He's calling me, drawing me away...

So, second day of class. I was going to write yesterday, but shoo! We were busy! Okay so to sum it all up in one word-Stellar. Yeah that would just about do it.

Today we had our first chapel, and Corey Russell spoke, but, before he delivered his message, he gave us a few pointers on prayer room etiquette, cause at 6:00 am, it can sometimes get tough to stay awake and stay connected! Here are his four tips;

1) ROCKING! No, Lou Engle didn't invent it-you can do it too! Get your rock on!

2) Pacing. But you should know, as he so kindly pointed out, pacing has it's own set or rules. First please -PLEASE- don't get in anyone else's "highway". And secondly there is a 10-15 minute time limit on pacing-you can't pace for an hour and a half cause then the next poor sleepy person doesn't get a chance!

3) Repeat the phrases. Open your mouth, speak the words, power is released when you speak it.

4) Create a prayer list.

So for those of you who have been in the prayer room, you know why number one and two are practical, yet kind of funny. Corey had us all rolling about prayer room etiquette! And for those of you who have never been in the prayer room, you are SO missing out! So hurry down (or up, or over, what ever it takes)

One of the things Corey talked about was being called into the wilderness. A reality i feel i have been facing this summer.

Hosea chapter 2 is a story, of being drawn into the wilderness. How the Lord calls us out of this world into the wilderness so that we can find Him, and know Him. So He can take full possession of our hearts.

"I will betroth you to me forever; i will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord." Hosea 2: 19+20

Starting about mid March, i have felt attacked in every possible area of my life. Literally from friends, to my job, to my marriage, even my faith, i have had one struggle and then the next. Leading to feeling totally abandoned and dejected this summer (which i wrote about in earlier posts)

I fell into a depression and felt like the whole world was against me, while still trying to cling to some small hope.

My hope was God's restoration in my life. His promise.

See, when everything started happening, and everything in my life that could be shaken was, i felt God whisper to me. Saying that He was allowing me to be torn down from the lofty place i'd built for myself; From thinking that i was somehow better than others. From thinking i was always right, that i knew the best way. From thinking that my outward beauty was what attracted others to me. From thinking that i was meant to be someone great.

God allowed me to be torn down...So that He could build me back up.

So that He could restore me.

God takes us out of the world to be with Him, but what good does it do if the world is still in us?

Just like how when He took the Israelites out of Egypt they got out in the wilderness and found they were still carrying Egypt with them! An 11 day journey, turned it a 40 year stay in the desert. He took them out of Egypt, but then He had to leave them in the wilderness so He could take Egypt out of their hearts. (Deuteronomy 8)

The sad truth is, we would rather be slaves in Egypt, then free men in the wilderness.

But why does He call us out into the wilderness? Why does He allow everything we know to turn to dust around us? Because it is there, He prepares us for the plan that He has for us. It is in the wilderness that He meets with us.

God says "Great! You've found your calling! Now i'm going to bring you out into the wilderness to prepare you for it!" (Corey Russell)

More important than what you do, is who you are.

Who are you to God? Who are you in the secret place?

He strips away the world, leaving us naked before Him, so that He can take what remains of our hearts and mold it into who He wants us to be.

I have been broken. Rejected. Hurt. Betrayed. And brought lower than i've ever been before.

Now i'm waiting on God to lead me into the wilderness and restore me to the one He's called me to be.

The one since the dawn of time that He has been dwelling on.

The one He created me to be.

Here we go.

The wilderness is calling.