With our team, twenty-four communities this year experienced a measure of revival and a renewal of authentic Christianity. Souls were saved. Marriages were rescued. Families were restored. Whole churches were reconciled and transformed. In many lives and homes, the downward spiral was halted and reversed. The Lord has been wonderfully faithful! Following are a few of the amazing stories from this past year.
I prepared for revival like a bachelor prepares an evening meal: "Oh, it's time. I guess I'd better do something." But my lack of preparing didn't slow or stifle God. He showed up in a big way. He found me wretched and cleansed me. Sin that I had dabbled in for years was taken away, leaving not even a wisp of desire in my heart for sinning against God. Sin that was so secret my closest friends and even my wife were unaware of is removed, leaving a vacuum that God easily fills. I have been saved for nearly 20 years now, but it's as though, through these last ten days, I have learned how to be a Christian. My reconnection with God has been so intense that I don't want it to stop. I could sing of his love forever, I could pray without ceasing, and I will never be the same. Praise God!
When the Life Action team arrived, God found me holding on tightly to my thorn in the flesh as if it was my security blanket. I have wrestled with this lust for over 20 years and basically surrendered to the fact that it was not going away; I quit fighting and just lived with it. The Spirit wouldn't allow that to go unchecked, and He broke me. As I talked to the revivalists, their counsel was to confess this to my wife. I did at the very next service, and it was a sweet, sweet moment of forgiveness and renewal for my wife and me. As I confessed, she forgave, and the freedom we experienced was a great time of "tasting to see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8).
God found me unforgiving and bitter. He showed me I had never truly forgiven this man who wronged my dad. Since then, my dad hasn't had a single job. I forgave that man. I also gave everything back to God; I wasn't living for Him, and I had let my busyness affect my relationship with Him and didn't truly read His Word. God found me very bitter toward a friend. I gossiped about her and distanced myself from her. It was over a dumb thing--she took my varsity spot in track. I went up to her and told her how I was mean to her. She forgave me, and God gave me a sense of peace and happiness. He restored our friendship, and I am so joyful and happy, which I have not been for a long time. I want to start going deeper in my quiet times, along with memorizing verses, and to be bolder in my faith and to trust in God, for He is almighty.
The Lord convicted me of harboring so much bitterness, anger, judgment, pride ... against my husband. I had been unwilling to surrender it out of fear of disappointment and more pain. He moved me to confess these sins to my husband and seek forgiveness. The Lord convicted our home of doing the same thing--harboring grudges. Apologies were never spoken, forgiveness was never given! There was such a mountain of pain in our home. Since then we have had some family conversations about change ... about how we are going to love one another, how we are going to think of Jesus when we talk to each other and no longer let sin be shoved under the rug and blown over. Praise God!
I was found lonely, "in charge," and desperate. However, I did not realize this to be so. I had tried so hard to keep it all together that I had neglected my first love, Christ. I've been raped, I have a son in and out of prison, my daughter was molested, my work has brought many legal challenges (due to my faith), and I have a son who was close to death for a year and continues to struggle, to name just a few. Yet I managed to believe God had a plan. As believers fell by the wayside, my loneliness and self-reliance increased. The Lord has brought me to a place of realizing that I have nothing and am nothing, and nothing has happened without Christ. I hurt, yet am thankful for this process.
I have been dealing with incredible grief and sorrow for a little over two years now, since my mom was tragically killed in a car accident. I have found it so hard to pray since then. This summit has convicted me (even though I knew before) that I can't push God away. Instead I need to embrace Him and get on my knees before Him and allow Him to heal me and my incredible pain from all of this. I'm not there all the way, but I know He is still working on me. Thank you for your sacrifice in this ministry and for your incredible heart for Jesus! May He richly bless the entire team!
Six weeks ago, my husband and I were heading into hard times with our marriage. I came across an old school friend. We began talking and hanging out. My husband didn't like my being friends with another man. Within a few weeks, after meeting with our pastor and having you come to our church, I realized I was having what you called a "social affair." The timing was perfect; we were at a make-it-or-break-it point in our relationship. The talk on roles of husbands and wives was what we needed. I thought I was a Christian before, but I truly have now given myself to the Lord. Our marriage is much better, and I have my daily reminders to get me through. The scariest part about my "affair" was that I wasn't looking for it or even trying to, but I realized later that's what it was. My husband has forgiven me. Most of all, God has forgiven me.
This has been the journey of a lifetime for me. I am 17 and was at a point in my life where I was starting to give up on God. He wasn't real to me anymore, and I thought that this was as good as it gets as far as having a relationship with Christ. I didn't want to come to the revival, but I decided to give it a chance. I gave up all the distractions that would hinder me in the next two weeks and said, "God, take my life," and He did. He flipped it upside down. I found myself fake and empty, but He changed that. I dedicated my life to Christ on the second Sunday, and by obeying God was able to purge myself of all the sins and issues that had kept me from getting close to my Father, Lord and Savior. I have NEVER felt this alive and free and on fire for God! Thank you, Life Action, you helped save my faith.
Three weeks ago, my wife told me that she no longer loved me because I wasn't the man she married. She agreed to stay with me under one condition, that I become a better person. Not having any idea how to do that, I attended the first Life Action service, and I felt like the message was written specifically for me. Because of the power of Jesus Christ in my life, I am well on my way to being the man that I want to become, and my wife and I have shared the happiest three weeks of our 15-year relationship. Thank you for being the message of Christ in a fresh and amazing way. Sometimes it takes a spiritual slap in the face to keep me on the right track, and I believe that Life Action was exactly what I needed.
This has been the most life-changing experience of my 35-year Christian life. The Life Action revivalist is such an example of a godly man. It meant so much, from the example of his humor to his commitment to family life and willingness to be open and honest and confront sin. My sole purpose for change is to please God. During these weeks, I have been given more courage to deal with sin, clear my conscience in relationships, and get closer to God. Thanks, I love you all. You are the real deal!
God has really convicted me about an addiction to pornography and for cheating on my wife. Yesterday, I confessed my sin of adultery to my wife. Even though she has not been coming to the Life Action meetings, God had been preparing her heart. She has decided to stick with me and help me to get the help I need. At this point, I really don't know what is going to happen, but I have hope for a real change.
I was recently sexually abused by someone continuously. I was too scared to do anything about it. I finally told my parents and my guidance counselors at school. But as time went by, I was still scared. Whenever a guy would even accidently brush my arm in passing in the school hallway, I would flinch and withdraw. I was mad at God this whole time. I was mad that He let this happen. I was mad He was allowing me to be scared. But Life Action helped me realize that He wasn't the one to blame. The reason I was scared was because I hadn't talked to God, and I desperately needed to. When I prayed, God told me to forgive the guy who did this to me. So the next day at school, I went up to him and told him he was forgiven. I still have bad memories of this, but now I know God is with me.
Two weeks ago, I was angry and bitter against God and myself. Several years ago I was watching my nephew when he died of SIDS. I could not forgive myself. One night you said, if you can't forgive, then you are putting yourself above God. I never realized this. I even had prayed, "Show me, God, that I did not do anything to cause this," and He sent me several signs. I ignored them, continuing to blame Him and myself. I never thought I would put myself above God, but that is what I was doing. I was able to, through these services, forgive myself and commit to continue working with children.
When I heard about your team coming to our church, I honestly thought, "Yeah, just what I need, another 'thing' to put on the calendar." I was feeling tired and overwhelmed with church-related activities. The night before I heard your first talk, we were hanging out with other couples from our church, talking about how ridiculous this "revival" was. How did they expect us to clear our calendars for two weeks? Now, tonight, my eyes well with tears of joy! What a blessing you have been in my life! I now see how full of pride my life was/is. I feel so ashamed for not thinking I could dedicate two weeks to God. I'm so thirsty for more. I feel forgiveness of my sins and I have a true (for the first time in years) relationship with Jesus Christ. Thank you, thank you, thank you! May God bless you and keep you!
A few nights ago, the revivalist talked about a clear conscience. Five years ago, before I was a Christian, I did thousands of dollars of vandalism. God was working on my heart that night, so I asked the revivalist for advice and prayer. The following day I went and asked for forgiveness and wanted to make restitution. They didn't give me jail time or make me pay them back, but instead they are allowing me to do community service to pay back the damage I caused. I hadn't gone and asked forgiveness because of the possibility of jail time and owing tons of money. I decided that if it was God's will for me to do prison ministry from the inside, that would be way more fulfilling than being on the outside with guilt and outside of God's will. I can't thank you guys enough for being such obedient vessels of God!
First, thank you for reviving the hearts of our children. Our son, age 5, has been in a rut, saying "I don't like church" or "Church is boring." Happy Heart City shook that right out of him! He is genuinely interested in the Ten Commandments, obedience, and prayer, thanks to the Holy Spirit leading your staff to be loving, kind, and fun! We've prayed for an openness in his heart, and we praise God He has used your delightful team to accomplish His work in our son. We will continue to pray and teach him. We also appreciate you reminding us of the biblical family model to forsake pride and live in obedience, putting God first every day. We needed it!
God found me thinking I was leading a pretty good life. I have had Jesus as my Lord and Savior since I was five. I am now 22 years old, and up until about five days ago, I had never really prayed, and I hadn't ever opened the Word of God. Since then, I have read and prayed every night, as well as meeting with Him in the morning and throughout the day. I have always given people my money and time, but I've learned God wants more of me; He wants me to become intimate with Him. Then I can lead the Christlike life and be the husband, father, son, neighbor, and friend He wants me to become. I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart, and I give Him everything in my life. I've said the words, "Not my will but Yours be done." Instant freedom and load off my shoulders! I can finally say I have a burning desire for the Lord and the Word of God that I have never had before. I pray that I continue to live in Him and that people see Christ in me.
I am an elder in this church. The Lord found me two weeks ago a prideful, prayerless, lazy, powerless Christian. I had lost my first love in the midst of working, service, evangelism, and going to church. But I really was not spending time with the Lord. He was not the center of my life. I had conscience issues that I have resolved or am in process of resolving. I was so convicted by my sin that I was horrified! I confessed as many as I knew and received forgiveness. The Lord is dealing daily with me in many areas. I have accepted the challenge to meet with the Lord each morning again, and I love that time. I have learned that I have to give Jesus everything, because I cannot do it alone. With God's help, I will continue to grow. I have begun to pray each day for my wife and take steps to be the spiritual leader of my family. Thank you for these two weeks.
Two weeks ago, God found me comfortably angry and bitter. Comfortable is the key word. The Life Action team didn't use empty words or just brush me off as some attention seeker. I got prayed with and prayed for. I have been encouraged as a man, a father, and a husband. I have stepped way outside of my comfort zone, because I no longer want to enjoy my "comfortabilty." I was told my anger was a sin, as it kept me from totally surrendering to God, and I was told my anger and bitterness was/is my choice. I didn't want this to be my choice; it was easier being angry. Now I have to make the choice, to stay angry or get in the will of God. I choose to get in His will. My family deserves better than what I have provided. Last night, I cried myself to sleep, knowing how broken I am. I woke up after only a few hours, fully refreshed. I didn't wake up; God woke me up and prepared me to get into His Word.
Two weeks ago God found me angry, frustrated, sarcastic, and struggling in my heart and mind with profanity. As a single mom and the spiritual head of my home, I had grabbed up my kids, my work, and everything else to try to "fix it." The first Tuesday evening was my turning point. God said to me, "If you will raise your hands in surrender, I will take your kids." My children were given to me by the Lord, adopted through DCFS. They have all accepted Christ, and truly they are not mine! I raised my hands in surrender that night and have had to raise them many times since then. The anger, frustration, sarcasm, and profanity are, by God's grace, gone. I have peace again that God is in control. I can't stop praising Him. I do give God the glory, but I am so thankful for Life Action being here and loving my family. Perhaps even better than all of the above is that my 8-year-old heard the Holy Spirit speaking to her, and she responded. What an amazing happening! These things only scratch the surface of what I have learned through this revival.
God showed me how lacking my heart was in loving others. Knowledge was puffing me up; God wants me to be building others up in love. As a result of these two weeks, God has shown me the following:
1. Become a member of the local church body and submit to biblical leadership.
2. Unconditional love for my wife. The revivalist asked us to repeat our marriage vows. I did so, but my wife could not say them or look me in the eye. She is still in love with an adulterous relationship right now and struggles with bitterness toward me. God is showing me how big His love is for me and her, and He is calling me to love her right where she is. I thank God He is setting me free from bitterness.
3. God invited me to "adopt" a girl whose father committed suicide three years ago. She called me Daddy last night. He sets the solitary in families. God is so good.
Thank you, team, for all your love and prayers. Thank you for your faithful service to the Lord. Having people prioritize their relationship to Christ over so many other good things in favor of the best was refreshing and humbling.
God found me a very self-centered, pride-filled teenager. I was content with my walk with God, and I didn't really realize how prideful I had become. It was affecting everyone around me, especially my family. My brother took the worst of it, and God finally opened my eyes to how horrible I was to him. I knew we had issues, but in my head I blamed my brother for the fighting. On the night the revivalist taught on having a clear conscience, I realized I didn't have one. My brother and I met halfway, and both of us asked for forgiveness. He let me cry on his shoulder, and we hugged for like five minutes. I realized that our relationship was more meaningful and much more important than my pride. I know we won't be best friends, and we still fight, but God opened my eyes and got me wanting to love my brother. I have also realized that I can always be growing in my walk with God. God will never stop loving me, and with His help I can love my brother.
God restored my marriage. He broke down a wall of lying and showed me the hold pride had on my life. God is having me obey Him in many "small" things as a test, because I was disobedient and going my own way for so long. I thought I was a Christian, but the way I lived my life in the past begged to differ. Although I had recommitted my life before this revival, I doubt I was a Christian when I first walked down the church aisle. God, in His graciousness, has been there loving me, urging me back, leading me to repentance, and I thank Him for the cross and praise His name.
Two weeks ago I was a person of pride, bitter and angry. Now I find myself somewhere I could not imagine! I still have a long way to go, but I pray my life is heading in the right direction. The first Thursday when we wrote down our sins and the word "Guilty" on a piece of paper and put it at the base of the cross, it reduced a burden I had carried for many years. After I did that, I knew Jesus died for my sins, and because of that I was forgiven. I felt finally felt free because of what Jesus did for me.
Thank you so much for bringing revival to my life over the past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I was still struggling with anger and bitterness from my dad's suicide 2 ½ years ago. The revivalist talked about losing your axe head, yet still swinging away at the tree with just the axe handle. This described my life perfectly. I lost the axe head 2 ½ years ago. Asking and receiving God's forgiveness for my anger and bitterness toward Him was truly life-changing. Through your team, God also showed me areas of my life that I had not surrendered to Him. I thought I was completely trusting God to care for my life. Thank you for showing me that I need to surrender all.
I am 17 years old. When I heard there was going to be a summit for two weeks, I was not that happy about it. But I thought it was the Christian thing to do, so I did go. I can't imagine what would have happened if I didn't attend. I felt like I was a good Christian, but now I know it was all pride that made me feel that way. I found out that I was a failure as a Christian. I checked almost every sin. I know what needs to change, so I must let go of my pride and change it. When I get squeezed, I want Jesus to come out. When I get mad, I want to praise the Lord instead of blaming Him. And no matter how bad the weather is, it is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it! God made me to love Him and bring glory to Him. I will serve Him my short life on this small earth. There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will.
I was bitter at God and my wife. A few years ago, I felt God calling me to full-time ministry of some sort. I mentioned it to my wife, who promptly threatened to divorce me. I became angry at her and God; how could this be? I was a child from a divorced home and swore it wouldn't happen to me. We never divorced, but I have held onto bitterness and turned my back to God; I felt He let me down.
This week, God showed me that it wasn't my wife or Him who kept me from becoming a full-time minister ... it was me who refused to fully give ALL my life to Him. I was holding to my job for security and blaming God and my wife. I have asked both God and my wife for forgiveness and given all my life to God and been forgiven. I will see where God wants me to be.
Back in December, my marriage fell apart. My husband repented for his actions, but I couldn't forgive him. I was so mad at him. He had hurt me, and I wanted to see him hurt as well. After all, it was his sin that brought us to this place. My hurt turned to anger and then to bitterness. I couldn't believe God would take me to this place. The weekend this summit started, we went to a marriage conference. I told my husband I forgave him, even though I didn't "feel" like it. I knew God wanted me in this marriage. When we got back, we went to the summit meeting. Man! How horrible am I? I filled out the inventory, and I saw my sin as well. While my marriage is still far from perfect, we are praying together, and I have been able to really forgive him. I am free from the hurt, anger, and bitterness. I am better, my husband is better, my family is better, and my church is better. Praise God for Life Action. You DO have an impact in changed lives. Thank you!
Two weeks ago, I was five years into bitterness and hatred toward my former business partner. He took our business and my 30-year career away from my family in a very mean way. I could not forgive him! EVERY DAY, I could not and would not forgive him. I lived in the dungeon of life with log chains around me.
When the revivalist spoke on, the Lord grabbed my heart and ripped it out of my body. He dissected it and said, "Where am I?" I truly could not find Him in it. He yanked me out of my seat and sent me to the prayer room. I confessed my sin to a friend and came to know Jesus Christ in His fullness that day. I have forgiven my ex-business partner and now pray for him daily. I now feel close to the Lord and pray every day to get to know Him even more until that day I enter heaven. Thank you for your ministry! Praise God!
God found me struggling with issues of forgiving people who abused me. God showed me I was mad at Him. I asked His forgiveness and trusted Him, that I am where He needs me to be, now and in the past. All the bitterness melted away, and it was easy to forgive. I found my first love again. After telling Him I would go wherever He led my husband and me, He told me He wanted me to give Him an hour a day in prayer. He told me He wanted to build our relationship. Wow! The God of the universe! I realized it was in those dark days that He first cemented our relationship and that I came to depend on Him and love Him. I may have had the theology wrong, but my bond with Him was forged then. Now He wants to teach me more about who He is.
Before the revival, I just went through the motions. I do not even consider myself a Christian during that time. But during the revival, I accepted Christ. Before, I knew the "rules" to Christianity but not how to practically put my faith into action. I also struggled with self-worth and how to be a truly modest young woman. All the talks on modesty tend to focus on how wrong girls are. But the lady that gave the talk showed us why we need to be modest; she even explained how the human mind works and how that plays into being modest. Now I actually want to be a modest young woman. Please thank her for me. I view her as my hero, even though she has to go. I thank God for her and will always look up to her.
The Lord found me desiring to know Him more intimately. I was feeling like my walk had become routine. I needed to surrender many areas of my life back to the Lord.
For many years I have been trying to be the spiritual leader because my husband stepped aside. I've been praying that he'd take that role and start to pray with me. God answered that prayer this week. Praise the Lord! I'm excited about the prayer outline, because my prayer life was more like a list of what I wanted God to do for me, and that was wrong. I plan to review the revival notes and saturate my mind and soul with the truth and be obedient to them with the Lord's help. I have looked forward to each service, and I am excited about the changes that have taken place in me and in this church body. To God be the glory!
I am the woman that, fifteen days ago, God found being "PERFECT." According to my standards, I was the "perfect" wife, daughter, sister, friend, aunt, counselor, Christian, church member, and any other thing you can name. Of course, in God's sight I was only being a perfect liar and the most proud woman on this earth. The pride has taken me to a very sinful point. I was wearing masks every day to be "perfect and wonderful" in front of others, not letting anybody see my real self. God had used me to help others. I was serving at my church. My husband and family would do anything out of love for me because I was so good.
The second day of the revival showed me how wrong I was. God confronted me with my sin and told me to do something about it. I talked to my husband, confessed my sin, and asked forgiveness. My husband listened to me, forgave me, and prayed with me. The next day when we came to church, I thought, "I'm perfect again." But I realized one more time how far I am from that. That night, for the first time in my life, I opened my worst, deepest secret to my husband; I heard him say, "I forgive you; everything is changing now, and I love you the same!" Then confessing before God through prayer and feeling once again His forgiveness and love, I finally experienced the perfect freedom only He can give. I'm not perfect now, and I'm sure I won't be until I'm with Him in heaven, but I'm certainly committed to honor Him and all the people around me. Praise the Lord for His patience and for making my path clean again. I certainly experienced revival in my life and marriage.
When I came to the revival services, God had been dealing with me in many different areas of my life. I was focusing on the external things, thinking they were the problem, but there was a much deeper issue: my heart. I had for so many years told people how important being in the Word was, yet I would speak of obedience to God and have a heart full of guilt. I would ask God to forgive me, but there wasn't true repentance. My heart was full of rebellion. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. Food became my idol when I was about 9 years old. (I just realized that was the same year I told the world I was a follower of God by being baptized!) It became my secret sin, and even though it's no secret that I struggle with gluttony, I still feed myself secretly.
God has brought my heart into the light and has shown me what true repentance is, and that includes true obedience. I was hit hard when the revivalist said, "If you see your child be disobedient, look at your own heart." Wow! I had been expecting her to be perfect in obedience, but here I sat, disobedient to God in my own faith, placing food as my idol, and not submitting to my husband. Thank God for your message of hope that has shown me the path to true freedom! God keeps telling me over and over, "It is for freedom that you have been set free." I can see the light now. Praise and glory to Him!
Two weeks ago, God found me full of pride, selfish, and doing everything on my own. I've been married about 25 years. I have never been submissive. I believed I was always right, knew more, cared about the kids more, made better decisions, blah, blah, blah. I didn't give my husband a chance to lead; I didn't even usually give him enough information to make decisions. I was angry and bitter that I had to work so much away from home.
I love books. I sat in my car one night last week and mourned my books. I used them to escape. I compared the adventures and excitement with my life and was so unsatisfied. My family and life could never measure up. God has spoken to me. I gave away the books that I obsessed over. I began again a daily time with God. I surrender all to God. If I never get to read a book again or see a movie or socialize, I praise God that He still loves me, and all I need is in Him. I will be submissive because God will help me. I talk to people at work about my faith, and I asked forgiveness for not being obedient to God.
This morning I followed the 12 steps of one hour with God. When I asked about what God wanted me to do with my days, He told me: Make my husband breakfast before I go to work, and don't go back to sleep. I did. I also met with some women from church (our game group), and we talked about God and about changes. My husband and I have talked about our devotions for the first time. It was good! My daughter asked me for a daily devotional and a new Bible. She's begun the devotional, and she wanted the Bible to give to a friend at school she was telling about God. God is great! Thank you for reminding me.
Two weeks ago I was morbidly obese and severely depressed. God told me that if I would faithfully attend the sessions, I would find help. On Thursday night of the second week, I was bloated with indigestion, and God told me, "This is what sin feels like." It almost buckled my knees. I remember the revivalist saying his road to heaven is only as wide as his Bible. I now realize I was committing the sin of gluttony. I was using food as a coping mechanism to lift me up instead of turning to God. I now see that my "road to health" is only as wide as my medically prescribed food plan. I have never known such peace with food. All of God's blessing on the Life Action team!
One week before Life Action arrived, I was struggling with leaving youth ministry for awhile. During the time of the summit, God breathed life back into my weary heart. Every day God spoke through the revivalists right into the very things I was wrestling with. They were both an affirmation of God's calling on me and an admonition of my falling. Thank you, Life Action Ministries, for the encouragement, rest, and challenges you brought before me.
I anticipated your arrival with excitement and had already begun seeking God in a more intimate way. That was nothing compared to the shock of the early sessions, which revealed so many areas where I needed revival. I soon realized that I needed God to be in control and that nothing in my life met God's holy standard. At the same time, God allowed my part-time job to consume all available time and become very stressful. He was allowing me to be squeezed until I could see the dark slime come out rather than sweet juice. My temper was flaring.
By the night on forgiveness, it became clear that I needed to deal with the root of my bitterness. God showed me that I had never forgiven my mother for verbally abusing me. She has been dead 23 years. I chose to forgive her and received clear relief from my burden. I still struggle with old feelings of rejection, but I know God is healing me.
We have six children, ages 6-15, who participated in the revival summit. Each night when we told the kids it was time to leave for Base Camp and Happy Heart City, they literally yelled, cheered, and jumped up and down. Wow! Thank you for ministering to them! They felt loved, had fun, and learned about how much God loves them and wants a relationship with them.
My husband and I have been encouraged and reminded that our first love is Jesus, and obeying Him shows our love for Him. It was time to lay aside anger and reach out to others (certain others!) in love and service. My husband was renewed in his desire and commitment to be purposeful in his responsibility and privilege of teaching his children and being a spiritual leader in the home.
Three weeks before this revival, I was speaking to someone about my marital issues. My husband and I have been emotionally pushed apart, mainly by me. I was tired of always dealing with everything myself and not knowing what to do. I was looking into a separation. I had already told him I might be moving out.
Since this revival, my eyes, heart, and soul have completely opened. God has helped me see things in a whole new way. I have never prayed on my face before. Now that I have, I see how powerful it can be. Turning my life to Christ instead of fighting everything myself, there is so much more peace in my heart. Since I have closed myself off, it is going to take a lot of praying to get my heart to reopen to my husband. Thank you, Life Action.
God found me angry when you first came here. He has changed my heart drastically from where it was. Now I look forward to meeting with Him in the morning. I can't seem to get enough of Him. He has changed me and the way I treat others, especially my family. My daughter said to me one morning, "Dad, you are weird." I said, "What do you mean?" She said, "Ever since the summit, you have really changed. You don't get mad at us like you used to and yell at us for little things. Dad, I love you. Please don't change, and please keep reading God's Word so we can continue to be a happy family. Dad, I love you." That broke my heart. I will never turn from God again, and I will worship Him always. I give all the glory to God.
These past two weeks, God has confirmed in my heart what He has been doing in my life over the past few years involving fear issues and broken family relationships. Through biblical counseling a few years ago, God set me free from bondage in my childhood and brought healing and wholeness to me. Praise God!
However, my adult son, who endured an angry mom, has issues from childhood which I've asked forgiveness for several times. But over a year ago, he chose to cut himself off from his family. I have grieved over and over his loss and the loss of our four grandsons who live right here in town. The Lord told me to let him go and trust God to work in his life to bring conviction, repentance, and forgiveness to his heart so that he will choose to forgive and also be reconciled. Your ministry has encouraged me to be still and wait on God. I long to be restored as a family. I miss them terribly. I am willing as God gives me opportunity to once again ask my son for forgiveness. Thank you for bringing me through the steps once again. I trust my God that in His time, He will bring healing.
During these last two weeks, the Lord has been at work freeing me from self-imposed fears. When I had two children in 15 months, I had become very self- and baby-focused. Two very rough pregnancies left me struggling to trust God. I wondered why, after waiting faithfully for six years to finally have a child, God would make me so sick and then do it again when the first one was only six months old? I was mad and distrusting. While I continued to pray and tried to study, there was an "unresolved grudge" in my heart. I also found myself focusing on the children way too much and even putting them before my relationship with God.
These two weeks were literally a wrestling match between my heart and the Holy Spirit, but I am happy to say the Lord has pried my fingers loose. The grudge is gone, and I have a renewed perspective of my role as a steward of the children God gave us. I am looking forward to continuing to draw close again to my Father and trusting Him with everything.
God found me sitting in the pew a broken woman. I have experienced much in the last year, and even more before that. As the team shared their music and as the revivalist preached and shared, I thought, "Ah, this is what God has been preparing me for!" It makes sense now, this working up of sin and me being forced out of my box. Then, as I absorbed the message, God revealed in me a love of things. I have begun the process of de-cluttering and simplifying my life. I am learning to let it all go.
I have felt the urge to seek forgiveness from my ex-husband. I am learning to get my life organized so that I may better focus on God and the calling He has placed in my heart. In praying and searching, I feel God calling me out of my comfort zone, pushing me to work for Him, to glorify Him in all I do. My attitude about prayer has changed; my desire to seek the Lord has been reinforced. God has reinforced in me many decisions I had already been making. This includes minimizing my budget, abstaining from dating, reading Scripture, and being involved in Bible study. I praise God for brokenness.
I had been praying for months for a revival but had no intention of coming to the THIRST Conference. I thought it was something I had to go away for. I didn't realize it was exactly what I was asking Him for until Sunday morning. I didn't know Bible study was cancelled; that's why I was here for the first part. It wasn't by accident. I don't believe in coincidence, I believe in God.
Today I prayed to let the anger go toward a neighbor who had been frustrating me and even causing fights between my husband and me. When I saw him today, I prayed for God to help me let it go. He gave me an opportunity to help the man. Thank you for revival. I pray for your team.
I am 47 years old and have been a Christian for 8 years. I accepted Jesus in my life, but have never been taught about revival by anyone. My relationship with God has been slowly in decline for the last couple of years. Now I have revival. It is a great start back to Jesus. I could use two or three weeks of this message. I pray to be more like Jesus.
I praise God for these last 8 days. On day one, I came to church looking for God to help me get my foot out of the world. He answered. Day two, my unsaved middle child was saved and will be baptized on April 29. God answered another prayer. On day three, my unsaved husband gave his heart to the Lord. God answered a wife's prayer. On day four, I brought my other two children who had willfully resisted; God answered. Today, the eighth day, my 15-year-old daughter walked to the front of the church by herself and gave testimony that she has asked forgiveness. Praise His name, God has taken my family and changed us from day one of this week! I praise God; He never leaves us, always listens to our prayers, and answers at His will and in His time. My Father is faithful!
You have helped bring me close to my Lord. God has seriously worked a miracle in my life this week. He has shown me that not everything is about me; I'm not the center of the world, not even close. He taught me to be thankful for the little things that we all take for granted. He showed me, as hard as it is, that I need to forgive the people who have hurt me. Most of all, I need Him. I can't do everything on my own. He's the only one who will never bail on me. He has gotten me through so many trials and temptations that I never would have gotten through without Him. He really does care about me. I've grown up without a dad or a mom, but I've learned to not take advantage of the people who do take care of me. They might not be blood, but they are family. Thank you, Life Action, for being a blessing in my life.
This week, the entire foundation of my life has been changed. Through the GRACE of Christ, I have been shaken. What I place all my time, effort, money, and thoughts in has been so unimportant. My relationship to Jesus, my wife and son, and my fellow believers should be the forefront of who I am. At 26 years old and with whatever talent God has given me, I can finally say yes, I will go. I have always known I was called to do something full-time for God. Due to this revival (and above all, Christ), I can for the first time say, I will go.
When Life Action came, I was a suicidal alcoholic living in a crisis center, parted from my family due to my binges and violence while drinking. To add to my despair, I have a 21-year-old who dances nude in Dallas and is constantly beat up by her boyfriend; and the morning of the first day of the Life Action revival, my 16-year-old son was pistol-whipped, left for dead on the side of the highway, and sent to the trauma unit. In one short week, I have given all of these satanic blows to Christ and have become a believer and no longer a beggar! I claim victory over all of this and am now reunited with my family, joyfully serving my husband. I am no longer in bondage. Thank you for the eye-opening experience. Praise Him!
I came on Sunday as a very sad, confused, angry person. My relationship with my mom was horrible and full of rage. The relationship with my only sister was nonexistent. God showed me how to bring ALL of that to Him to fix, and He did. My relationship with my mom, after 20 years of hell, was RESTORED as if there was never any hurt. I wrote a precious, loving note to my sister, whom I had completely rejected for 18 years. I have the most amazing peace from "the lover of my soul" because of the way forgiveness was presented Friday night. This was possible in 24 hours, and "I" had been trying for years.
I was saved when I was ten years old. I was brought up in a broken home. My mom married three times by the time I was five years old. My dad chose to be unfaithful and left. My next stepdad chose to steal most of my mom's money, and that marriage ended in annulment. Around a year later my mom married my stepdad that I've grown up with. He was an emotionally abusive alcoholic. I have been an adult since I was a kid. My mom is a Christian that made bad choices, but she was faithful in prayer for my stepdad. He has been sober for ten years now, and they are still married. I say all of that to say, He has sent me a neat Christian man to spend my life with. He has spared me, but I am not naive to think the devil cannot get his foot into my marriage. I learned that my prayer life needs to be more specific for my husband and my children. There are things I need to work on as a wife. I felt honored that my husband came with me to every day of this revival. My spirit has been renewed.
I want to be a "woman of grace." God said, "I have to break your pride and independence, and remove relational idols first." I am a single mom, and I had a bad habit of saying, "It's just me" (meaning my independence). It's truly me and God! He had to take me to brokenness first. I have selfishly not used the God-given gift of singing for 1 ½ years. My disobedience allowed Satan to steal that joy. I am joining the praise team, and I have asked daily since Thursday night for God's grace. My thanks to the revivalist for your heart for God and obedience in changing that sermon to "Grace." That was for me! Thank You, Jesus, for loving me enough to get me back on track!
I am a very busy man. My job is very demanding. I run my family's ranch as well as many other things. I work very hard to give my family "things." I spend as much time with them as possible. Many days they go to work with me so they can see me. Your team spoke God's Word and told me that it is not all about me. I am not as good a father or husband as I need to be. I have been told to begin putting God and family before my work. I have the best wife and two little girls in this world. I appreciate Life Action and what you stand for. I need to be more of a witness for the Lord.
I've been married 52 years, and God has opened a line of communication between us that has never been there, as well as forgiveness because my mouth is very accusing to him. (He's wonderful.) Also I have had to ask forgiveness from my boys (my mouth again) and my alcoholic son. So I thank God for the freedom to just be me and not have to put on a front (goody-two shoes) before them. Thank You, Lord, and I praise You!
As I entered the week eight days ago, I knew for certain that I personally was in a very dark, dangerous place spiritually. In fact my marriage was more a convenient arrangement than a covenant, and I credit this to my evil, sinful thought life. Eight days later, I have never felt more free! Once again, only God could orchestrate such an incredible change of heart.
All praise and honor to God. He has shown me my selfishness. He has broken me and caused me to really look at my life. He has shown me how to love my wife in a way I've never done in 37 years. He has shown me how to forgive myself and others. Thank you, God, for loving me and never turning Your back on me.
When the meetings started, I had been in a major battle for quite some time. I had let sin take hold in my life and was living in spiritual darkness and hopelessness. I'm a former teacher, a deacon, a disciple, and a minister in jails. I knew the answers but was not living like Jesus wanted, in victory. I was in darkness. I had my masks. This week God removed the masks. He started healing and equipping me to continue the battle and more. He gave me back my hope and steps to take for victory. Amazing! Thank you!
Wow, where do I begin? Earlier this week I told someone our church was having an eleven-day revival. I really couldn't say I was enjoying it, but I was going back that night. With all the trials my family has faced during this time, I'm truly thankful I have been here.
On Tuesday night last week, my wife and daughter were not going to be here. I was at home before my wife and son got home, and when they walked in the door, I got very angry at my son. It was over something so trivial, but it kept him from coming that night. I made one last angry attempt to see if he was going, and then left him behind. I fumed all the way to church. I knew my son would be at home alone. I sat through the family revivalist's lesson, but all I could think about was what a jerk I had been. By the time the musicians started, I couldn't even begin to worship. I quickly filled out a prayer card. God told me to go home. I wasn't welcome here, as I needed to take care of the mess I'd created. I left my Bible, since I was hoping my son would want to come back. When I got home, I asked if we could talk. He said no and then proceeded to take his shower. I broke down and cried uncontrollably. When he got out, I asked again if we could talk, and he agreed. This was the first time we sat down together and communicated. I told him I was sorry, and for the first time, I looked him in the eye and asked him to forgive me. What a weight lifted when he said he would! Since that moment, our family has started to draw closer. Pray that God will make me the godly father, husband, and friend He has called me to be. Thank you for being here.
I am at somewhat of a loss for words to describe the impact Life Action has had on my life this week. Words can't express the impact the Lord is having on me as a result! It's been a time of personal impact and realization that I am of no value without God in my life. I am putting down the pride associated with things being all about me. I am placing myself in God's hands entirely. These words are easy, but I know the pathway is narrow. I will continue to seek God's will for my life. I have a new peace in my life, and I know how to get to it anytime, praise God. I am a musician here, and your team has allowed me to be a part of the revival as just a member without a "job." This has been very special. Thank you so much.
God found me struggling in a marriage I wasn't sure I wanted to be in anymore. My husband doesn't go to church. He believes in God, but it stops there. I have prayed for him for many years and just couldn't figure out why God wasn't answering my prayers. This week, God had me evaluate my marriage--my needs and my husband's needs. This made me realize that I knew what my needs were that weren't being met, but I'd never thought about my husband's needs. I'd had this vision of what I wanted my marriage to be, not what God wanted it to be. So my home seemed to be a war zone. I couldn't figure out why my husband didn't want what I wanted ... until this week. God brought me to my knees. My husband didn't want what I had because it wasn't very appealing. I asked for forgiveness that night, and two days later, I spoke with husband. I told him what a great experience this week has been; then I told him I was very sorry for not being the wife I should have been. I thanked him for loving me and told him I was going to do my best to be a better wife and mother. I thank God for opening my eyes and bringing me to my knees. I look forward to what God has in store for my marriage and what being obedient to God's plan and will bring. I will faithfully pray for my husband, that God will soften his heart and that he will seek a relationship with God. I will pray for my children as well (17 and 20), that they will not seek God, not the way of the world.
I was convicted of not dealing with past transgressions toward my ex-wife. I did ask for forgiveness in an appropriate manner after prayer. There has been no response, but I have been submissive. In that submission and because of it, I have experienced peace. I have experienced peace before, but this is different.
My prayer these last eleven days was that God would break my heart wide open. I didn't think this would really happen, since I haven't been close to God in so long. I was so wrong. He broke my heart open, and He found me filled with bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness. I have now let go of some things from my past, and also have forgiven those who hurt me along the way. My anger and bitterness are gone. Now that I have asked those I hurt to forgive me, and they have, I feel as though the weight I have been carrying on my shoulders is gone. I feel so refreshed and clean. I am closer to God again, and I am very thirsty for His Word. This last week my husband of 15 years and our 12-year-old son told me they have seen a difference in me for the better. Thank you, Life Action team, for your prayers and for all you have done through God to help me and many others get on track.
For some time my husband and I had been in quite a rut (anger, not sleeping together, miserable, not fulfilling our roles biblically). Before Life Action, I had committed to pray and fast just to see what God would do, because I was expecting Him to do something to my heart or my husband's or both. (It was suggested that we have a "holy separation." I knew that would be out of the question, because we made a commitment, and it seemed to me that would give Satan a toehold.) I had been going to counseling approximately two months before, to seek a godly point of view on the mess we had made. I desperately wanted a change. My husband had not taken his part of the marriage or fatherhood seriously. I felt angry and bitter. I wanted to make sure there was nothing else I could do. Me being a controlling person and a fixer, I thought God may need a hand. Well, He told me in my prayer time that I should just quit all I was doing except pray, fast, and rejoice. I needed to continue to read His Word and fight my flesh. I began to relax, and a big burden was lifted. Then that morning, my husband blew up at me and gave me direction of what he wanted me to do. That night, after a day of prayer, we actually communicated, and I knew God was in it. The first night of revival his ears were open, and his eyes could see his sin that he harbored; I was broken and could see my sin. What sweet repentance and forgiveness, we shared with our Lord and Savior. What blessed peace He has given us. He actually turned our marriage around. Nothing is too big for my God.
This week I have learned about my sin, especially when it comes to the words that come out of my mouth, and also about being a "helper" wife. I so often want to control every situation. I have had to apologize to a lot of people and ask forgiveness. I still have some things I need to address and forgiveness to give and seek. I have started daily devotions and prayer, and I have opened the line of communication with my husband in a loving way. Thanks for all you do for the glory, love, and encouragement of God!
Two weeks ago, I was spiritually dead. I agreed to come with my sister to this revival. The first night was wonderful. I cried most of the night because I was so burdened about my life and my husband and children. I knew I had to make changes, once and for all, in my life. I kept coming, and I have found myself hungry for the Lord and His Word. I have learned so much. Usually you are told what you need to do but not how to achieve it. Now I know how to pray and truly have holy time with the Lord. I find myself at peace now, and I feel closer to God than I have ever felt before. I am ashamed of my previous actions, after all He gave for me. My desire now is to serve and please Him daily. Thank you for everything. You are all in my prayers every day!
Since you have come and I attended the revival, I started a few new habits. I haven't used tobacco in 11 days. I pray with my wife (besides at meals), which I never did before. I read my Bible daily. I pray daily. I am such a better person (attitude and personality), I hardly recognize myself. I prayed for brokenness, and that's what the Lord gave me. The economy has hurt the construction industry, and I don't know how much longer I will have a job. I have to rely on God and praise Him for that. I appreciate you and your time, and my family thanks you.
You found me withdrawn and depressed. I was holding onto a lot of anger and bitterness toward God for my suffering. My marriage was on the rocks. I had forgiven my wife but was still holding onto hurt, which was causing me to hurt others. Through your ministry, I was able to ask for and receive forgiveness, and also truly forgive the way God teaches. I am now closer to God because of this and am now able to witness to the lost again. My marriage is probably stronger now than it was in the beginning. My wife has also come closer to God through seeing me give my testimony and walk with God. I have also learned to pray with a righteous heart for and with my wife. Thanks for everything. You guys are worth millions; money cannot buy what you preach!
Two weeks ago God found me afraid--afraid of a room full of women. When I first got saved (as an adult) 16 years ago, the women of my church would give bad advice about my husband, saying things like, "I wouldn't put up with that," and "You should tell him [this and that]." As I have grown in Christ, I have realized this was not how God wants wives to be toward their husbands. I have felt bitterness towards those situations and have even had slight panic attacks when having to be in a group of women. Something the revivalist said helped me to see that I played a part in that sin with my attitude, too! I have now been released from my fear because I confessed my sin and asked God to forgive me. The revivalist's wife also helped by pointing out her attitude toward her husband, and learning to see the privilege of picking up his clothes. That tea with the revivalist's wife is the first time I have been in a room full of women in years! I look forward to the next opportunity!
The Lord found me two weeks ago with a great deal of unconfessed sin in my life. He found me out of practice and out of touch with Him. He found me in a nearly loveless marriage. The Lord broke me. He broke down my walls of pride and opened the doors of confession and forgiveness to both Him and my wife. The results have been overwhelming, first in my relationship with Him, and second in my marriage, which has become more than I ever thought it could be. It's better now than when it started over ten years ago. I could go on and on about how these times have altered my family life, my relationships, my morals, my ethics, and so much more, but there just isn't enough room on this paper. Thank you, Life Action!
God found me dry and apathetic. My walk with the Lord and my wife had become stale and routine. He confronted me and guided me through a process of repentance and renewal. My walk with the Lord and my daily devotions have become meaningful and intimate. I have gained a greater awareness of the needs of my wife and how to meet them. My children have been challenged and stretched to embrace the nurture they are receiving at home. Our church families have been encouraged and equipped with tools to succeed in their relationship with God. There has been a fresh wind of God's grace blow through us these last weeks. I trust that I, my family, and our church will never be the same.
Two weeks ago God found me wanting more of Him, wanting revival. There was one thing in my life that He revealed to me that was keeping me from going any farther. I had allowed myself to become addicted to online video games. It consumed my time, my thoughts, and even my dreams. Through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I was able to delete all of my games and claim victory over them. This was only the start, literally the first day!
I then prayed every day about giving. I did some computer work for someone, and he gave me some money, a lot more than I expected. Again, through His prompting, I gave all of that money to Life Action. We received an e-mail from another ministry about a need they had. They needed a computer exactly like mine. I was able to joyfully and freely give the computer to them to meet their need. I have also committed to pray with my wife nightly and to become the priest of my home. Daily, God is at work in my life.
Two weeks ago I found myself in a bad situation. I was in a failing relationship, bitter, and angry. I wasn't reading the Word, and I was looking for answers in the wrong places. My family had told me to come to the revival a month ago, and I angrily said yes. I came, and it was what I needed to hear. It seemed I was trying to change my life without God's help, and doing it that way got me nowhere. But listening to the revivalist and putting what he said into action helped me realize I needed God more than I ever knew, so I committed my life to Christ, and I've never felt better. Thank you, Life Action for doing the Lord's work and coming to this church.
Two weeks ago I thought that I had been broken and cornered the market on it. I am a single mom, divorced ten years. What I found during this summit is that no human can break your heart like God can. I felt lonely, overwhelmed, and tired most days prior to the revival, but I made a commitment in the days leading up to it that no matter how busy or tired, I would attend every service. I stuck to my word and even made it to Home Life Café (that I thought I could get out of since I am not married). Through this time, I found renewed strength and endurance physically, mentally, and spiritually. I found that I was keeping myself lonely by holding my heart hostage from possible hurts. My 16-year-old daughter and I have grown closer and have started having deep "God talks" at home. In all of this, God broke me into a billion tiny pieces but then rebuilt me His way. He rebuilt me whole, loved, awake and alive again. I prayed about giving a love gift. Money is tight. I don't receive child support, and teenage girls are expensive. God blessed me with a promotion (during week one of the revival) that I had been passed up for a year ago, enabling me to give more than I thought was possible. God has been so wonderful to me. Thank you, Life Action!
Two weeks ago I felt like I was on a pretty good road, with God as my pilot. After many years of being selfish and self-centered, I decided that I had nothing to lose by giving God a chance to lead my life, because I had lost everything. I was lost and broken-hearted. God has made a huge difference. Actually, He has made all the difference.
As I prepare for marriage at the end of this month, this revival was in God's perfect timing for me and my soon-to-be wife. I have learned so many things that are necessary for a godly life between two people. I especially like that we will be praying together, and I will ask God to bless my bride. The revivalist made me commit to that by standing and committing the same to God. I also like the fifth alternative to a successful marriage, and that is, "Change me!" Thanks, team.
Two weeks ago I was feeling pretty good about my spiritual life. I was up every morning for one or two hours of prayer, Bible study, and devotions, and I was praying all day for family, friends, co-workers, and hurting people. Then God showed me I was covered in sin, a mess: addicted to TV, impure, failed relationships, selfish, filled with pride.
I've gone to the people I've wronged and asked for forgiveness. I'm trying to work on my ex-wife relationship, confessing my selfishness and inattention, and forgiving her for all the wrongs against me. A lot of change; turning off the TV, spending more quality time in prayer, returning items I stole from my company. I'm so thankful for these two weeks. I didn't apply the principles ten years ago, but this time I am. I will make the changes God has shown me and will show me.
Two weeks ago, I was on the fence in terms of being a believer or not. Now I can say that God is in my heart. I am a believer now. It has changed my life completely. I never had a bad marriage, but this has made us much closer. I know now what my role is as a husband. We are so changed now. Thank you very much.
Two weeks ago I was a 15-year-old lost girl. I've been baptized and saved, but I wasn't living my life for Christ. I lost my father at the age of 12, six days after my birthday, and I held on to so much anger. I have been bitter, disrespectful at times, and had regrets; but in the last two weeks, God has really given relief to my soul, and my past is history. I plan to continue to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of my days and do as the Bible says. I want to thank the team for making this happen. My life will never be the same.
Two weeks ago God found me as a person who lived a religion, not having a personal relationship with God. I have learned and grown and surrendered so much in the last two weeks. I know I need to be the kind of wife God wants me to be. When I do that, then my husband is the kind of man I want him to be. I have also watched my four children grow and surrender both from attending the services and from watching me change. I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and my family while you have been here.
The Lord met me lost, with despair, distrust, and unfaithfulness, untrustworthy and disillusioned in a sinful fantasy life. He has touched my heart and mind, and your teachings are opening my eyes and heart. I thought I needed to rebuild my relationship with my ex-wife, or at least that is all I was hearing her nag me about; but really I was being pulled into this revival to rebuild my relationship with God! I need to prioritize God first right now, and He will help me heal spiritually. Then I will be able to rebuild the important relationships I've destroyed, dishonored, shamed, and betrayed. I don't know what direction my life is going or where I need to be or who I need to be with, but I know I want God in my life. I want Him to lead me and help me be a more pure man so that my loved ones will want me around them. Then I can do my part as God wants me to.
Two weeks ago, God found me desperately wanting to feel a touch from Him, to feel totally forgiven and assured that I could still be used by Him for good. I needed healing from past hurts, disappointment over never hearing "I love you" from my dad (who is now gone), losing my mother at 48, guilt over a failed marriage after 24 years, and all the insecurities and fear that came along with that. I had to admit that I had been looking to my husband (a great blessing, a great man of God) to meet all of my needs, when I should have been trusting God. This week, our family has been ministered to in a mighty way: bitterness and anger removed, a new love for the Lord and His ways, and a unity and love that is so beautiful! I realized my selfishness and my need for a disciplined time with my Lord and Savior every day. My husband and I had been praying together, but now he is committed to pray for me! May our Lord be glorified in my life.
We Grieve . . . Together
