Wednesday, June 14, 2006
two days passed very quickly. very soon it was the end of another church camp. this time it was the "Night Encounter Camp" which lasted from 13th to 14th june. i went to the camp as a helper, not really expecting things to happen in my life but rather in the lives of the young ones going there and also to help out with the games, worship leading and stuffs. and i tell you, God really moved MIGHTLY. those who had been to the camp can testify. two years ago, i went for the encounter camp at this same time as one who was on the receiving end. this time , two years later, i went as a helper and still received much. time really passes so fast.
through this camp there were actions that i should not have done and other stuff that didnt turn out that well. but i learn that it is through such experiences that i learn and not commit the same mistake again.
in just these mere two days, i could God transforming the lives of many people. many came to the camp with hearts that were not open to God, many came without knowing God at a personal level. but through the various sessions i could really see how God has been transforming their lives literally inwardly and outwardly.
the first session was about the love of God as our father. so many hurts and rejections were unearthed and people just began to sought healing from the Lord. people who had broken family backgrounds, people who had broken relationships with their parents and siblings. all these hurts were healed at that very moment. it's already amazing how God reveals us all these hidden hurts and gets rid of them. and i believe that many of them were changed from that very moment. as i stood there and watched i was touched too. touched by the way God healed the multitude of hurts in my life.
in the afternoon was the games session. finally, it was our (the helpers) show to run. it was the second time we were in charge of games, the first being the "Adventure Unlimited" night hike last december. the games was mad. me and dudley got scolding because we got too bored and ended up disrupting the other station's game when we got engaged in "warfare" with certain other people. the station games ended up with a grand finale. yes. almost everybody got wet. a number of us were drenched. before i could even get my bath, they helped me to bathe by wetting me from head to toe, outside, inside, everywhere. haha. nevermind, as i said to the teams at my station, "there is this process called evaporation" haha! what "words of wisdom". i was targetted by a certain few people *ahem ahem* you should know who you are, and i was the target of their waterbomb, bucket filled with water, everything else wet attacks. HAHA!
at night we had delieverance session. God's annointing and power was there. many people were delivered from spirits and their sins. it was a first time for most of them. it really brought out the reality of all this evil spirits that we keep within ourselves unknowingly when we open our lives for them to enter. i had to pray for a few people, and i learned that i had authority in the name of Jesus to cast them out. the spirits responded when i commanded them to leave in the name of Jesus. then that night i was unusually led by God, not something which i would normally do. i just spoke forth the word as prompted and it was accurate. and what came to me, douglas also felt the same thing when we were praying for elden.
soon bedtime came, and i did not bring my sleeping bag. i tried to sleep on the hard, cold floor to no avail. i tried for 30minutes and ended up with a pain ankle and a hurt hipbone. HAHA. i think it's because i'm too boney. i ended up sleeping on the sofa in the annex.
it was the final session the next morning. we began to share in our groups. soon the time came for the closing part. pastor ben challenged the people and gave an altar call, asking who would want to live their lives for God or something like that. all the guys responded. and that moment of time, THE PRESENCE OF GOD WAS SUPER STRONG AND GOT STRONGER LATER. it really has been sometime since i've last felt so strongly. then we prayed for the people who responded, with one person praying for one. and i was SHOCKED at how i was able to pray and it was super powerful. and i have to admit it ISNT LIKE ME. it was the power and the annointing of God. people just starting falling under the power of God, and it wasn't just pastor ben who prayed then they fell, it was us. i was shocked at how much God empowered and used us! at that very moment i knew that it wasn't just the pastor who could pray powerfully and all. but if we were willing and with God's annointing and empowerment we were able to do the same. there was a deep conviction among the people. i was just stunned. God wasn't done.
next, pastor ben asked us (the helpers) to form a row in the front as he wanted to pray for us. he stood one to two metres away from us and started to pray. there was no physical contact at all. suddenly, God's presence and power began to come to fill the place. and some of us fell under the power of God. at this very moment i knew it had to be God. people think that people fall is because the pastors push them down. but it isn't true. he was like a distance away from us, so that really dismisses that theory. God's presence just began to engulf me. i felt numb in my legs, arms and face. it wasn't just the normal numbness. i didn't feel the cold of the aircon even though i was freezing a moment ago. it was indeed the presence of God. that scene and feeling was SO VERY FAMILIAR. 3 and half years ago in december 2002 in a youth camp, it was that exact way that i had a first encounter with God. that encounter changed my life completely.
i knew God had cancelled the chemistry lessons for a reason. if there was still chemistry on i wouldn't be able to attend most of the camp. BUT few days before the camp i was informed that chemistry was cancelled. God wanted to renew my spirit and soul. i came to the camp expecting nothing, but went back receiving more than i could ever imagine. that renewal of my mind and my soul. that empowerment. that courage and boldness. that desire to really read and study the word of God. the list goes on. my life will never be the same. my walk with God has really progressed to a whole new level. but it doesn't end here. this is only a start. what matters most is how i will live my life from now onwards. now i really want to start studying the bible, building my knowledge in the word of God and to really fill my mind with God's word.
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to God's word" -Psalm 119:9
yes. this verse from the book of psalm really spoke much to me the importance of God's word, which is found in the bible. exciting times with God i look forward to in the days to come. the reality of God is indeed so real.
Posted at 9:33 PM
