First Month Back on the Road

"I've never seen that before . . ."

Listen to what God has been doing! Within the first month of road team ministry, one of our revivalists said, "We had another 'I've never seen that before' moment. The pastor walked up and stopped me in the middle of my message on forgiveness. He took the microphone and asked the church for forgiveness in three areas."

The next night, the church spontaneously spent two hours in open confession, sharing, and prayer. These are a sample of the transparent confessions that were shared:

• I want to take off the mask and say that I'm a hypocrite.
• When you said tonight that your idols will be passed down to your children, that hurt, because my dad was a workaholic. I'm a workaholic. I work or watch game films. It's more important to me than spending time with my family. I can't tell you the last time I've seen my parents or grandparents, and they live 20 minutes away. I prepare maybe an hour for my college Sunday school class, and spend 60 hours a week prepping for a high school game.
• I'm hypocrite #2. I teach Sunday school, I'm a deacon, yet I come unprepared in my heart. I'm sorry for my stiff neck and grieving the Spirit.
• Seventeen years ago, God called me to minister. But that became my god. As I got involved in helping children, I didn't have time to love my husband like I should. I've confessed that to him and to God, and asked for a restored love for him.
• I love my family more than I love God. I love my girls so much. But I'm not doing things I'm telling them to do. I'm lazy, and busy too. For that I need God's forgiveness. I don't treat my husband with respect, and I think it's because I'm funny, but it's not. I apologize to him.

The last night of the summit, people continued to confess and ask forgiveness for their adultery, battle with pornography, bitterness, hypocrisy, and the like.

One woman shared:

As a wife and mom, I've been very controlling. On Sundays I get up here and tell you "God is good" after we yelled at each other the whole way here. Before the summit, I said to my husband, "If this revival doesn't change you, I want you out." But it wasn't him, it was me. I wasn't letting him lead our home. God convicted me of that so strongly. For the first time in our married life, we have had family devotions. Everything is going great. As your secretary, and a praise team member, I need your forgiveness. Please pray that we will continue to grow together as a family.

Praise God for exposing sin, freeing captives, and giving grace! We pray that He will continue to transform lives and revive His church in the light of His presence.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God" (John 3:19-21).

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