YC08 - I Will Fight For the Heart Of My King

Wow.

I've been to lots of youth conventions and lots of camps over the years and they are always good, but this one blew me out of the water. It was awesome.

I really took advantage of the worship time. Lately I feel like there is so much on my plate that if God doesn't give me the strength, I can't do it on my own. This coming week in particular, He just has to be more than enough for me. The thing is, during worship the last 36 hours, it was compounding - got better and better. Planetshakers lead, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with the overall awesomeness, but honestly they aren't my most favorite band of all time or anything. But God really showed up and lives were changed, including mine.

The last guy who spoke was Rick Lorimer, director of student missions at the National Youth Office. That's AG speak for a guy in the big office in Springfield who works with teenagers and manages missions programs; ie Speed the Light, AIM trips, etc.

Anyway, he spoke about the lost, and really having a heart for hurting people. He told a story about a guy fighting for Scotland, who carried his dead kings heart's ashes in a locket around his neck, that he had aligned his life with his dying king's wishes. Apparently this warrior died in battle, fighting for his king's cause. Of course, Rick told the story much more eloquently than that, with really cool 'Braveheart' type music playing throughout the story and then altar call. His point of action was to stand up (when you felt lead) and to yell out "I will fight for the heart of my king!". The idea is that God's value, especially on lost people, would be your value.

I can't even describe how amazing it was when he turned us loose. It started a little slow at first. You'd hear one guy, on the other side of this huge sanctuary (almost stadium sized), scream out "I will fight for the heart of my king!!" in a war cry type manner. A ripple effect began, as all over the stadium people would begin to stand and cry out for their God. It was never in unison, as one would begin, another would be ending, like popcorn in a pan on the stove. All kinds of voices, young and old, strong and soft, passionate and bold. It was so amazing. And yet, it took real courage on each person's part, to yell out in the middle of this service.

Especially for me. I don't know why I have no trouble talking to anybody about anything else, but sharing my faith and witnessing in an unsafe environment is always difficult for me. I'm such a loud person, and I always have wanted to change that, but yesterday I discovered that it's who I am, and as long as I'm loud for Jesus, that's ok. :) So I took a deep breath, stood up and yelled at the top of my lungs that I too, would fight for the heart of my King. What better cause is there?

It was so amazing, I wish I could show you a video of how cool it was in my mind. I imagined we were all in a battlefield, and God was calling us to war. He knows it's going to be a long and tough fight and sometimes it may very well look and feel like we are outnumbered. And living conditions may be substandard, they often are in times of war. And we will get discouraged, and downtrodden, but will we fight anyway?? I raise my fists and say YES, He can count on me to give my heart to fight for His cause.

After we each declared our battlecry, we ran to the altars, I'm talking thousands of students and leaders on their knees, weeping and worshiping, without any music, only the song of students voices as they too declared their loyalties to the King of Kings.

The moments that took place on our knees at the altar were some of the sweetest of my life. God is so good. I got so convicted about my complacency with my jobs at church and my nice little world and not stepping out in faith. I know that my life needs to SHOUT Jesus to people. I live in a lost and dying world, and keeping this life preserver around my neck only to save myself is not cutting it.

So after convention, with no makeup - cause it all slid off my face during worship - we went to Chili's with our kids. I did my very best to build relationship with the waitress throughout our lunch. When we were done, I sucked it up and asked if we could pray with her over anything in her life. She was delighted and asked that we would pray for a career for her. And we stopped and did it right there, and I could tell by the shine in her eyes that it meant a lot to her.


And you know what?



it didn't even hurt.