I went on a Journey to the Heart in 2007. I knew that I’d have some stuff I’d need to get cleared up before I left, as I didn’t really want to be calling home to confess stuff to my Mom. I’d been meaning to go for a while, but had simply procrastinated in my confessions to my mom. Finally, I realized I could hesitate no longer, and after confessing some of the transgressions to her one night, I signed up to go. As previously stated, I had confessed “some” of the things I’d done to her, using justifications such as “That’s a sin against God” or, “she doesn’t need to know” as excuses to not confess everything. These were just lies that Satan had used to keep me in bondage even longer. I went on the journey, and it didn’t seem like anything special. At this point in my life, I was in a stage of “spiritual deafness”. I knew God heard my prayers, but I believed I was too far away from him to hear the answers.

In a way, it was true, as sin can deaden the conscience and will prevent our spirit from communicating with God’s as a result. Despite this roadblock, God was good. I had one question on my mind going up on the journey, and through one of the other guys up there, God provided the answer to my question, and the next step for me. I was still in high school, but I was anxious concerning what I would do after I was finished. On my journey, God gave direction for the next step after graduation, and I was able to start preparing to go through Basic Training down at the International Alert Academy.

With the fact that I needed to prepare for Alert in mind, I was aware of the money needed, and physical preparation necessary to go to Basic Training, but had faith in God that, despite the fact I still could not clearly hear God’s voice, He’d revealed his direction, and would provide for it. During my final year of high school, I got a call from a friend concerning an offer to work for him doing landscaping over the summer. This was in reference to an off-handed comment I had made to him at a party one month before I’d gone on my journey, stating I thought it would be fun to work with him some time. Over the course of the summer, I got physically fit by way of spreading over an acre of mulch, and various other activities. During my time of employment with him, I made $300 more than was needed for Basic Training! To see God provide a way to get the necessary funds as well as providing me with an all-day workout schedule confirmed once again his direction in my life.

After bidding my employer and friend a farewell, and thanking him for the summer job, I departed to Texas for 9 weeks of intense physical and spiritual training. During that nine week period, I was in the word on a daily basis, memorizing, and meditating, but I still didn’t feel any closer to God, and I still didn’t feel as if I could hear his voice. The scriptures were not coming alive to me. I had no doubt about my salvation, but I was desperately aware that something needed to change. Even after finishing that program, I felt as if my relationship with God was merely confined to me getting in trouble, and Him getting me out again.

After the completion of Basic Training, there was a ten month period wherein I returned to neglecting the Word, and only praying in times of dire need, or when constrained to do so.

I heard about the WIT Singles conference about 3 weeks before it actually happened, with my sister planning on attending, and both her and my mom lobbying for my attendance. There were still those lies I believed about the sins which I’d committed in the past, and a new one had been added to the list. “Those are so far in the past, nobody would care about them anymore.” The truth was, they really weren’t all that far removed from the current time, and I still struggled with them occasionally. There was also a young lady whom I’d been interested in pursuing a relationship with, and so I signed up to go. Shortly after I signed up, events changed and I realized that the relationship I had envisioned wouldn’t work, but I was already signed up, so off I went.

Man, I did not know what I was getting into. Being in sessions all day doesn’t appeal to most people, but the material was refreshing, and surprisingly relevant. And to be perfectly honest, if you’re going to be hanging out in sessions all day, it might as well be with several other young people to converse with during breaks. Aside from the principles learned, the biggest for me of which was building a relationship with God, the biggest breakthrough I had was after the teaching on being completely open, and confessing everything, bar none, to your authorities, at the end of the week, I made a call home to my mom and just confessed to her everything, starting with the one thing I had been withholding from her for over 5 years. After that, I experienced such a joy and freedom, and as Paul Speed had mentioned earlier in the week, “You know you’re free when you’re able to make a choice. As a slave to Satan, you’re forced to do whatever he wants you to.” I had that freedom to make a choice. I also started experiencing the voice of God speaking to me, and giving clear direction from his Word.

Now, the hard part is going to be making the right choice every day, for the rest of my life, and by God’s grace, I will be able to.

Stephen is currently working at the IBLP Headquarters. For more information on the programs mentioned above, please visit: WIT! Ministries, The Alert Academy, or Journey to the Heart.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)."

2nd Corinthians 10:3-4 (KJV)

"Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."

Joel 2:12-13 (KJV)

(Photo via Flickr)

Once again, the Lord has been gracious in giving us a wonderful group of students for our ninth Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) class. All of the young ladies completed the course and passed the state exam, maintaining our record of 100% pass rate since the beginning of the program. A total of 122 students have now completed their CNA training, and we are grateful for the Lord’s blessing on the program. We appreciate your encouragement and we are delighted to be involved in this service for the young people of ATI.

Yours in Christ,

John Bechtle
Director, The Telos Institute International

“As soon as we stepped into that room, we knew something was different. It was no longer our meeting room, the place we had been coming to each morning to meet with our teams to share about what we were learning. It was no longer the place of constant chatter, of the low rumble of voices floating all across the room. Now it was still and so quiet. Even the lighting had changed, it wasn’t the brightly lit room we had just been in that morning. Now it was dark , almost somber, except for the hope of dozens of candles, so stark in the darkness, quietly shining their light from all corners of the room.

But it was something else that caught our attention and kept it, something that arrested our senses as soon as we entered the room. All these other things were simply a complementary setting, background for the main focus. And there it was standing in the center if this sacred place. Everyone immediately noticed it, and we took the whole scene in as we silently gathered around it, though no one told us to.

It stood tall, it’s base was surrounded by white cloth spreading in drapes across the floor, and candles were circled around it, putting forth their humble light. It was simple, maybe that’s why we liked it, It was ugly…but yet it was so beautiful. I went up to it, I felt it’s rough surface; looking up at this symbol of suffering, wondering why He did it. Thinking about what it meant, what it meant for me….and what it had meant for Him. Many of us sat there for hours, simply singing and praying, proclaiming freedom and blessing.

No one needed to say it, we all knew it. Jesus was there. We were living in that knowledge. Of course Jesus was there; He said He would be. Along with this, we also knew just as fully that Jesus’ love was there. It was so easy to tell. You could see it. It was standing in the center of the room.”

Written by Sam, June 2010.