I didn’t have many expectations going into training camp. And let’s be honest, how great does staying out in the truly gruesome Georgia sun all day, sleeping in cramped spaces, and of course, bucket showers sound? I merely thought of it as a necessary hoop to jump through before I began my journey to Albania. But I was so, so wrong.
Training camp was exactly what I needed to go through before I entered the field. I truly had not realized the iceberg like amount of baggage I had on my shoulders entering training camp. But God is faithful. So faithful. Thankfully, He knew about this baggage, and He intended to set me free.
On Sunday, the men of each team (all 8 of us) took to the Georgia foliage for a hike. During the hike, we took a minute to talk about what it meant to be men of God. It was then that I realized how much my past sins still had a hold on me. How I was still living – or more accurately, dying – under their bondage. But on this day, in that minute, in the the midst of my brothers in Christ, God intervened. He came through, broke my chains, and set me free. I’m no longer a slave to sin.
Freedom. Pure freedom. For the first time in a very long time, I was free. Just like that. I felt like there was finally nothing in between me and God, nothing holding me back. I can finally dive into his arms with all that I am. And then, I was reintroduced to the Holy Spirit. Someone who is with us always. He’s a companion, a partner, and the source of intimacy with God. On the final night of camp, we were encouraged to ask Him to move in our lives like He never had before. And He didn’t hold back.
For those of you who know me, you know that I’m a rather unemotional person. I always say that on a scale of 1 to 10, my depressed is a 4, and my ecstatic is a 6. Well, last night, the Holy Spirit gave me joy. Not just happiness, real, authentic, overwhelming joy. You know that feeling when you jump into a freezing cold lake? That moment where you have to catch your breath and its eye opening, shocking, and refreshing all at the same time? That’s the way I felt when The Spirit came down on me. That night in worship, I was at a 10. The Holy Spirit invaded my heart, and I was dancing, crying, and laughing like a child all at the same time. It was like nothing I had ever felt before.
Training camp isn’t just to get together, meet your team, and get a taste of what life is like in the field. It’s also there to equip you to be ready for anything God throws at you. After training camp, I look at my future challenges with anticipation. I look forward to fighting for my King. I look forward to shouting His name from the mountains, filling the skies with His praise, proclaiming His Majesty to the nations. Nothing can hold me back from glorifying my God and King. Bring it on.
God bless!
Seth P
