Unleash - 2008

Well this is your last update and my first update… sad story. I know God did so much last night and this week and I encourage you to keep strong on your first day away from conference.

So yesterday Karla Blake spoke in the morning service and it was awesome. Play like a champion today. Remember that as you are going through out your day today and everyday. It can truely change the way you play your game if you let. Karla had many different points about a champion and i’m going to recap them.

1. A champion does on a regular basis what others only do occasionally
2. A champion knows the word of God and prays
3. A champion guards himself
4. A champion never gives up
5. A champion recognizes his weakness
6. A champion believes he can
7. A champion has vision

I love to think that we are champions. Ya we mess up sometimes and make mistakes but Jesus died for us and the battle is already won which means that we are already champions. But that also means that we need to constanly on a regular basis play our game like a champion. We can not let ourselves sit on the sideline and not play the game. Which is offten what we do because we are afraid. This week we left all our fears at the altar and we are not supposed to pick them up again because they are just chains that bind us, which means that this generation should start moving and being mobile. We need to stop benching ourselves, or saying I’m too young. It says in Gods word that you CAN DO all things through CHRIST WHO IS IN YOU! WAKE UP to the power of God that is in you! Tap into it, use it! 

Reggie Dabbs spoke friday night and I think i laughed more that night than I did the entire day. Reggie has a very different approach to his speaking but its awesome because it keeps us interested. He started off telling little kids stories like humpty dumpty, little red riding hood, mary had a little lamb, etc. and then he started talking about King Saul. In 1 Samuel 10, 11, 31, &15 it tells Sauls story and you all should read it because there is good stuff in there. But in 1 Samuel 10 you have “I’m the king” and God tells Samuel to appoint Saul as king. Then in 11 you have “I’m keeping my eye” which is a powerful saying. In 31 Saul dies. “everyones gotta die, but not like this.” Then you go back to 15 and you find out “why”. After reading it it became very real to me how important obedience is. The reason Saul died is because he didn’t listen to the voice of God. God told him to do something and Saul thought he was obedient because he did part of what God told him to do. The deal is guys that we have to have 100% obedience or whats the point. We also have to get to know God so that we can know his voice and be able to be obedient when the time comes. Which brings me to the last thing, the 7 steps. When you mess up or when you have something that your faceing, a wall of Jericho in your life, 7 steps and the walls fall down.

I just want to thank Jeff Deyo and his band because they did an amazing job leading us into the presence of God. I was able to talk to some of them and there heart is to truely worship God in all they do. It was awesome to watch them play because you could tell they were worshiping as they played. I know that as an occasional worship leader in the childrens department at my church and a constant participator in worship that on thing that totally makes me go crazy is when people sing a song like “I am free to dance (I am free to dance)” and they don’t dance. If your going to sing a song from your heart like that you might as well do what is says. David danced like crazy for God in the Bible. So why don’t we? Which is one thing that some of them talked about, how if your going to sing a song from your heart you should do what is says.

Man this week the Lord did so much in so many people and I encourage you to find people who are going to hold you to the standard that you have just set for yourselves. Find people who are going to speak life into you and not death. Be the person that God is continually molding you into. Allow Him to change you and make you and use you.

PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY!

I’M KEEPING MY EYE!

Today was absolutely powerful.  I pity your soul if you missed any of it today.  It was deep.

Today, July 31st, is/was the second day of collecting the plunder.  It gets better and better every night.  God’s spirit is moving stronger and stronger.  You kids (and leaders) are catching the vision that God has for your life and you are running for it like your life depended upon it…and your life does depend on it.  Without God’s vision, we are an aimless wanderer in a confused world that has no identity.  This is why we see the uprising of homosexuality, perversion, cruddy media, sex, drugs, alcohol, and other strongholds rising up.  This society has no clue who they are.  Why?  Because they are running from the very thing that will save them.  They are scared to approach the throne of God.  Why?

In my 19 years of life, I have encountered many people who are running.  Some people I know are running from God because they are scared to approach Him because they think that He is angry at them.  They are scared to ask God how He views them because they are afraid that He might reject them due to their previous actions.  This just isn’t so.  

I don’t know if you’ve ever read the Max Lucado kids book, You are Special.  It has a powerful message that isn’t just for kids.  It talks about a little community that is full of little wooden people that are called Wemmicks.  These Wemmicks have a process by which they grade each other’s ability to be a good person.  They award each other grey dots for demeaning, stupid, or wrong behavior.  To the good Wemmicks, they award gold stars.  The story talks about a Wemmick named Punchinello.  Punchinello had no gold stars.  He only had grey dots that showed everywhere he went.  One day he met another Wemmick named Lucia.  Lucia had no dots or stars on her at all.  The other Wemmicks were shocked!  No dots or stars???  Then they tried to give her dots and stars, but they didn’t stick.  Punchinello was confused!  He asked Lucia how come the grades of others didn’t stick to her.  She told him that it was because she goes and sees Eli the woodcarver every day and only what He says about her counts.  Punchinello was timid and afraid at the thought of approaching the dwelling of Eli.  He had heard that it was full of knives, carving tools, and wood shavings.  He figured that Eli wouldn’t want to see a bad Wemmick like him anyway.  Later that evening, Punchinello decided that he just had to see Eli.  So he made the venture up to the dwelling.  Upon entering, he saw what he expected to see.  He saw knives, carving tools, and lots of wood shavings.  Right about as he was about to turn and leave from fear, Eli called him out by name and beckoned him closer into the light.  Punchinello was shocked at the very prospect of Eli knowing his name!  Eli picked Punchinello up and set him on the workbench.  Then Eli began to tell Punchinello that the opinions of the other Wemmicks didn’t matter.  The only opinion that mattered was the one from his creator.  From that point on, Punchinello visited Eli every day.  It didn’t matter any more what the other Wemmicks said.  Only what Eli said mattered.

Please note that that is only a paraphrase of the story.  You should seriously get your own copy.  It is powerful!

This just proves my point that we need to approach the throne of God boldly.  He created us.  He loves us.  Yes, we may have done bad things, yes we have sinned, but the hands of God are extended to you, waiting for you to respond and grasp it in return.  Will you dare to be brave and grasp God’s call on your life?  Will you put your trust in Him, and respond with honor, respect, and obedience to everything He asks you to do?

Something this generation doesn’t understand very well is the power of authority.  Just the word authority sends bad messages to some people.  Please hear me out on this.  Authority is not placed in your life haphazardly.  The Bible says that all authority is put in place by God.  

Let’s go on a little word-picture tangent here.

If George Washington, Michael Jordan, Leeland, or the President of the United States walked into the room, most of you would automatically sit up straight, be extremely polite, and use your most respectful language, right?  That is how we should treat God and our authority every day, every hour, every minute of our lives.  Yes, it is a challenge.  Authority isn’t usually a democratic system.  God places authority over you everywhere you go.  They can be a huge help to you or you can perceive them as a thorn in your side.  Some youth of today do not like adults in general.  Well kid, get over it.  They have experience.  They have knowledge.  They have wisdom.  They usually have a longer-term vision than you do and that is because they have been around longer than you and they know the ropes of life better.  You think you know it all, huh?  Get over yourself.  Who wants to hang out with a know-it-all?  You know-it-all’s are impossible to converse with.  I personally just get frustrated and dismiss myself from the conversation.  

The people who get far in life are those who respect and honor authority, keep a humble spirit, and are always willing to learn.  NEVER NEVER NEVER get in the mindset that you know it all.  That is a black hole straight from the devil that leads to death and destruction.  Look around you!  How many know-it-alls do you know that are headed downward?  Yeah.  Most of them are.  

What are the qualities in people that you like to hang out with?  I personally like to hang out with those who are humble, encourage-able, teachable, willing to learn, ready to serve, and always thinking of others before themselves.  By surrounding myself with these people, I then begin to become more like that.  Pastor Bill always says, “Show me your friends, and i’ll show you your future.”  It is so true.  Think about that.

This morning, Dave spoke on the fear of the Lord.  It isn’t like “oooOOOhhh, cower in fear…I am afraid of you!! NOOooooooooo don’t kill meeeee…” afraid.  It is reverent fear similar to what you would have in the presence of greatness.  I know that I would have that kind of fear if Condoleezza Rice came up to me and started talking to me…wouldn’t you?  That is how we are to be towards God, His word, and His instructions towards us.  If Condi gave you a command, you would do it right away, wouldn’t you…?  How come it isn’t the same with God?  It isn’t too hard.  Whatever God calls you to do, He will equip you with the tools to do it.  Look at the great Christian leaders of today.  Take Oral Roberts for example.  God told him to build a university.  Oral had no finances, no land, no knowledge of how to build a university.  But God made a way.  Now Oral Roberts University stands as a testimony of the fear of the Lord and the obedience that comes alongside it.

With the fear of the Lord comes knowledge.

When you fear and respect the Lord, His word, and His authority, you begin to see things happen.  Divine ideas will pop into your head, creative tools to reach those around you for Christ will be given to you…THINGS HAPPEN!  Get ready for it!

Be bold.  Fear the Lord. Respect Him.  Respect the authority in your life.  Dare to be different.  Don’t be like this culture.  Don’t you dare disrespect those around you.  Why?  First off, you look stupid when you do.  Seriously, who likes to be disrespected?  Respect those around you.  Secondly, when you disrespect those around you, you tear them down.  This is a negative thing.  Negative things come from satan.  Positive things come from God.  Respect builds others up.  Thirdly, when you disrespect others, you are showing those around you that you are in rebellion. Yep. I just said rebellion.  Nasty word, huh?  Even more reason to repent of your rebellion and start running full force in the direction of where God has called you.  

Respect. 

Do it.

Tonight, Joel Stockstill spoke on the new wave that is coming.  If you weren’t there, get the CD or DVD.  It was INCREDIBLE.  I don’t happen to have my notes right by me, so you’re gonna get a powerful summary.

Joel spoke on the importance of discipleship.  One of the powerful subpoints I remember him saying was as follows, “As a believer, the devil isn’t scared of you. As a disciple, he is petrified.”  The difference in being a believer versus being a disciple is simple.  A believer believes that Jesus is their savior.  Simple.
A disciple KNOWS Jesus as their LORD.  Being a disciple means being continually willing to purge and let go of the things that are holding you back.  Pride and Rebellion go hand in hand, as does discipleship and deliverance.  As a disciple who is continually going deeper, deliverance goes right alongside going deeper.  God is continually purging us of our crud and replacing it with His glory.  It is a process.  We don’t “arrive” until we reach heaven.  So, never ever think that you are “holier than thou,” because we are all in this together.  We are all being refined.  Hallelujah!

The altar call was absolutely powerful.  Joel called forward all of those who needed Jesus to be their Savior and Lord.  Then he called forward those who needed to be set free from addictions, such as approval addiction, drug/alcohol related addictions, perverted sexual addictions, and many others.  By the end of the evening, there were many, many items that were thrown onto the stage by students who were being set free from the addictions those items represented.  Many bracelets, shoes, hats, tobacco products, and other physical strongholds were cast at the altar….never to be revisited.  

It takes boldness to throw something upon the altar.  

But it takes a lot of gut, stamina, and utter reliance upon God to keep it there.  

Believe that whatever you left at the altar is gone.  It is no more.  God has wiped your slate clean.

NOW ACT LIKE IT.

No more going back to the same ‘ol same ‘ol.  Don’t you even dare putting yourself back in the same context thinking, “I’m strong….I won’t do anything.”  Balderdash.  

Stay away from even the appearance of evil.  Don’t put yourself back in any sort of context that will tempt you to return to old habits.  Once you are free, don’t ever go back into bondage.  Be free.  Stay free.

Get an accountability partner. . . someone who is serious about God and isn’t scared to confront you in any situation.  Get someone who isn’t a flake.  Get someone who is firm to their word, is strong in God’s Word, loves Jesus wholeheartedly, and has the boldness of Christ.  Tell them what has happened to you this week and what you want to be kept accountable on.  Make them promise that they will bug you about it.  Set up a safety shield around you so that if anything tries to come at you and tempt you to return to the old ways, you have a strong support system to remind you of what God has done, how faithful He is, and what He has called you to do and  be.  Your identity is in Him. . . not in society.  Not in clothes.  Not in cars.  Not in friends, or even those “loving” relationships that you have.  

Can I just get real for a minute here?

I am sick and tired of seeing middle schoolers, junior highers, and high schoolers wasting their lives in relationships.  Yeah, I just said that.

I have seen too many people around me and a lot of my friends fall away from God and their calling because of someone they thought “loved” them.  Um, no.  Think realistically here.  Are you dating someone just to have an identity with them, or are you dating them with the intent of marriage?  Are you dating just to find a filler for that hole in your heart, for that deep inner longing to be valued, pursued, and loved?  Well, kid, the way to fill that hole isn’t with the cutest kid in your youth group, school, or social circle.  They probably aren’t mature enough to say no to a relationship anyway.  Do you really want to be yolked with someone who isn’t passionate about you enough to not date you, to say, “No, neither of us are ready right now to enter into that serious of a commitment, let’s wait a few years and see what happens.”  

You now can’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Think in a long-term vision here.  Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with that person?  Do they have the long-lasting fire of God?  Are they running after God’s call on their life wholeheartedly?  Do they push you towards God and His call on your life?  If you answered no to any of these questions,

GET OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

Yep, I just said that too.  

With that, I am going to conclude this blog and say that I love you all and have had a wonderful conference with all of you.  Tomorrow afternoon I am embarking on a roadtrip to Tulsa, OK to go back to college for the year.  Yes, it is early to be going back to school.  I am an RA next year at Oral Roberts University and training starts Saturday evening.  

Tomorrow, Cindy Marrineau will be blogging in my place.
Give her all the respect you would give me….if not more.

God bless you!

Joy Bork

Oh my gosh.  If you missed anything today, you really missed out.  The Spirit of God came strong today and moved in ways that will be rather challenging for me to capture and relay back in words.  
well, let’s give it a go.

This morning was awesome.  Worship was wonderful.  It was such a blessing to see you all worshipping!  Keep it up!  

The drama of the morning (if you want to call it that) was a series of monologues performed by members of the Antioch drama team.  They spoke of youth in our nation that had made the decision to not be normal and live at status quo any more…people who decided to get up, do the hard thing, and make a difference.  Through our action as a generation and as the called of God, we can make an impact.  You may not think, “But I am only one person.  I am just a student.  What can I do to effect a whole world?  I can barely even effect my dog for heaven’s sake!”  Well kid, it is time to get a hold of the destiny, call, and identity that God has on your life.  It is so much more than sitting around and just sliding by with life.  If you will be bold, if you will be daring, if you will be willing, God will move.  He moves on those who are open to His will and are willing to sacrifice what they think for what He thinks.  He moves on those who are willing to set down relationships, jobs, homes, and dreams to pick up His call.  It is when we seek His face and align ourselves with His call, His passions, His love, and His dreams that we enter into the fullness of life and we have the most impact.  YOU ARE NOT TOO YOUNG TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  

I do not care what people have told you.  
I do not care about who you think you are.
I do not care about who people have told you are.
I do not care about who society says you should be.

I do care about you.
I do care about who God has created you to be.
I do care about the sovereign call that God has placed on your life.  
I do care about what you’re doing with your life right now, because what you’re doing now effects the rest of your life, the people around you, and the generations that are coming after you.

Dare to have a vision that lasts longer than tomorrow.
Dare to be bold and to stand out.
Dare to be unsatisfied with where you are with God right now.
Dare to enter His presence and to walk in it every single day.
Dare to be a Daniel and be a witness even when people are trying to shut you up.

This society wants danger.  This society wants purpose.  This society longs for something different.

Well check it out.  You have the God of the Universe inside of you who knows the hearts of all those around you.  He has the power to give you the words to speak, the things to do, the ability to be bold in the face of whatever may come your way.  Let Him come in.  Let Him pursue.

What is in your life right now that is holding you back?  

A relationship?  Someone you are running to or holding on to just because you are insecure and lonely?  
Run to God.  He is more than that someone could ever be.  HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.  
Self-harm?  Are you cutting, hurting yourself, or destroying your body to find a release?  To find love?
Run to God.  He is the healing balm of Gilead. He is the lover of your soul.  He knit you together in your mother’s womb.  You are beautifully and wonderfully made.  He lives inside of you and you are His temple.  Respect it as such.
Addictions?  Are you running to sex, drugs, alcohol, porn, or any other addicting substance or thing to fill that void in your soul?  Tell me, is it working for you?  How come you only go deeper into it and there seems to be no exit?  
Run to God.  He is the perfect piece to fill that empty space in your heart.  Your soul longs for Him.  When you get addicted to Jesus, you go deeper into the realms of Him.  You will find your life filled with joy, peace, love, and happiness.  He knows you.  Let him in.

David Sliker came and spoke after the monologues in the morning.  David is the youth pastor for IHOP-KC (International House of Prayer - ihop.org) and he has a passion for prayer.  He spoke this morning on how to invade our schools with prayer.  He spoke directly to injecting prayer into the public schools.  Don’t limit it to just the public high schools.  Take it to your middle school, take it to your private christian school, take it to your college….run with prayer!

David presented an amazingly simple way to release prayer into schools.  Check this out:

30 second prayers.

Yep.  In the time it takes you to walk from the bathroom to your classroom you could have a direct line to the throneroom.  Think about it.

30 second prayers x multiple times a day x multiple people praying = the fire of God and revival.

Don’t believe me?  Try it.  See how prayer works.  

Start a prayer meeting.  Meet with some friends for a little while before school.  Have someone bring a guitar.  Play worship music.  Dare to enter into the throne room of the everlasting God and bring people with you.  This generation is looking for something bold.  Why don’t you be the bold one and step out and begin a prayer movement in your school, in your city, and in your life?  What would happen if just a handful of people caught this vision all over the nation and began to pray?  The sparks would fly and before long, entire forests of souls could be lit ablaze for Christ.  Think in a long-term vision here.  What you do with prayer effects not only you, but those around you, who then effect others, who then effect others, and so on and so forth.  The piece that we often forget is that what we do now has a major impact on those who are to come after us.  If you will dare to be unsatisfied with the way things are right now at your home, church, school, job, or wherever and you begin to pray, things will happen that will trigger other things like a domino effect.  Those people whose hearts are dry will see that you are a spring of living water that never runs dry because your source is based in Jesus, who was, and is, and is to come.  They will hunger for that.  Before long, the fire of God will hit them, they will be lit ablaze and then, oh my gosh.  Who knows what we could do then!  A nation on fire for God.  Millions of people seeking His face daily.  

Pray for it.  Believe for it.
God is doing a new thing.
Are you ready?

Tonight, Leeland led us into the presence of the Lord through worship.  They have such a heart of worship.  They weren’t up there to perform.  They were there to encounter God, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  If you came just for Leeland, then you left, well stinks for you.  You missed a huge work that God did tonight.  

This is only the first night of gathering the plunder.  Remember yesterday how I wrote about how it took Jehoshaphat’s army three days to take in the plunder?  This is only day one.  It only gets better from here, kids!  YayyyyYY!

After Leeland played, Dominic Russo spoke.  His title was, “Don’t ever say, ‘I am too young.’”  Without previous knowledge, Dominic hit on some of the key scriptures that the Lord had laid on Bill’s heart as well as my mom’s heart for this conference.  Check this out:

“4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

 5 ”Before I formed you in the womb I knew ^[a] you, 
       before you were born I set you apart; 
       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

 6 ”Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”

 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

 9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

 11 The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” 
      ”I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

 12 The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching ^[b] to see that my word is fulfilled.”

 13 The word of the LORD came to me again: “What do you see?” 
      ”I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north,” I answered.

 14 The LORD said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the LORD. 
       “Their kings will come and set up their thrones 
       in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; 
       they will come against all her surrounding walls 
       and against all the towns of Judah.

 16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people 
       because of their wickedness in forsaking me, 
       in burning incense to other gods 
       and in worshiping what their hands have made.

 17 ”Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.” - Jeremiah 1:4-18 (NLT) 

When Jeremiah finally submitted and got over the “I am too young!” excuse, God did a great work through him.  When we can push our excuses, stereotypes, and past disappointments and hurts aside, God then has the ability to do great things in and through us.  Let him do some housecleaning. . . seriously.

Throughout the service, Dominic spoke about entering into the presence of God.  In His presence we find that our hearts are satisfied, we find our destiny, and we find our identity in Him.  In a nation where people don’t know who they are, having a firm identity in Christ is key.  Ask Him.  He will show you.  Dare to be a light, dare to be who He has created you to be.  He has so much more for you than you even realize!  Let down the walls that are keeping God in.  He can do so much more than you can even think or imagine, so stop putting Him in a box.

Now that I said that, I can move on.  :)

Who best to reach this generation of hurting people than us?  We know this generation.  We are a part of it.  We are the leaders of tomorrow.  Do we want to end up like the corrupt leaders of today?  NO!!!  Dare to push out of the stereotype of who this society says we are.  We do not fit in boxes!  God created each one of us different, with a different call.  None of us can be like anyone else.  Be yourself.  

Be bold enough to ask God for His power, for His Spirit, for His love, for His presence.  Keep knocking.  Don’t give up!  Don’t you dare stop pursuing the dreams that God has given you.  Don’t you even think about it.  You have a heavy call on your life, more than you even know.  

Just tonight, I received a call from God.  I have a mission to take prayer to my school.  As is with life, there are going to be people that think I am crazy.  I am going to let them think what they want and I am going to pursue God’s mission with my whole heart.  

Let me be very open for a minute with you.

I cried tonight.  I am not usually an emotional-type person.  
I cried.

Please note that this wasn’t just a “oh, look, there’s tears running down my face…” type of cry.  It was a deep, gutteral cry that only comes on me when God is doing something great.  I can’t cry like that on my own.  I can’t stop it either.  I look like a blubbering mess when it happens, but WHO CARES?  I sure don’t.  God did a work in me tonight.  Do you think I am going to be quiet about it?  HECK NO.  It just may be the key that someone else needs to cut that last cord that is holding them back from touching the throneroom.  

Share your testimony.  Be bold.  Safeguard your dream.  Run with it through thick and thin.  Write it down.  Keep a journal of what God has told you to do and how you acted upon it in utter surrender and obedience to His word.  

Dare to be a Jeremiah - a generation changer.  

I’m going to.

You comin along for the ride?

You in?

Hey all, Joy Bork, your blogger type person for this wonderful week of youth conference.  

If you made it here from the links given during the conference, welcome.  We are glad to have you.  If you made it here at all, welcome.  It is officially a party with you here.  :)

Tonight was powerful.  For the first time ever (according to my previous knowledge) you are about to get the inside view on the service from a band member’s perspective.  Cool, huh?  If you don’t know who I am, I am the bass player for the Unleash band.  So yeah.  Let’s get going with the inside view.

As a band member, I get to see a view of conference that many of you never get to see.  I cannot even describe how amazing it is to be able to look out while i’m playing and see all of your faces, lifted heavenward in desperation and love of Jesus.  It is one of the reasons I play bass.  I could care less about the “rockstar” aura that comes with playing a guitar.  What really counts is when I see the Lord work through the music He has enabled me to make and touch lives of people.  That makes every practice worth it.  

Tonight I was playing and looking out at you all.  It is so powerful to hear 1300 or so voices all raised in unison in praise to God.  If you could only see it from my perch.  It gives me chills just thinking about it.  Unity.  That’s what it is all about!  When that many people, youth for that matter, can join together in song, in praise to our King, that is when mountains move.  

On a little sidetrack from the blog….

I was reading in 2 Chronicles today and happened upon the passage that speaks about Jehoshaphat going to war.  Check this out…(bold, underlining, and italics added.)

 15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

 18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.

 20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

 21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:

   “Give thanks to the Lord;
      his faithful love endures forever!”

 22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

 25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing,^[e] and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing,^[f] which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.

 27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.

 29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

I realize that it is a long passage, but catch this.  As a member of the worship team and a worshipper, this is a key thing for me to understand.  If all of the worshippers could catch this, oh my gosh.  We would be unstoppable. 

Notice the, “AT THE VERY MOMENT.”  There was no pause there.  It was instantaneous.  When we join in unity in praise, God acts.  By the end of this passage, the enemies basically killed themselves, and Israel had three days of plunder collecting.  How odd that we have three days left.  Just think about that…let me know whatcha think.  :)

This brings me back to tonight.  

Some major enemies were killed tonight.  Pastor Bill did a teaching on Hosea and how God used him and his life to create an accurate depiction of God’s love for us.  Originally, God instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute.  (Disclaimer for Bill, this was a thing that God ordered for that specific time.  Not now.)  Through the acts of this prostitute and her lack of faithfulness, God was able to reach Hosea’s generation with a live picture of His supernatural love. . . a love that transcended the thought patterns of that time.  When Gomer, Hosea’s prostitute wife, committed adultery against him several times and eventually left him, Hosea, under God’s orders, bought her back.  She was being sold, stripped naked, and ridiculed as her past lovers watched.  How humiliating.  Hosea demonstrated the love of Christ to her by buying her back.  

You may think you’ve done too much, said the wrong things, have already gone off the deep end, or have already jumped off the cliff, too far out of God’s reach.  Well kid, sorry to break it to ya, but you’re wrong.  If God could show his love through Hosea to a prostitute who had had two kids out of adultery and left her husband, nothing you have done, or ever could do could separate you from God’s love.  It says in Romans 8:35-39,

“35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^[n]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[o] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

He paid the price for your redemption.  You are never too far gone.  If God uses the earth as his footstool, his arm is long enough to reach you wherever you are, or perceive that you are.  Quit running. Let him pursue you.

After Bill discussed the story of Hosea, he used a powerful illustration to tell the story of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones, as found in Ezekiel 37:1-14:

“1 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

   “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

 4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

 7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

 9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

 10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’””

The Antioch drama team did a powerful drama that illustrated this beautifully, yet with extreme power.  After the drama, Bill had an altar call for those who feel that they’ve been a Gomer, someone who has been unfaithful to God and His call upon their lives, and to those who feel that they need to come to God to join with Him to fulfill their God-given destiny.  

As a band member, I had the privilege of seeing this whole thing happen from the stage.  Slowly they came at first.  Then before I knew it, there were probably 150-200 people down at the altar.  So many that Bill invited them up on the stage,  They were probably 5 or 6 people deep and they covered the whole front area of the stage.  It was here, at the place of ultimate repentance and surrender, that God was able to do a great work.  This reminded me of the passage in 2 Chronicles 20, where the armies fought amongst themselves and the Lord gave victory.  This is just the beginning of those armies of past hurts, addictions, wrong relationships, fear, depression, cutting, self-harm, and other hinderances being cast off, being destroyed.  Their stronghold on our lives is no more.  When we praise, we need to remember the weight of what we are doing.  AT THE VERY MOMENT Jehoshaphat’s army began to praise, the victory was there.  

When you praise the rest of this week, remember the power of your praise.  Expect those past strongholds to be released.  Expect a move of God.  Expect something good.  Be in expectation of what God wants for you this week.  Be attentive.  Don’t quench the Spirit.

See ya all tomorrow!

It began with a vision in 1983 and has never stop. It is no small task when you carry on a vision for 25 years. Over the years we have seen many lives impacted and ministries blessed through the vision of this conference and we can only honor our Senior Pastor, Dennis Slavens, for birthing this vision and enabling us to carry it thus far. We have come a long way in our efforts to expand the impact of this conference and we believe that our line-up this year has been orchestrated by God and will deliver a powerful series of sessions that will cause all to leave changed and free. 

This year it is truly our desire to see this generation be unleashed into their calling and purpose that God has intended for them. Please begin praying with us for a mighty move of God and forever-changed lives!

Ok, Youth Pastors/Directors/Volunteer Leaders/key ministry leaders we are putting together 2 luncheons for you during the week of the conference. 

—————-

(7-31) Thursday’s luncheon will be hosted by Bill Kirkpatrick, Student Ministries Pastor at Antioch Church and Conference Host. 

(8-1) Friday’s luncheon will feature Joel Stockstill, Youth Pastor of the nations largest youth ministry of 6,000+ in small group attendance. Learn from his experience and knowledge of the ministry. 

—————-

Register yourself and a couple of your KEY leaders for these luncheon.

We are very excited about the Speaker Line up this year. 

• Dominic Russo (International Speaker)
• Joel Stockstill (Youth Pastor of more that 6,000)
• Reggie Dabbs (Motivational Speaker)
• Bill Kirkpatrick (Conference Host)
• Dave Blackford
• Karla Blake

More details will come in a future post concerning when and where they will be speaking…

This is the official blog of Antioch Church’s 25th Annual Student Conference - UNLEASH.

——

It’s time we ‘UNLEASH’ this generation to fulfill their God-given destiny. Far too often circumstances and attitudes such as abandonment, deep wounds, loneliness, loss, pain, feelings of being average, and boredom hinder students from walking out that God-given destiny. God desires freedom for every individual so He can accomplish His will on this earth. Now is the time to cut the leash that holds us back and release the true power which God has granted. Our desire is to see every student ‘UNLEASH’ their God-given purpose through the Holy Spirit. This is why we create an atmosphere where students will experience progressive worship and authentic, dynamic teaching, which challenges them in their relationship with Christ. We also want to see Student Ministry Pastors experience a fresh vision and deeper passion for ministry. We look forward to seeing you at our 25th Annual Student Conference July 29 – August 1,‘UNLEASH’.

~Bill Kirkpartick: Conference Host