You might be confused by the title of this blog. Don’t worry, you aren’t missing some key piece to my story, I’m talking about training camp that new World Racers are attending right now, at the office.
There’s a buzz in the air, excitement looming around every corner, tents posted up in tent city, and hammocks in all the trees they can find to place hammocks. It’s a really neat thing to see, being on the other side of my race, knowing how far they’re going to go. How much they’re going to grow, and all they’ll learn while working with different ministries around the world. They are hungry. They are worshipers. They are willing. They are life changers.
I was worshiping with them on Sunday, such beautiful people. As we sang Set A Fire by Jesus Culture, “I want more, and more, and more, of you,” Jesus told me He wanted more of us. We want Him, but are we willing to give ourselves to Him fully? I started speaking it over a person He asked me to share the word with and I couldn’t stop speaking.
He wants more of YOU. You say you want more of Jesus but that means giving yourself more to HIM. He wants the dark parts of you, the parts no one else wants, the parts you don’t even want to admit you have. He wants the deepest darkest secret you’ve been holding onto for years. He wants it. What kind of father would want that? Yours does. Your Father wants to know the most intimate details of your soul so that He can redeem them. So you don’t have to live with shame any more. Giving them up to your Father means telling people about it, because you know you aren’t that person, you’re loved no matter what you’ve got hiding in your inner most being.
As I was leaving that night, worship was still in full swing. I walked up the hill smiling at the words these racers were declaring, seeking, wanting so desperately to find. I couldn’t just hear those who had a microphone in front of them. I could hear racers screaming out for Jesus. Let’s scream out for Jesus. Let’s practice giving God more and more and more and more of us. Because the more we give Him ourselves, the more He can fill in those holes we uncover. The more He fills in those holes, the more we’ll overflow with His joy and love.
Redeem: verb.
to make up for; make amends for; offset (some fault, shortcoming,etc.)