Pick Up Your Swords And Prepare For Battle

Sometimes a before and after picture does more than remind you of your past. It highlights a piece of your future.

This weekend was the Arise women's conference at World Revival Church, and it was probably my favorite one yet. All of the speakers were on point with their messages, and Julianna Zobrist was a straight up blast. (Random dance party FTW!) I could go on and on about the wonderful weekend, but one thing hit me pretty hard, and it's kinda silly.

The Arise conference includes a photo booth, complete with goofy props and sparkly hats. After lunch, a couple ladies I just met and ate with asked me to join them for a shot. I grabbed my props, and while I was waiting on them to decide, I got a solo shot holding two swords.

But then, someone mentioned a meaning I hadn't realized.

The picture on the left is from 2015 and the one on the right is this year.

In 2015, I was in my second quarter at WRSM. As time would soon tell, I was pretty weak. I had a sword but didn't understand what that meant or how to use it. That's why there isn't a 2016 sword picture. I laid down my weapon and walked away from it for a while. I didn't realize what power I had access to at the time, and it is saddening to think about where I'd be now if I had avoided distraction instead of falling victim to it.

Thankfully, that's not where the story ends.

Now, I have a sword in each hand, not just plastic ones. As graduation approaches, I am more equipped spiritually and have a little better idea how to use it. Especially this quarter, I feel like new weapons are being placed in my hands, and let me tell you, it's nothing I ever expected of myself. My teachers are pushing us to really dig in and start figuring out how God wants to use us. They have been pushing us to sing, speak, write, and prophesy, which is all completely terrifying to me. I'm content serving behind the cameras, so having to preach in front of one is scary. But as much as I wanted to skip class and try to get out of the assignment, I did it, and then saw the words I spoke come to life not even 12 hours later. Little things like that are giving me the confidence boost that I think is visible in the second picture.

I'm not the only one being equipped and trained right now. I see so many women stepping up right now and I love it. A group of us started a book club, and our first selection talked about other people's success not taking away from ours, but rather raising the level of the whole squad. The old me would've been jealous seeing others be used in new ways, but now I see it as a blessing for all of us. After discussing the book, a few of us stuck around to talk more, and it turned into an amazing, encouraging time of prayer and prophetic words over each other. When Rachelle first turned to me and asked me to speak over her, I won't lie, my first thought was to distract and run. I kid you not, the sign over her shoulder inside the coffee shop said "I think you should go for it," so I did and it was a cool moment and kept the flow going for a while.

If there is anything that I've learned lately, it's that the voices telling me I can't do something are my biggest problem. I second guess myself and talk myself out of so much, it's silly. Not long ago, I felt like I should fill the gas can in my car and have my coworker put it in his car. I talked myself out of it, thinking he would say no to any help, like he normally does. What happened? He ran out of gas not half a mile away from the store. That moment really opened my eyes to the fact that I'm not without the ability, I'm without the willingness to take a risk and that needs to change. So I'm working on getting out of my comfort zone and listening to the Holy Spirit better. Who knows how many opportunities I missed in the past, but I can't afford to continue down that path. The world can't afford it.

As I write this, I was listening to "Strike the Ground" from Azusa Now on YouTube, but it switched clips to one by Rick Pino. I just heard the words, "I'm telling you the earth is about to experience a generation of people who know who they are because they know who their God is, and our God is Yahweh. And he is the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." I was already planning to take this post in the direction of warfare, but that just cemented it (especially considering the song is "You're an Army" and I was going to use a line from that song as the caption on the new sword picture. God is really cool about confirming things!!)

One of the prayer warriors Sunday morning even spoke over me "You're God's warrior girl" and I feel like that is more true now than ever before in my life.

War is on our doorstep, so it's time for the army to rise and prepare. For the sake of backing that should up (Thanks Julianna Zobrist!), here's your scripture. Ephesians 6:10-13 says, "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm."

Pick up your swords and learn how to use them now. You are about to need every spiritual weapon you have.

"Oh the weapons of our warfare, they are mighty through our God."

A Message To The Ladies: It's Time To Arise

A couple people asked me to write down what Pastor Kathy had me share with the women last night for those who missed it. Considering how much my computer is acting up as I try to write this, someone else definitely needs it.

This all started with my inability to sleep, which is all too common anymore. I decided I'd read for a bit and just skip women's group to rest. I reached out and grabbed "Lioness Arising" by Lisa Bevere, but didn't make it very far. On the first page of the second chapter, there is a quote:

"If ever there would come a time when the women of the world come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a force such as the world has never known." - Matthew Arnold, 19th century British poet & philosopher

I read that and immediately thought of how things are changing at WRC. After reading the chapter, I took a picture, sent it to Pastor Kathy, and thought I was going to sleep. Wrong. PK asked me to read it to the ladies and suddenly I was wide awake feeling just how important this is right now.

We are coming out of the Arise Women's Conference, which was pretty incredible and I wasn't even around for all of it! I remember sitting in the control room hearing our media master, David Belich, say, "There is something different about this conference. I'm not even involved in it. I'm just around and it feels different." I shared that comment with Heather Eschenbaum and she hit the nail on the head: the unity made it more powerful.

But this isn't just the women of World Revival Church getting on the same page. There were more than 500 women at this conference. Ladies came from around the country and around the world and joined together with the same goal of chasing after God together. That unity isn't staying in Kansas City. The women who came took it home with them, along with a fresh fire. Becky Tuttle mentioned something later in the meeting that had passed through my mind during the day. There is strength in numbers. There is protection in linking shields with others. (If you've ever seen the show "Vikings" on the History channel, you know what I'm talking about there.) Our shields are wrapping around the world.

While I was speaking to the group, I shared a bit of what's been going on with me lately. I really had no intention of it and I didn't explain the bunny trail that led me to it. While I was standing beside PK and in front of the women, another line from the chapter came to mind. Bevere writes,

"Here is some of what I know about Heaven's daughter. She is lovely, intelligent, and capable. Her life is connected rather than isolated. She is loved by God and hated by Satan. She is oppressed worldwide by both subtle and obvious means."

As I looked out at the faces in front of me, "Her life is connected rather than isolated" jumped into my mind.

That is exactly where I've been living for the past 4-5 months.

I made a mistake and people close to me weren't shy about expressing their unhappiness with me. The invitations to hang out dropped off. I felt unloved and unwanted, so I protected myself by building an island. I stopped trying to be around people. I even told a couple people, yeah, it can be lonely, but there is no drama and I can do whatever I want, so I like it. My isolation kept getting more pronounced. If I wasn't on camera, chances are I wasn't in service either. I fell right into where the enemy wanted.

The breaking point came the Tuesday before the Arise Conference. My best friend, (yes, that one that I wrote about cutting off not long ago.... I'm a sucker for those I care about) called me and said they didn't want me to contact them for the foreseeable future. I was crushed. After crying it out for a couple hours, I grabbed my Bible and read for a while. A peace washed over me that this would be a good thing for us both. No matter how much you love someone, there is a point where you can't help them anymore and you're only hurting yourself by trying. Taking some time apart would give us both time to grow and step into who God is calling us to be. I laid there in bed that Tuesday and said, "Ok, God.... That was my last connection. I'm completely on my own now, but I just read about being together with the body. If it's time for me to come out of this isolation period, make it obvious."

Ask and you shall receive.

The next day, I felt like I should stay for the women's group, which I hadn't done before. I ended up in a group with two women I kinda knew, but never really talked to as the whole group became "salt sisters," I really connected with Leilani and immediately after we were dismissed, she asked me to lunch in a few days. I didn't tell her (until now) that she was the first answer to my prayer. One by one, all these girl dates started popping into my schedule.

I know I'm not the only one who is struggling and finding it's easier to live in isolation. If you are reading this and it's you, the time of being alone is over. It's time to step back into the body and get ready for what is about to happen. Be intentional. Let go of the resentment, bitterness, anger and hurt and jump back into the joy. Yes, it is hard, but I'm working on it right there with you. I went to hug Jacque during the conference and she immediately told me, "There is no waiting period between messing up and coming back. You pick right back up where you left off." It hit me so hard that I wrote it in my journal the second I got back to my seat. That word isn't just for me. Someone else out there needs to jump back in the race and start running again. We can feel the revival bubble is about to burst over us in a whole new way. You have to be there to be a part of it. Women are going to play a big role in this next wave and we need strength in numbers. Lionesses live and hunt in packs, so it is time for us to start doing the same.

If you aren't isolating yourself, look around. Notice who is missing and encourage them to come and be a part of what's coming. Notice who is fading away and reach out to them. Simply asking someone how they are doing or inviting them to do something will help. This doesn't need to be within our own friend groups. Unity isn't a bunch of cliques that aren't fighting. We all need each other. That's why Pastor Kathy is having us get into tiny groups and connect. We need people in our lives that don't fit nicely into our comfort zones. We need everyone's strengths and perspective in order to see the whole picture and be successful.

Bevere writes that she thought her dream meant she was the lioness, but later realized it is all the women of God. We have to step up together.  Like Arnold said, we need to come together simply for the good of mankind. What better good is there for mankind than the hope and life we receive through Jesus?! We carry a power inside us that we can't fully understand, but it is a force the world has never known. Women have been labeled as catty and fought each other for pretty much forever. It's time to shut down that stigma and show what the power of God can really do around the world.

Now is the time to get ready. Bevere writes, "Even the lioness knows she must stretch before she attempts to pounce." That got me thinking about how we will have to step out of our comfort zones as this next move happens. I prayed for God to start stretching me to get me ready, and not three hours later I had a microphone in my hand. (Which is totally not where I see myself, so that was quite strange.) Be praying for the open doors and that we are all ready to walk through them and face what's on the other side.

Last year, Pastor Steve said, "The lion has roared" and the weight of it really struck a lot of people. Well, now it's time for the lioness to get up and join him to hunt down the enemy.