Two years
ago as I was in Redding, California attending 2nd year of Bethel
School of Supernatural Ministry, God spoke to me about part of the vision for
my life. He told me that I would see the
end of sex slavery in my lifetime. I
spent a lot of time on my knees in my room as he broke my heart for his lost
sons and daughters, those who perpetrate and facilitate these horrific and
degrading actions on their fellow human beings.
It was huge, it felt far too big for me but I knew it was God and that I
would play a part in seeing the end of sex slavery within my lifetime.
Full of
hope and passion I wrote a couple of blogs on this issue to start a
conversation. Partly because I had no
other idea what to do and because there is lots of information in relation to
seeing the girls rescued (a key part of the solution) but very little regarding
reaching those who are stuck in this at the other end of the scale. Sadly, I quickly talked myself out of
believing that I could make a difference and let it all slide. Thankfully, God is the God of second chances
and he is patient with us and willing to work on our insecurities and feelings
of inadequacy to enable us to step out where he calls us.
2 years on
and God has been stirring my heart again and opening my eyes to the fact that
though I cannot solve this problem and it is far too big just for me, I still
have a responsibility to do what I can and to play my part. This started when I began to realise how many
homeless people there now were in Leicester.
I used to run the council team that worked with rough sleepers in 2003 and
there are far more now than there were then.
This is what all the cuts have done, taken provision from those who most
desperately need it. But this is not to
be a piece on cuts, this is about one person taking a stand and doing what they
can.
As I walked
around Leicester my heart broke because I could not change their
situations. I didn’t have the solutions
but I knew that I know the God who does!
As I spent time with Jesus I knew he was just asking me to do the bit
that I can. So, I do. Every week I make up 10 bags with sandwiches,
fruit, chocolate and socks and I go out and spend a little time with the first
10 guys and girls that I meet. It isn’t
a lot and doesn’t change their circumstances but it does show them that they are
loved and that people care. Though I
have prayed and I do talk about Jesus, this is not my primary objective, my
primary objective is to show them that they are loved, to show them that they
are worth more than their current circumstances suggest. Like doing coffee on the church steps on a
Friday morning this is fast becoming one of my favourite hours of the week.
Through
starting to take sandwiches out and seeing the difference it made to those I spent
time with God began to remind me of the bigger dream I have of seeing the end
of sex slavery. Not only that but he
began to tell me the dream was bigger than I think and that we will see the end
of slavery. Full stop! Wow!
All I need to do is take the steps he shows me and trust that he truly
does know what he is doing. He is the
God of the impossible and though I may feel inadequate in this task, he is more
than capable and is just calling me to be obedient to him in each step.
Around this
time I got Kristene DiMarco’s new album and two of the songs on this stir my
heart greatly. One is Could You Be This
Good and the other is I Am No Victim. There
are days when I play these 2 songs over and over and over as I want the truth
that is in them to permeate to the very heart of me.
Could You
Be This Good reminds me that God is even better than I think. The very question, ‘Could you be this good?’
challenges me to realise that I can never reach the end of God’s goodness and
therefore I can never exaggerate it or come close to knowing it. This gives me such hope for believing him for
the big dream because freedom for all of his children is his heart, he wants it
far more than I do!
Here are
the words of the second song, I am no victim:
I am no victim, I live with a vision
I'm covered by the force of love
Covered in my Saviour's blood
I am no orphan, I'm not a poor man
The kingdom's now become my own
And with the King I've found a home
He's not just reviving
Not simply restoring
Greater things have yet to come
Greater things have yet to come
He is my Father, I do not wonder
If His plans for me are good
If He'll come through like He should
'Cause He is provision and enough wisdom
To usher in my brightest days
To turn my mourning into praise
I am who He says I am
He is who He says He is
I'm defined by all His promises
Shaped by every word He says
I love this and the faith it gives me to trust
him in this journey. This time I will
not back down. This time I will not
allow anything to change my belief that this is his heart and he is calling me
to play my part. This blog is my first
step in being obedient. My next blog
will be the next step and we will see what comes next. I only know one thing for certain, if God
says I will see the end of human slavery within my life time then that is what I
will see.
Watch this space for my next blog in the new
year about what God is asking me to do to play my part in this.
Happy heart!
Blessed indeed!
