spring quarter

it's hard to believe that the hatred on campus was over a month ago. it's interesting that the title of this article on my firefox tab goes like this: "San Diego Campus Awakens to Uneasy Race Relations". have we not been asking for a great awakening on this campus? oh would you send it LORD!

much has happened over the past month. after spring break, the intensity of the racial tension feels altogether...gone? now we may be feeling...apathetic? disconnected? weary? the Daniel fast feels like...an inconvenience, if anything? as we look forward to the excitement of spring quarter, asking God to send revival to UCSD may not be particularly the number one thing that is driving us. oh how we ask for more grace!

oh LORD, would you fill us. Holy Spirit would You fill us. there is no other way we can go on until we are filled with the knowledge of the Father's love for us, which empowers us with boldness, passion, and fervency. so we aren't going to move on until we are filled. we must have You.

fill us anew, LORD.
and devil, we aren't done yet.

Don’t Forget

That you are a soldier of Christ. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:24

To “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

To not check out just yet (even you seniors), “because the LORD has anointed us to bring good news to the poor, he has sent us to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Isaiah 61:1

That when you feel like you can’t go on anymore, “we consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18

That God has prepared us for a time like this. Remember, “the LORD, my rock, trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.” Psalm 144:1

To be rooted in His love. The Bride of Christ needs to be firm in His love and know his affection for her, because the truth is, “the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Psalm 147:11. It is only through being secure in His love that we can freely love others.

There will be those that proclaim peace when there is no peace. One of the enemy’s greatest tricks is to lure us into a false sense of peace, a lull, a feeling that everything is okay the way it is, a feeling of disengagement and apathy, “saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:14.

To pray with an urgency, fast with a purpose, seek His face hungrily, purse holiness and righteousness eagerly, knowing that when God said “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14 He meant it, and this is a promise that God will not fail to keep.

That it is not because of anything that we need to or can do, it is not our performance that will make Him hear our cries, “for we do not present our please before [God] because of our righteousness, but because of [His] great mercy” Daniel 9:17

To “return to [the Lord] with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend

your hearts and not your garments. [To] return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” Joel 2:14; not only for your own sake, but for the sake of this campus.

God is on our side, so we have nothing to worry about! “For if God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

That when we die to our flesh and submit to the Spirit’s leading in areas of our ministries, He will do all the more. Because it is “not by might, nor by power, but by [His] Spirit” Zechariah 4:6

And lastly…

Don’t forget that God is definitely moving. It is undeniable. He is in the thick of things. He is pouring out His Spirit for those who will humbly receive it, so be in a posture of receiving. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:29

Yesterday I was talking with a few others on campus about how we are anticipating a BIG move by the Lord after this season. We were asking Him for insight to see what seasons we are in (personally and as a whole) to be best prepared for what's coming. Hehe...

I received an image of a bridge and felt that He was telling us that we are going to need to be, as people of God, bridges. To connect the lower and higher realities on this campus, especially for the people who don't even know God, nor have a clue about what things are going on in the spiritual realm. They see the physical realities such as the racial tensions and the natural disasters, the interesting weather, maybe even the activities of Christians on the campus. But they don't really know what is going on... But our knowledge for the things that are going on in the spiritual realm shouldn't make us prideful for we only know what the Spirit reveals to us and because they are also His beloved who deserves to know them as well. I felt that He was emphasizing this posture of humility through the image of a bridge also- posture of bending down before Him, willing to be 'bridges' where we are ushering in His kingdom by allowing people to 'step on us' to cross to the higher reality (the spiritual, the invisible, the heavenly realm =)), as opposed to a posture of standing before a podium (not to say that that is bad but to emphasize humility).

We know that what's to come is big and we need to be prepared and care for others to be also and be ready to explain what is going on so that people on this campus will see God for who He is and be brought into the light. I encourage you guys to ask Him how it looks like personally for you in your given circumstances, community, relationships to be a bridge to bring His kingdom to them and His people to Him =)

I also felt that He was encouraging us to hold onto the 'rope' with both hands, steadily, at all times signifying the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (I think this imagery was used at IHOP sometime couple months ago). That it is going to be the Holy Spirit that will push us forward towards more of heaven day by day in the midst of so much going on and that we just need to be faithful and steady.

Can't wait to witness and be a part of His redemption of this campus =)

It was all worth it.

Worthy is He who is seated on the throne
and worthy is He who draws me to my knees
and calls me His own.

Daniel Fast

As God mobilizes His army, the enemy mobilizes his as well. But praise the Lord! He “trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle” (Psalm 144:1). One thing that the Lord has been consistently emphasizing is the importance of putting on the full armor of God. But more specifically, I feel like God is saying “the key to the battle is the breastplate of righteousness.”

Remember at the beginning of the year when we boldly prophesied that this is the year of the Lord’s favor? Well, this is the year of the Lord’s favor. He has anointed you to be the bearers of good news. He has anointed you to set the captives free. He has anointed you to release the prisoners from darkness, to be the light on this campus (Isaiah 61:1-2).

The Lord reminded me that this is not something that people can heal, but only God can restore. As the recent incidents bring to mind this country’s history of slavery, God has reminded me to look deeper, to see the slavery to sin that enslaves many people. I began to see an image of people marching the campus, shackled in chains. The Lord wants to break these chains! He wants to set captives free. But He reminded me, how are we to set captives free if we are captives ourselves? How are we to be the bearer of good news, to be the ones that release the prisoners from darkness if we are ourselves are enslaved to sin? If we fall back into the chains that we have been set free from, how are we to set other captives free? After a lot of self-reflection, I realized that many of the shows I watch, much of music I listen to, the jokes I crack, have a subtle hint of racism, sexism, or immorality. And my spirit has become accustomed to, even accepting of, this spirit of immorality that has subtly snuck into my daily life. If our lifestyles (the things we watch, the things we do) are not different, if we will not be a generation that chooses to pursue holiness and righteousness, how will we be able to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation? (Philippians 2:15)

So I do believe that the Lord is calling us to take up the breastplate of righteousness and buckle it on tight. There is a nationwide 40-day Daniel fast that is beginning Monday, March 1^st and I don’t think it could have come at a better time-especially for UCSD. I’m emphasizing a media fast because I do think that our spirits are in a need of cleansing. Our minds are in need of a clearing to hear the Lord better. And I do believe that as we fast and pray and as we go through this period of ‘cleansing’ and ‘detoxing’, the Lord will come, and He will come in power. To be clear, I am not saying to just fast and pray and disengage from what is happening in an attempt to purify ourselves. One of the points of this fast is to simply remove the things that hinder us from receiving more from the Lord. I think the Lord wants us to pray and fast alongside whatever other action he calls us to. The Lord wants to revive and awaken our campus! “If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. So pray, fast, and expect great things from our Mighty God.

Attention

A lot of people have been feeling a lot of fear, insecurity, temptation, doubt, pain, depression....anything that isn't from the Lord could fit here. His saints are being hit hard now. The enemy is trying to turn our eyes from the Lord. I urge you as His beloved and His chosen one that if you are feeling anything that isn't from the Lord to not be ashamed or fearful but to tell someone about it, a staff worker, a friend, and receive prayer. Do not hesitate please, friends. It happens to all of us at some point and we just need a little support from a community the Lord has blessed us with. its late and i am incoherent so if you have questions ask me.

-natalie

Holy Spirit, Come

This is similar to Eric's post below this one. Yes, things at UCSD are not right. People are legitimately afraid to be on campus. I walk around and hear people making fun of this whole situation. Two worlds are crashing together like no other. There are multiple levels to this, though. There is the physical clash between those who are hurt and those who are causing hurt. There is the spiritual clash between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan. There is the clash between care and apathy.

We cannot be apathetic because the Lord is not apathetic. Our desire as His saints is to look like Christ. Christ wouldn't ignore this, friends. He doesn't shrink back in fear or become paralyzed by confusion. Jesus was informed and He knew the Father's will. Beloveds, I call you to listen to God moreso than before. Pray for this campus like God can actually change it. The administration cannot change our hearts.

There is a lot of hurt all around. But our God is a God of restoration and unity. We are fighting a battle here. It is a spiritual battle. Darkness is right up front, but the Lord is not afraid. We are not afraid. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor 10:3-5.

The Lord will strengthen us and reveal Himself to this campus if we ask Him to.

We have been outfitted for such a time as this. We have the FULL ARMOR OF GOD. (eph 6). This is a time of great darkness covering the campus. The fear is tangible, the clash is clear. But the Lord is sovereign over UCSD. I am thankful that this stuff isn't hidden anymore, because it has always been here, and now we cannot ignore it and we can pray for the Lord to take back His university. Unfortunately it had to come to something like this for me to pay attention.

Oh Christ, we need You here. It is up to us, His saints, to look like Him everywhere we go and trust the He does not remain silent and that everything that has led up to this and this event now will bring Him glory. Friends, I urge you to ask the Lord how He wants you to commit to prayer and fasting for this campus He has not forsaken. He calls each of us Hephzibah, for His delight is in each of us, and He calls our land Beulah, because He is going to come and marry us (Is 62).

This is a time where it is clear that our hope is not in future circumstance, but in the Lord. He is our hope. The enemy has been defeated. ALREADY. There is no fear in his plans because the Lord is stronger and already has claimed victory. Father, we agree with Your plans for this campus and we commit to partnering with You.