SO much has happened since spring break and I am completely in awe of the Lord and His power and faithfulness! People have been saying it, and it's happening: THERE IS A REVIVAL!
God's presence is so overwhelming, thick, and tangible. His Spirit is everywhere. The enemy is at his prime, attacking us because he knows that we are a huge threat. We are speaking powerful words in Jesus' name building up the Kingdom and Satan is shaking in fear because of it!
The Sunday after spring break, CHOP started. CHOP stands for Campus House of Prayer and it is a 24 hour a day prayer time for an entire week. We had a room set apart and set up as a place for people to go pray and just spend time in the presence of God. People signed up for one hour shifts all week to make sure that there was always someone there at all hours of the day/night praying. Even though we only signed up for 1 hour a day, many people ended up spending several hours there, and some even spending the night up there. It was incredible. Needless to say, CHOP was amazing and God was very present!
That Thursday after spring break, during CHOP, I went to the Thursday night worship service at Indiana Baptist (which is where I have been going to church) and as I was sitting there, I found myself praying for Foundation and the people that are a part of it. Then I realized that the names I was lifting up were not part of Foundation. So then I just broadened my prayer to the different organizations like the Wesley, Paradigm, Overflow, and other groups around Lubbock. I was just praying for God to reveal Himself through these people and for Him to give them courage and wisdom as we all face the opportunities he puts in front of us, even if we are mocked and persecuted. I did not think I was praying for anything specific, just a broad prayer for all of the people across Lubbock... well, it turns out that I WAS praying for something specific, something that would take place later that night.
After the Thursday night services let out, a group of about 50 college students went out to the Depot District in Lubbock which is where most of the bars and clubs are that a lot of college students go to on Thursday night because Thursday night is college night. 50 people from different organizations all met as ONE BODY OF CHRIST. They broke up into small groups and went around just doing whatever they felt led by God to do.
Some went to Wild West and prayed over the entire place while enduring the laughs, pointed fingers, and straight persecution. Some stood outside of the bars, praying for God to bring them someone. For one group who was standing outside, a young man names Marcos was kicked out of the bar and came out right where this group was standing. They got to talking and the guys told Marcos that they were just there doing what God wanted them to do. They asked why he got kicked out and Marcos said he didn't even really know, that it was for no reason. One of the guys outside responded with "No, you were kicked out for a reason. God had you kicked out so you would come out here where we were waiting and praying for you outside"
He was completely overwhelmed by this and wanted whatever it was these guys had...which was the love and power of God. Marcos ended up staying with this group of guys the rest of the night, walking around the Depot, praying and talking to people about Christ. He has now been hanging out with these guys and developing his own relationship with God.
Others went to Whataburger and just sat down and talked to people. A few of the people they talked to didn't open up, but others were moved to tears by the end of the conversation. All of these stories were pretty incredible.
I didn't know about anyone going to the Deopot until Friday morning when some of my friends that went out there told me about it and shared their stories. I was taken aback by their stories and the movement of God and all that was being done in His name!
Talking to different people the next day was absolutely amazing. Those who went to the Depot, those who were at CHOP, those who just went to bed early, were ALL fully aware of the presence of God. Things kept happening and coming up and there was so much affirmation of what was going on. The verses I was led to were out of 1 Peter 5:8-9
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your fellow believers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
This obviously went side by side with what happened Thursday night. Other people were led to these same verses and we were all doing different things, at different times, and at different places, but we all strongly felt the Holy Spirit and were led to the same thoughts, ideas, verses, etc. For some people it happened while they were at the Depot, others it was at CHOP, and for my friend Cassie, it was 2 hours she spent sitting in her car just tearing apart the Word, being moved so strongly by these verses and others that she read. Everything went together and it has all come down to this: God is here; His Spirit is with us; spiritual warfare is all around us, but our God is faithful and so much more powerful! And finally...the revival is HERE!
This is just a little taste of what the past 2 weeks have been like in Lubbock.
I'll try to write some more this weekend about everything. God has really shown Himself in big ways the past 2 weeks and this movement and revival isn't slowing down.
And this is one favor I ask of those who read this:
Please lift us up in prayer as we continue to go where God leads us and put ourselves out on the line for Him.
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim in clearly, as I should."
Colossians 4:2-4
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