Battle Lines.

On Sunday we had a gathering of the leaders. And Lillian talked about revival and asked us what revival really meant for us.

To be honest, I didn't really had anything going in me concerning revival. Only until recently did God break thru the dam, releasing trickles of water. Little by little the water flowed, as cracks appeared on the dam.

It's little, but the water is flowing.

God is doing something in my heart that goes beyond me. Something that cannot be generated humanly.

Last week at the youth service, Pastor Ben talked about revival, and why revival terries. He gave an altar call for people to respond, to be willing to be used by God for revival. I was one of the last to respond to this altar call, I didn't want to respond just because everyone else was responding; I had enough of faking my faith for the approval of others. I took time to think, to ponder on what God really wanted from me.

It was between me and God. No one else.

I had to make sure that my heart was upright. And at that moment, God spoke to me regarding my parents - broken, tossed about in the storms of life that offered no peace. They must be rescued from a life of meaningless, of hopelessness. And I responded, and allowed God to do His work in my heart.

And at the leader's meeting, I was reminded of this broken generation.

My heart really goes out for this broken generation, but time after time I really feel powerless. Powerless and seemingly unable to act. I can only pray, with tears and a deep sense of lost for them. Only God can reach them, only God can show them a love that this world can never offer.

Only God can be the Father to the fatherless.

It's amazing how God brought me into this journey. Today while on the way to meet a friend, I came across something that I was reading that struck a chord in me.

"The root cause of the great bulk of our societal problems is fatherlessness. Another word for it would be a lack of manhood, for the term "father" is the consummate masculine word. It is applied masculinity at its best. True fathering has very little to do with biology, but everything to do with responsibly caring for others. Whether a man has biological children or not, he is to be applying himself to fathering functions. But men in society today seem to be looking out more for themselves than others. That, my friend, is sorry manhood... and unworthy of the name."
~ Stu Weber, Four Pillars of a Man's Heart.

When Israel stood gazing upon the Promised Land, spies from each tribe were sent into the land. 10 spies came back with bad reports, reports of fear and faithlessness, and I'm sure their reports spread like wild fire across the entire Israelite camp.

Only 2 spies returned with faith and courage in their hearts, urging the nation to cross Jordan and claim what was their God-given land.

I stand at the banks of stormy Jordan.

Will I be able to find courage to put my feet into the waters? To cross and Jordan and to claim what is mine?

The battle lines are drawn - they've been drawn for generations. Many have come and many have fought in this great epic battle; saint-soldiers of old have stood at the edge and joined this great fray.

Will I be found among them?

Will I be able to believe in 500?