The Holy Spirit sweeps through SFX youths

What an amazing weekend I will say! I will have to admit that this retreat has been by far the best ever camp/retreat I have ever been ever since I answered my 'YES' to the Lord! Its been 6 years serving in the youth ministry for me but this retreat really stood out for me. And what is so intensively amazing, was that it lasted for only 1 & 1/2 days! I have had many experiences of the way the Spirit of the Lord has moved at camps/retreats/rallies, but this made it so special for me as God made use of me as his instrument in every way!

It had all started from friday night, which was the Spiritual Preparation for the confirmants before their retreat started on Saturday. God really blest me to lead them into worship and God really brought us to a level of worship which was so intense and really immerse into the presence of God! I had so much fun leading them into worship. And I could see the power of God moving so incredibly as I saw hearts of stone entering worship but God transformed then into open hearts to receive the love of God! I thought that the worship was too intense and too spiritual for them as they hadn't even started the retreat and so much had happened in their hearts. But God assured me that much more lay ahead at the retreat! And God was so right!

The retreat started and alot of them were so hyper-active and I felt God constantly telling me within my heart, "My son, Mark, they are in for a surprise! Be ready to see hearts falling in love with the Redeemer!" And although there was so little time, the teens were ready to receive God's love but even they weren't aware of that readiness within them! And as we began the worship for the Night session, the teens kept opening their hearts to the Love of God.

And I remember the message that God revealed before the night session started, "Believe it that I am here in this place (parish hall)! I am here, my people! If you doubt, then call upon the name of the Holy Spirit to help you have faith to believe! So believe it that I am here!" And after the worship, we enter into the Praying-over and I constantly felt the Holy Spirit just sweeping through the Parish hall as we went around to pray-over the teens. There was just so much of healing taking place and God was just empowering his beloved children! There were so many people being rested in the Spirit of the Lord! And what was amazing was that the teens that started their retreat at the spiritual preparation on friday night, were really swept off their feet by the Holy Spirit! I was just so delighted in the Holy Spirit and soaked in his presence as God used me as his instrument of prayer!

And I won't mention their names, but there are these 2 teens with whom I have been journeying with really closely and guiding them as they seek to find to God in their lives! They had spent alot of time in prayer in the last 2 weeks and they were on a spiritual high even before the camp. And I know they entered the retreat feeling like what else the Lord could do for them, as they had already experienced so much already. And as I observed then at the retreat, they were really joyful and happy before the night and in so many ways, they were so spiritually high before the night session began. And as I observed them, I felt within the depths of my heart that God was constantly telling, "These 2 children of mine are going to be blown away by my love and be totally surprised!" But I just invited them to calm down a notch. For these are 2 children of God that have experienced a level of the love of God that is so intense and would natural think that it would be the highest God would grant them! And as promised, God swept them of their feet so much that it would leave a mark in their hearts that they would never ever under-estimate the love of God! And through their experience, I was reminded that God's love really has no limits or conditions or end! God used me so many ways as a musician, a facilitator, a messenger, a brother in Christ to his people and someone to comfort his people!

What has made this retreat so amazing, has been how God has truely blest me in a really God 2 week preparation for this retreat! And that its not about preparing for a retreat and to prepare every single day for the Lord & his people! For we will never know when God will decide to call us to our eternal home! Holiness is what I seek everyday in my life and God will use me as long as I give of myself to the people of God that struggle to find God in their own lives!

God will never ever abandon us but you have to trust that he knows best! If you do that, you shall be set free. God has set me free from the clutches of this world! For those who experienced nothing at the retreat, I was in the exact same position 6 years ago at my confirmation camp but God knows our personalities more than we do. And its not that God doesn't love you that he lett you experience what you felt. It is actually because he loves you so much that he let you experience what you felt! Just persevere and have faith! Because 6 years after serving God, I declare that I'm just so in Love with this man Jesus!


And if you still struggle to find God, pray this prayer that has helped me in so many ways. Then just have faith!

"Holy Spirit be in front of me to lead the way for me!

Holy Spirit be behind me to suppport me!

Holy Spirit be on my right & left to hold my hand as I walk with you!

Holy Spirit be in my heart to prompt me, comfort me and love me!"