On 9/8/20211, God brought much of the student body to a repentance which caused us to let go of some of the idols to which we had formerly given first place. Today, we more fully joined Jesus when he denied himself and took up the cross.
Today’s service eclipsed all.
After the offering, the Holy Spirit began moving on people to give something special, and I brought my lunch money. Then I was moved to give up my most precious possession. During her kindergarten year, my firstborn had given me a silver ring with two hearts, representing our love for each other. She and her sister had both known the Lord from the very beginning. They spent every day of their young years in CBN’s cartoons of the Bible, reading Bible stories and their Picture Bibles. The Lord told me one day when they were playing in the bath tub at about 3 and 6 exactly how to lead them into the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said my youngest would receive her language first and then faith would spring up in my oldest who would receive. Jocelyn received first and Amanda, after an astounded look, began laughing and praying in her language also.
Their father divorced me and married his mistress after the 6-month waiting period required by the Episcopal Church. Once when the girls were with him, he became infuriated upon finding Amanda praying in the spirit over an injured Jocelyn. He set out to separate us. A pathological liar, he was eventually able to alienate my firstborn from me for a number of years. Later, she realized what had really happened, and our relationship was healed. However, the girls lacked the fire of their childhood relationship with God.
That ring became a symbol to me of the love we shared so I wore it almost constantly. Today, when I put that little child’s gift on the steps on the other, more costly jewelry, I was placing that very relationship on the altar. I realized that I had, like Abraham, put my first-born child on His altar. Immediately, inspired by God, Pastor Rodney said some of us were “sacrificing our Isaacs.” Nothing could have been truer.
