Shine In Freedom

21/May/2008 06:30 Filed in: Outreach/Conference

Sons of Scotland I am William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You’ve come to fight as free men and free men you are. What will you do without freedom? Will you fight? Fight and you may die. Run and you will live, at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they’ll never take our freedom.

We have beaten the English, but they’ll come back because you won’t stand together. I will invade England and defeat the English on their own ground. Why? Why is that impossible? You’re so concerned with squabbling for the scraps from Longshag’s table that you’ve miss your God given right to something better. There is a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom and I go to make sure that they have it.-- (Excerpt from the movie, Braveheart)

The March Conference in Maryland, Freedom Encounter, was indeed about taking back our freedom and claiming back our inheritance in God from the enemy and this world. I was led to watch the movie, “Braveheart,” before I left for the conference and I came across this part of the movie where the Scottish was facing the battle of their lives with the English. In every way, the battle was not in favor of the Scottish, but this man, William Wallace, gives this speech about the freedom and was able to persuade the men of Scotland to fight for theirs and their people’s freedom. The movie was violent and horrifying in its sight of war and killing, but as I peeked to watch the movie, the Lord spoke to my spirit. “Jean, yes, this war is not a pleasant sight and yes, there will be casualties, but what will you do bounded by this world and the enemy’s schemes. Would you stand and watch your life and others bounded and ruled by this world of darkness or will you yield yourself and let me possess you to see what I could do with little you?” This was truly a wake-up call. We want to see the beauty and glory side of Kingdom and we often forget about the part of this war that God had allowed us to fight for His people who do not know of this freedom that is available for them. The Christian life is not just sweetness and harp music; every committed Christian will find warfare to be part of his total experience. God also challenges us to not only defend ourselves in the battle but go and attack the enemy in its territories to claim back what is rightfully ours which was given to us from the foundation of this earth. It is we Christians who should be making war on our enemy and we should not be waiting to see what the enemy will do to us.

The Freedom Encounter conference in Maryland was in the heart of God even before the moment it was planned. As it got closer to the date of conference, I have realized that God would unveil His heart and He, Himself, would come sweeping through His people with His mercy and love. It would be the pursuit of seeing the glory of the Lord and being changed by that glory into His same image. I felt the breath of God on this conference and I could hardly wait to see my Big Papa in action.

God had shown a glimpse of His heart on this conference as He wanted to encounter many who would come to this conference to be set free from their worldly bondage and break away from their worldly chains to find their true identity in God. I was praying for freedom that is not just the absence of bondage, but the freedom to pursue all that we were created to be. I believe true freedom is not static, but it is freedom to pursue our purpose unhindered.

On the way to Maryland, in the plane, God moved in me and touched my heart to expand my heart to contain such a huge love He had for this conference and my heart was stretched by His everlasting love. I began to weep in the plane knowing His jealousy love for me and His people at this conference. I was thankful that I was sitting in the back row of the plane near the bathroom which I used to weep in the love of God. The plane ride was about 5 hours in reality but it felt like only an hour being intoxicated by God’s love.

From the first night of the conference, God’s thick presence was evident and it was clear that the Holy Spirit was ushering in the presence of Jesus. As the worship was being offered up to God, I felt the presence of Jesus walk in and pouring His healing oil and water over His people. What Kylene described was that as she laid-down and inquired the Lord in worship, she felt as though she couldn’t reach the pitch of this glorious worship and she entered into what it felt like the Throne Room where angles were singing to God and she couldn’t grasp the holiness of God. The whole service reminded of the passage from 2 Chronicles 7:1-3, where the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. I couldn’t lift up my head in this sight of God’s glory.

Lesley-Anne gave a message on laying ourselves down on the altar where we were no longer ours but His. People gave themselves to the Lord’s fire to be burned away of their fleshly ways and pleaded with God to make His dwelling place in them and to hear them and forgive them for not making themselves available for God’s inhabitant.

Right in the middle of ministry time, I laid-down on my face and offered myself wholly to Jesus as the reward for His suffering. I, then, immediately got taken into a vision/ a visitation by God, where Jesus stretched out His hands and asked for mine. I was hesitant at first seeing my weakness, my shame, my guilt, my pride, and my brokenness; I didn’t feel qualified to hold Jesus’ hands. I knew in my spirit that Jesus was asking my hands as His bride and I certainly couldn’t allow myself to hold His knowing my ragged and wretched heart. However, as in a wedding, I saw the Father taking me into the hands of Jesus and said “You are so worthy to be the bride of My Son.” When I heard this I was undone. I saw Jesus taking my hands into His and His love oil dripped through my hands to my whole body and felt the liquid love of Jesus soaking me which washed away my shame, my guilt, my pain, my fear, my pride, my soulish ambition and showed the power of His redeeming love.

The conference was filled with many people encountering true love of God and being set free from the hands of the enemy. Although the Lord has called us to take His yoke upon us for work, when we are yoked with the Lord and His purposes, which is what we were created for, we actually find rest and refreshment for our souls instead of weariness. I think it was God’s desire for us to know that even more than being created for labor, we were created to have a special relationship with God, which is even more fundamental to who we are than what we do. Without that relationship, we will still be empty, regardless of how successful we are otherwise. It was great watching people sharing their stories and their vision in freedom throughout the conference.

As the conference has reached its third day, many have been visited by Jesus setting them from their fears and shame and were invited to devote themselves to purity, walking in the dignity and respect that they should have for themselves as the true royalty on the earth – the sons and daughters of the King. And this reminded me of how Lesley-Anne was kept saying how we are not worms and we should never view ourselves as one. Many were stuck to the floor and couldn’t move under the heavy weighty glory of God for hours. The hunger and longing for the deeper intimacy with Jesus kept many till the dawn. I was not able to fathom the holy hunger many at the conference carried and I saw it as the reflection of the heart of Jesus for His people.

One of the highlights from the conference was the Prophets Elijah-Elisha impartation prophetic act which was taken the day before the commissioning. Lesley-Anne illustrated the prophetic act of Prophet Elijah imparting his double portion to Prophet Elisha and Pastor Elijah illustrated the same to the participants of the conference. This prophetic act was very powerful as Pastor Elijah displayed such tenacity for the love of Jesus throughout the conference and it was honoring to see many people being imparted by Pastor Elijah of his purity and the love for Jesus. I have also realized that people do things really out of their character under the Spirit of God and being wrecked by Jesus. (Pastor Elijah’s manifestation of being Moses was quite a sight as he couldn’t even stand on his own and be helped for hours to finish imparting).

My favorite moment of the conference was on the last day where we commissioned the conference participants to take their freedom to voice out their destiny into the world.

“Will you serve the King?” “Will you serve the King with all of your hearts, all of your souls and all of your strength?” Many ran out the church and into the streets as they shouted “FREEDOM” and they stepped out into their destiny in God. As they ran out to the streets, it snowed and they ran with their bare foot, playing Korean drums and gongs to sound the music of Korean Brides arising to the calling of God.

It was one of the most intense weeks, but it was truly amazing what God did to mobilize His brides into the Kingdom vision. May God raise up a remnant -- a new breed of generation who will not only die for Him, but truly live. Who will proclaim the good news and give The Lamb the full reward for His sufferings and shine in His glory.