YWAM LA INFUSION - A DAY OF TRUE FREEDOM IN HIS PRESENCE

Yesterday, I had the awesome privilege to speak at Youth With A Mission Los Angeles, in a summer ministry called Infusion.  I brought Derek, a dear friend I am mentoring, with me to share with these amazing young men and women.  They were so hungry.  We started out by praying for a spirit of purity to be released over us, and we began to speak and even shout out our anticipations for our time together as we sought the Lord.  See, I find that it is always better to just invite Him to be with you, rather than to merely speak about Him.  The Word says to ask for the Kingdom of Heaven to come and that His will be done right here, right now, on earth as it is already being done in Heaven.  You, in essence, become a steward of the atmosphere and power of His Kingdom wherever you go.

A TIME OF FREEDOM

I sensed that God wanted us to go into a time of thanksgiving.  A thankful heart intentionally postures our hearts in humility to prepare us for His presence like never before.  I mean it.  Try it!  It causes you to choose thanksgiving over unbelief, over pride, over fear, over the critical spirit, over cynicism, and any other lofty thought that would exalt itself above the knowledge of the truth of God for your life (II Cor. 10:5-7).  If you want to war for your mind, for your heart, for the right perspective to have over circumstances, situations, or even in relationships with others, then be intentional to purpose yourself to look up and connect with God with things that you are thankful for.  Now, before you know it, you may run out of known things to choose to be grateful for.  That is because you are still on the surface of revelation.  Stay there with a heart of thanksgiving, and ask Holy Spirit to reveal to you more things to be grateful to Him for.  That is when He is allowed to go deep into your heart, to reveal wounds, unanswered questions, issues with others, disagreements, disillusionment, regret, fear, and on and on.  He will bring you back to the days of situations that caused these things mentioned above to be carried around in your heart from day to day.  Then, He will show you how to be thankful for people you still hate, despise, never want to see again. That is when the real tension shows up, because you begin to defend your stance on things, when, at the same time, you sense His love over you drawing you to a sweet surrender of your very positions and judgments to Him.  Before you know it, you begin to understand that the barriers you have built up to protect you from others is the very prison you are trying to be freed from.

This is what happened yesterday... and then there was BREAKTHROUGH! From Thanksgiving, we went to massive repentance throughout the room, and people began to give up their positions, their wounds, their judgments, bitternesses, fear, suicidal thoughts, and other behaviors they participated in to protect their hearts.  We were living Isaiah 61:1-4, MOMENT BY MOMENT.  See, God's way is just better.  He doesn't give you coping mechanisms to self-medicate.  He heals you, sets you free, and gives Himself to you in the most real way you can possibly imagine.  He is not religion, and His love is not even debatable, unless you have never experienced His love.  Many had not experienced this love until yesterday.  Before I knew it, people were being delivered, and then after their freedom experience in His presence, they would then turn around and begin praying and prophesying over others as if they had been free for years!  Instantaneously, freedom in one would unleash hunger for freedom in others.  One would confess his/her own sin and struggle, and at that moment, would choose Christ over the lies, and would make a new commitment right there.  We would rally all around, speaking declarations of TRUTH over their lives.  As soon as one was FREE, then there were many many others trying to be the next one to confess their sins in order to receive and know the FREEDOM they just witnessed before them.  By the end, 3 hours later, these beautiful people began to boast of how they were bound in sin and imprisoned by fear and orphaned in identity, but "Jesus saved me today".  "Jesus healed my heart today."  "I was addicted to porn, but I want everyone here to know, that I am free this day!  I have been set free, He has forgiven me, and all I want to do is know this freedom more and more, and to give His love away!"  Revelation 12:11 says that "They overcame the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony...", and I could not agree more.  The atmospheric shifted from things like religion, fear, suicide, lust, and unbelief at the beginning to an atmosphere of love, joy, excitement, FREEDOM, and hearts of evangelism for others to know His freedom.

MINISTRY SUMMARY

Jesus Christ is not philosophy, a debate, a religion.  He really is who He says He is, and He really loves us like He says he loves us.  His presence is the greatest gift He could ever give us.  This is because everything we have ever been designed to dream up about love, acceptance, value, safety, comfort, rest, sonship, identity, freedom, peace, and true joy can all be found in His manifest presence.

Oh God, thank You for Your PRESENCE!

Your son,

Kenny