Be Love Where There Is Only Hate.

Tonight my best friend Lindsey and I went to visit the youth group at Life Church Birmingham. I really have a heart for that place. Pastor Larry and his wife lead the group and they have spoken so much wisdom into my life. I love it because unlike most youth groups or even churches, it is completely yielded to the holy spirit. Its a place of freedom. A place where the gifts of God are not only taught but are also being put into practice.

The service started out with worship. Worship has to be my favorite time in church. I absolutely could sit at the feet of Jesus and never move. Worship is a time to lift up our praises to God, because he is worthy of everything we have. He is worthy of our time, our dancing, our jumping, our singing. And i fully believe that worship creates an atmosphere to invite the presence of the Lord to dwell in the room. Where the presence of the Lord is there is freedom and peoples lives are changed, chains are broken, sin is washed clean, hearts are restored, and we begin to feel the love of our perfect father.

During worship, Lindsey came over to me. The lord had shown her two girls that he was calling us to pray for. So i walked over to the girls with her. When we got over there three more girls walked up. I was immediately terrified. I didn't know any of them and i surely didnt know what i was going to pray for. Lindsey began to pray peace and comfort over them. The holy spirit then whispered the word "abuse". It was now my turn to pray or to say something. I thought i was so far off. That this was just in my head. But i looked up and just said the word "abuse". "has any of you been abused, i asked?" Then with tears in her eyes, I met a new friend. I met a new sister. I met a young girl full of pain. But i can promise you that God did not let her leave that way.



Through little ol' me. God spoke life to her. He spoke hope to her. He used my hands to wrap her up in a hug so that she could feel his love for her. He healed her heart tonight. I believe she now knows that its not her fault. She deserves more. She is worth more than to be physically abused or verbally abused. I am praying that she will not become one of these statistics but she will become a vessel for the lord to shine his glory through.

Shes not alone. Shes not the only one. These are statistics from right here in the U.S.





1. An estimated 906,000 children are victims of abuse & neglect every year.
2 1,500 children die every year from child abuse and neglect. That is just over 4 fatalities every day.
3. 80% of young adults who had been abused met the diagnostic criteria for at least 1 psychiatric disorder at the age of 21 (including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, & post-traumatic stress disorder)
4. Abused children are 25% more likely to experience teen pregnancy
5. Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a
juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime.
6. Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely develop alcohol abuse
7. Children who have been sexually abused are 3.8 times more likely develop drug addictions

So the next time you pray to end abortion, pray that we can LOVE these children. Pray to end child abuse. Pray that these childrens hearts are healed. And that they will feel a supernatural peace and protection. Pray the blood of Jesus over there lives and pray the love of christ to over take their parents hearts.

So to end this post, I just want to say this. God can and will use any of us who seek him, who listen to his spirit, who humble ourselves before him. He is just waiting for us to answer the call.

He will use you wherever you are.

I praise God of his mighty work tonight. I am just so filled with joy.
:]