Passion 2011

The summer of 2003 (summer after my freshman year of college) was life changing. For many reasons really, but one event in particular aided in my reformation. I was involved in a college ministry called The Well at ETSU. They were offering to take a certain number of students to the Passion One Day conference in Texas that summer. After researching it I realized it would be a conference filled with Christian authors, speakers, musicians, and more. God blew my mind when I was there. It was definitely a pivotal moment in my walk with the Lord. Two years later (2005), The Well was offering to take another bus load of students to Atlanta to the Passion 2005 conference. I went with expectations of having the same experiences I did two years prior - God showed up in a completely but still life altering way. (He likes to work in ways we least expect - which I love.) Upon graduating college and having a "big girl job" I have been unable to attend any other Passion conferences. And admittedly, I felt a little too old to be going since it is for college age students. This year I saw on my friend's facebook account that they were streaming Passion 2011 LIVE!!! I tuned in this morning to watch last night's session with Louie Giglio. He spoke about being free and fully alive. My heart and mind jumped at his words. I immediately retracted any previous thoughts about being too old for this. I just finished watching this morning's session with Beth Moore - wow! what a powerful woman of God! She spoke about knowing God's will for our lives and the renewing of our minds.

Let me just brief some of you who may not know about our break-in incident. In August of this year (just 2 months after moving in our new home) at about 4:30 in the morning we were broken into. One of the guys came into our bedroom. Long story short we were kept safe (only by the grace of God - this I am sure) and the perps ran away. However, later that morning they were all caught!! Ever since then I have led a life of fear - fear they would come back, fear that anyone would come back, I didn't feel safe anywhere...especially in my own home. These people don't even realize it, but I have allowed them to have power over my mind. NO MORE!!!

God really spoke to me through Beth Moore tonight. Here are a few things that I am confident of:
1. I have the right and capacity to decide how I'm going to think.
2. We must take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
3. There is NOTHING that has power over me (and you) that the Spirit of Christ cannot break.
4. I must have self-discipline to shut out every other voice and listen to God - the One and only thing that matters.
5. Think a new thought about an old situation. It will diffuse the power it has over you.

As I lay prostrate in my bed with tears overflowing I brought all of this to God and asked him "how?" And He told me that it can only be done through Him. I know I cannot get rid of this fear on my own accord - it must be done and can only be done through the Holy Spirit of Christ.

I encourage you to tune into and watch the replays of Passion 2011. You never know what God will say to you.
http://www.live.passion2011.com/
http://www.268generation.com/2.0/splash5.htm