This weekend I hosted an IF: Local event. My heart is so full, it will take some time to ponder and pursue the work God did in me. However, I want to share a reflection on the IF Gathering along with a taste of what God did. I am also including a link up for other women to share their #ifstory and reflections. I hope that collectively our stories will give you a glimpse of all the God did through the IF Gathering.
You may be asking what in the world is an IF Gathering. IF is the God-given dream of Jennie Allen. Its purpose is to gather, equip and unleash a generation of women to live out their purposes.
The IF Gathering is more than a once a year event. It is an equipping tool, a time to refocus, recharge and regenerate. The leader’s of IF believe so strongly in their purpose that they live stream the event. This allows women like me who can not attend the Austin event to participate with the women in their community- the women they live and work out their faith with on a daily basis. IF: Local events are, by far, my favorite part of the IF Gathering.
This year over 2,000 women attended the IF Gathering in Austin. Over 1,600 women across the globe registered to host IF: Local events. Some of IF: Local gatherings were small and intimate like mine. Others were large, yet simple and pure with hundreds of attendees. In all, over 60,000 people live streamed the event- this amount includes the 1,600 IF: Locals plus those who viewed the event independently. Hundreds of thousands of women’s lives were impacted with the Gospel of Christ over the course of two days.
The theme for this year’s IF Gathering was Belief. Each message centered on the story of Joshua and Caleb, beginning in Numbers 13 and ending in Joshua 6. IF’s heartbeat is that we will live out of an abiding belief that God is a God who keeps his promises.
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As I said my heart is full. There are a million things I could tell you about the IF Gathering. There were more than a million quotable moments, but I want to focus on the three messages that lead me to a place of belief and obedience.
This is my #ifstory.
Jennie Allen opened the gathering by urging women to stop asking:
Am I enough?
Will I be safe?
What will it cost me?
Jennie called us to live a new story- one lived by faith and not by sight. When Jennie said It is NOT about the measure of your faith. It is about your IMMEASURABLE God! I realized I measure what God can and will do through me based on the size of my faith.
A few hours later one of my favorite Bible teachers, Jen Hatmaker spoke. Jen’s message turned my view of faith on its head, but this was the game-changer. Faith is not the formula for the good stuff. Faith IS the good stuff!
Jen’s statement caused me to see that I viewed faith as a tool to use rather than an object to possess. All my life, I assumed I needed faith to get or do or become something. The truth is God’s goal for me is to remain full of faith regardless of what I get or do or become.
Faith is not a tool to use. It is an object to possess. #faith #ifstory
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I would have been content if that was all I got out of the Gathering, but God had more than I could ask or imagine in store for me. He used Christine Caine to provide it.
Christine took all the principles I learned about faith- how I was misusing and misunderstanding it- and showed me how to live a life of faith. My biggest takeaway was that I need to “set my foot” into the land (calling) God has given me. (Joshua 1)
I am free. I know this. I do not want to return to captivity as the Israelites did. I am quite content living in the wilderness. It is fairly safe. I face little opposition- there are no giants living in this land. God provides for me and blesses me just as he provided for and blessed the Israelites.
The thing is, I am not accomplishing much of anything other than walking in circles. This life of relative comfort lacks challenge. It lacks purpose. And what I know- the thing that make wilderness living wretched- is that God has called me to so much more. He has called me to change lives, to show people how to find and live in freedom.
Setting my foot looks just as specific to me as it did to the Israelites. It looks like showing up every day.
It means showing up to write every day- even when I lose my words.
It means leading and serving in my local church with passion and purpose.
It means loving my family and friends well.
It means moving forward even when I do not understand how my obedience will result in walls falling down and giants tumbling to the ground.
It means trusting God for the victory and not attempting to fight the battle for Him.
Christine Caine closed her message with words of encouragement and a resounding promise. She assured us that “the best is yet to come.” Seldom does God give me tangible assurance of His promises, but this time He did. Shortly before Christine spoke a postal worker delivered a package. I opened the box later that evening and pulled out my Erin Condren planner. It bears the exact same message!
Yes, the best is yet to come. But I must show up to meet it.
That’s my #ifstory. I would love to hear yours. Link up your story below or share it in the comments. If you missed the IF Gathering, feel free to share your God story, because really, that is what an #ifstory is.
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