue seemed to be. As we confessed our sins and yielded up competing affections and things we had held back from the Lord, He allowed us to focus on Him and to hear His still small voice.

Some of my fondest memories are the times of prayer we had as a team in one accord. As we cried out to God, He heard our prayers and answered in miraculous ways!

The times of laughter, singing, sharing, confessing, crying together, and examining our hearts were invaluable, but the time spent alone with the Lord and together bowed in His presence are what made the Journey for me.

God became very real and personal to us. We saw Him restore a marriage that at the beginning of our Journey was headed for divorce. He delivered a team member from an addiction, brought new love for family members, and made scripture come alive to us.

A few days into the Journey my physical strength was at an all time low due to lack of sleep and a health problem I’ve had for several years. Lack of energy had long become the focus of my daily life and I was always looking for answers and questioning why the Lord did not heal me. Now, I knew I needed God’s help to make it through this Journey.

I bowed my head and gave God unconditional control of my body and health, without expecting healing in return.

As the Journey continued, I was amazed at how little sleep I was getting and yet how inwardly refreshed I felt! God was giving me grace and strength for each day. I had been letting my health run my life, but now God was teaching me that He must have first place and that I needed to trust Him with my health no matter how I felt.

The Northwoods is a beautiful place to meet with the Lord. The messages we heard on the Journey and the counsel of the staff were a wonderful learning experience.

It is always humbling when God works in our hearts and uses us despite our failures and shortcomings. He heard our cries for brokenness and reminded us “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1).

~ Miranda
July 2009 Journey

4 Comments »

Enjoy listening in as the Wilkes brothers recount all that the Lord taught them on their recent Life Focus Journey to the Heart!

Matthew:

I went to Northwoods not sure what to expect on a Journey to the Heart. I had heard testimonies; but what was my experience of it going to be?  While going through the each day, the Lord deeply encouraged me with particular passages of scripture that gave new purpose and, in addition, forged a deeper desire to study and apply Christ’s commands.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3 (3 min)

Joshua:

Through embarking upon this Journey, I recognized anew the fruit that results from coming apart to rest a while. (See Mark 6:31.) The usual busyness to which we subject ourselves provides a natural tendency to overlook the needful thing of sitting at the feet of Jesus. For almost an entire week, the team reaped unspeakable joy (see I Peter 1:8) that comes through searching our hearts, acknowledging failure, meditating upon God’s Word, and partaking in one-accord prayer. I returned with a renewed vision, powerful tools, and the life changing principle of Psalms 119:165, “Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3 (4 min)

1 Comment »

I would have to say that this past week has been an awesome week of watching God’s mighty hand at work in each of the lives of those who went on this past Journey. Personally, I was challenged in my own walk with the Lord to pursue Him diligently through His word by meditation. As the week came to a close, one of the guys whose life had been changed commented, “This has been the best week of my life!”.

Praise God for His faithfulness and exceeding abundant mercy that He continually pours out upon each Journey! The following is a testimony from one of the lives that has been changed. God bless!

Chad Paine
Journey to the Heart

——————————————————————

What an amazing week and powerful Journey that I was able to learn vital, life-changing qualities on! It was a serious week of conviction, prayer and fellowship. While on this Journey, I learned four main things.

• How to Meditate and have intimate prayer and fellowship as I grow closer to Him.
• I gained a new joy and enthusiasm in living for Christ.
• I discovered how true the spiritual battle really is.
• Finally, I saw the importance of seeking the Kingdom of God first and His righteousness,THEN all these things shall be added (Matt. 6:30).

It was such an encouragement to be with other fellow believers. As we go back to our homes, I am motivated to continue to spend time in the Word, meditate upon it, grow in God’s wisdom and truly live for Christ.

~ Chandler
July 2008 Guys Journey

1 Comment »

Tom Harmon recently spoke at Evangel Baptist Church, where Ken Pierpont is now the Senior Pastor. Enjoy listening to this passionate, Scripture-filled message on prayer. Then go to your knees and spend some quality time entering into the presence of our awesome God!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download MP3 (63 min)

1 Comment »

I planned to go to the Journey in November but God had other plans. He provided a free plane ticket and sent me in March instead. When I started planning to go on the Journey I asked God to prepare my heart to meet Him. He brought to mind some things that should have long been confessed to my parents and helped me to take care of them before I went. I was really doing great, I felt free, like, there was nothing between me and God. Well…I was in for a surprise.

The Lord showed me many things during the week of the Journey that I needed to deal with. I loved each morning and the three hours we had to spend with God uninterrupted. The only down side was not having that much time when I returned home, I felt like I was starving. The Lord is still working in my life and I feel I have never had such a relationship with Him. I prayed with my team for some specific things, God has far surpassed my prayers for what He would do. Praise God!

~ Hannah, Gal. 2:20
March 2008 Girls’ Journey

3 Comments »