Code Orange Christmas Fun :)

Earlier this week I was able to experience one of the most awesome, joy-filled, powerful moves of God that I had ever seen! 

Elevation Church had their Christmas services this week. It was entitled "Code Orange Christmas," meaning something big is about to happen. The message was focused on something people sing about all the time in praise in worship, but rarely have a sermon about it. The topic was "God is, was and is to come." Of course, this is talked about in sermons frequently, but I cannot think of any specific sermon about this in all my years of church going (that'd be 21 years... well, 22 if you count the womb :D)!

Pastor Steven Furtick made some great points, hitting on God is with you on the highest mountain top and in the deepest valley. But I must say that the point that hit me the most was the "God is to come" part of the statement. I find myself a lot wondering about my future, what it holds and a lot of the time trusting that God is already there. There are times (we all have them) where I catch myself doubting it (why? because I'm an imperfect control freak, just like every other human). I've heard this statement before, but it hit me like a ton of bricks on Wednesday night during his sermon... if you want to know that "God is to come" (a.k.a. God is in your future, working on your behalf etc) look back at all that He has brought you through and done for you.

After dwelling on that statement for a bit, I look back on my short life and see time after time all of the ways that God has worked. He has been there with me during my biggest successes and during my biggest failures. He was there when I could feel Him, but He was just as much there when I could not. Everything that has happened in my life has molded me into who I am today and into who I will be in the future. So yes, the Lord is, was and is to come! I can walk around with God confidence because I know He holds my future. Because of that I can be like the Proverbs 31 woman that I so badly want to be: a woman that laughs at her future!

As Pastor Furtick began to wrap up his sermon with a beautiful presentation of the Gospel, I saw one of the most powerful things I have ever seen: I saw HUNDREDS of people stand to their feet to accept Christ!! I could not hold the tears back... I've never seen so many people go crazy, clapping their hands and cheering the new believers on! It was a beautiful picture, one that I will always remember! It gave me a little glimpse of the celebration that was going on in heaven as those people stood to their feet. I saw entire families standing up together to accept Christ!! There is no greater joy than to witness someone making the greatest decision of their life!

I will have more Christmas updates coming, but I couldn't wait any longer to share this experience with you! I pray that this Christmas brought you rest, joy and time with your loved ones. I pray that you remember that this is not only about Jesus' birth, but Him being sent to walk among us, to pay the ultimate price so that we could be free!