As Julie and I stood in front of a small group of high schoolers and older middle schoolers I was struck by the passion to see this generation understand their identity "in Christ" and walk out their God-given destiny. I am not sure when it happened but there has been a growing shift in my heart, from my life and what God has for me to those who are coming after me. As a person who has been more shy and quiet much of my life, I did not look to become a leader often I have been more content to be a follower. Yet I find myself in my mid-40s in leadership positions to influence and encourage those around me. As I looked across these young faces, the Holy Spirit was giving me a sense of the challenges, difficulties, and pressures they face. Yet a growing passion and desire grew in my heart for them to walk out their truest identity, throwing off the hindrances of what others think and the lies that would seek to take them away from their dreams and destinies. As I listen to our president insist that we must take military action against a radical Islamic group (ISIS) who is brutally murdering so many in it's path, I am struck that these young people face an increasingly conflicted, broken, and dark world. Yet, Jesus sent His disciples out in the same way, like sheep among wolves expecting that through the power of God they would rock the world. And they did. Over 2,000 years later the world is still talking about the movement that was initiated by Jesus on the earth and carried by a group of uneducated and simple people. The Spirit of God on someones life is a majority in the darkest and most difficult of circumstances. Could you imagine if these 8 teens carried the Presence of God with them in increasing measures for the rest of their life how heaven could invade earth. And there is not a time on the earth when we need heaven to invade earth, especially when we look at the statistics of crime in the world, the rise of sex trafficking, deep poverty, violent groups of terrorists, 150 million orphans, nations invading other nations, some nations embroiled in civil war, and so much need everywhere. Yet the Spirit is being poured out on the earth as we are seeing more Muslims coming to Christ in the last 50 years than all of history combined, healings happening on all 7 continents, documented resurrections in over 80 countries, many Jews coming to know Jeshua, revival on all 7 continents, and a tremendous hunger for God across the world. If I focus on the darkness I will become ever increasing disillusioned, angry, frustrated, and eventually hopeless. But if I see what Jesus saw in His day, "look up the fields are white for harvest". It is the desperate need, brokenness, and problems that often signal it is time for harvest. But we must see with heaven's eyes, God is not intimated by the world's problems or without a solution. The world is not interested in our religion but is very interested in a God who brings hope, love, solutions, and freedom. In my earlier days of Christianity I often did not feel comfortable in church because it seemed that everyone was fine and in control of their lives, while I felt desperate to know a God who would heal me, love me, and father me into my destiny. I preferred to be behind closed doors in a counseling office where people would share their true hunger, desperation, and brokenness. Somehow in their hunger and desperation I saw hope to experience God who could bring life to the dead, would love the unlovable, would overcome the impossible and could transform the darkest of situations. Among the religious at that time I often found people who hid by behind being "fine", in control, having it all together, and like God was simply an addition to their satisfactory lives. The turning black hole of need within my own heart never allowed me to be comfortable in this crowd. Would the young people before me settle for the complacency of religion as simply an addition to their already "fine" lives or would they become ignited with passion for the God of love, redemption, hope, power to do the impossible. This urgency of heart was so strong, I wanted to be able to grab them and somehow have them understand the deep passion within my heart. After living 45 years on this earth, counseling people in every situation for 18 years of my life, and being a student of people's lives for years I know that any paradigm short of the manifest Kingdom of God will not be enough for the darkness they will face. They may be safe within Christian families, a safe school, church, and suburban communities but they will face the darkness and the suffering at some point in their life. Yet I long for a generation that has the boldness to run straight into the darkness, knowing that in the darkness is where the light shines most brightly. Now I understand why the enemy seemed to working more intensely on my mind that I didn't need to invest in this group, that it wasn't really as important as facing those who are in crisis on a daily basis. Our orphan planet is crying out for a revelation of the Father in the sons and daughters of God, who carry His heart, His grace, and His power to a dying world. This sounds like dramatizing it but the best dramatic cinema cannot top what it is being played out on the world stage. As I read portions of Romans 8 to this wonderful group of young folks, it was as if I could hear the groaning of the earth that is written about on these pages. It's not new governments, products, technology, or even more religion that is needed, it's sons and daughters of God who know Father's heart intimately and carrying an undying love for people and transformation. Most who know me would agree, I am not one for hype but I believe we need more drama/hype to wake up this next generation of young ones to step into their God-given identities no matter what the cost so that the Spirit will be poured out on all flesh.
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