Download the NEW Rise App today!
On Friday, November 2, we finished our first official week of DTS (Discipleship Training School). We can’t believe we have only been here for two and a half weeks, but believe us when we say that these last two weeks have been both challenging and full of healing.
This past week we have learned, dug deeper and applied the theme of “Hearing God’s Voice”. If you don’t believe God speaks to you, think again.
Ashley:
Just thinking about these last two weeks here my heart swells with gratitude. Last week’s theme, Hearing God’s Voice, made me a little nervous but I was ready to jump in. It’s crazy how once we get out of our own way it’s easier to hear from the Lord. I always knew I could hear from God but I think I was so focused on what I thought he would say to me instead of actually waiting and listening. This last week I definitely got out of my own way and it was interesting to see how quickly I was able to hear from the Lord. We also learned about the different ways we hear from God, which clarified a lot of stuff.
I can already tell that this season of my life is going to be filled with heaps (the Kiwis say this A LOT) of healing and giving up control. I’ve struggled with giving up control my whole life. When it comes to my own life, I want to be in control of what happens. But coming to New Zealand in and of itself I believe was God’s way of saying let me guide you. And as scary as that probably sounds and it was at first, it has felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders.
I’m so stoked for what God is already doing and going to continue to do in us here at Marine Reach. Also we have met so many amazing people here from so many different cultures and backgrounds.
Kayla:
I have always known God speaks to me, but I always thought he did it in a different way than he actually does. I was putting God in my box and said this is the way he does it, this is how he speaks to me when it actually turned out to be so much more and so much greater than I ever thought. We were able to put what we were learning into practice throughout the week. Our favorite application was on the Thursday of last week. We all stood in two circles, an outer and an inner. The outer circle was turned away from the inner so that they couldn’t see who their partner was, we had to lean on The Holy Spirit completely. We prayed and asked for what God wanted them to know and, for most of us, within seconds God downloaded exactly what that person behind us needed to hear. We switched and did this a few times within a few minutes.
While the staff were praying for our school a few weeks ago they felt God place the word, accelerated, on this school and that is exactly what has already come into play. We did not come to this DTS to play around and waste time, most of us came with a fire in our hearts. We have been so ready and willing to jump in. The staff have even said that we have done things on the first day that most schools wouldn’t get to until week 3 and that is what happened during this past week as well. As challenging and nerve racking as it is to go through some of these lessons, we have all put our faith in God to carry us through.
This week we are talking about calling and identity. Yesterday we talked about our possible out reach locations. Ashley and I along with a few other students gave up our right of knowing the location and leaders leading the outreach and chose to solely lean on Jesus. For the medical stream, we have three choices so we will be praying and asking for confirmation on those. This pushes us to choose the one we feel God is putting on our hearts without being influenced by what staff are leading and what location would be exciting to visit.
We are learning so much and are so excited to share more of what God has been doing in New Zealand and in our hearts. Please continue to pray for us because the more we choose to serve God the more the enemy wants us to get distracted so be praying for protection over our hearts and minds as we continue because we don’t have time for his wasteful tricks.
Kia Kaha, Kia Maia, Kia Manawanui
(Be strong, Be steadfast, Be willing)
With so much love and thankfulness, Kayla and Ashley
Pastor Pete has challenged the congregation of Rise Community Church to journal (in whatever preferred fashion) and record revelations and convictions of the Holy Spirit. Doing so will make it harder to forget and keep us accountable.
Lately, I’ve really been wrestling with who God really is rather than the misconceptions I’ve created over the last 20+ years.
I’m no longer satisfied to limit my faith to “sin management” nor as a moral compass. What I’ve ultimately come to understand is that my relationship with God begins and ends with just that. I need to focus on spending time with Him without ulterior motives. That means I don’t want to only talk at Him. I don’t want to bring only my decisions before Him just to get His sage advice. I don’t want to only complain to Him when things aren’t going my way.
What I want, what I really really want, is Him and only Him. I want to enjoy Him in His Presence and just be together. I’ve come to realize that the ultimate point of our faith is just that relationship between God and ourselves.
The rest is just sugar.
We know the two most important commandments are to love God and love people. The ten commandments were boiled down to these because all the dos and don’ts that we’re so easily distracted by come naturally when you follow those main two. When you can simply and utterly love God and maintain that close relationship, everything else just comes naturally.
There’s no need to worry about our sins and ask for forgiveness just as many times.
There’s no need to worry about how others might judge us.
There will be no desire to compare our lives with others.
None of that matters when it’s just us and God. Everything pales in comparison to just being together.
He literally needs and wants to be closer than your best friend.
When I’m hanging out with my best friends, I don’t need to feel guilty for falling short of their expectations. They know me. I know them. We know each other’s intentions and goals. From time to time, of course, we have to reconcile between each other when something comes between us, but those times are few and far between. They become even less frequent when we realize that we can just let certain things go. Why even waste time revisiting an issue that neither of us is still hanging onto?
That’s what my ultimate desire is for my relationship with God. Well, that to the nth degree.
I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it.