Baptism of Breakthrough

This past weekend, we had a revival at Adventures in Missions called “The Awakening.” It was a gathering of World Race alumni with the hope that we could come together in unity and our passion and mission for discipleship would be reawakened. The vision is then for us to go out and raise up 4 generations of church leaders – reclaiming the generation before us and stewarding those after us – to be the church.

I did not want to go to the Awakening. I thought I had heard and seen all of the talk that our leadership had to offer. I have said the big “Yes” that brought me here, and now I feel stuck in the mundane, in the 9 to 5 of it all. I’ve been praying and yearning for breakthrough in so many areas – healing, spiritually, financially, in my calling and the prophecies spoken over my life –  and I have not seen any of it.

So of course, that meant God was going to move in me once I got my pride out of the way. This is the story of how He did that.

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God likes to teach me through object lessons and applications. We also speak pretty candidly, at times. He knows I learn best this way. I woke up Saturday and said “Good morning” to God. Then, like most mornings, I started thinking about what I was going to wear. Maybe my white boyfriend t-shirt and my skinny jeans. But then I heard God’s voice interrupting my thoughts:

“Why don’t you let me choose your outfit today?”

This seemed like a strange request, so I replied “Why do you want to choose my outfit, God?”

“You always want to see me in the big things. And I’m so proud of you for saying yes to those. But you never invite me into the mundane. So let me pick out your clothes.”

Well, why not? This is what He chose – not too shabby.

More on why I’m soaking wet later. I did question the wisdom of the flannel as I danced and sweat like a fool during worship. But God kept reminding me:

 “Invite me into the mundane and see what I will do.”

I thought that was it – great object lesson. I will walk forward, even inviting God into the tiny nuances and details of my day. The small “yes,” time and time again, ends in something bigger, right?

But then Jessi Green got up on stage and called us all to a time of repentance and prayer. “You should wake up every morning and plead ‘God, what must I do?!?’ because people are dying. They hate Jesus because they don’t know Him.” How selfish I must be to know His love and not share. Who are my disciples? Where is my everyday yes?

So in that moment, I repented and cried out to Him – “God, what must I do?”

“She’s about to talk about baptism and you are going to do it.”

“But I’ve already been baptized, God.”

“That was your baptism of salvation. This is you new baptism. I want to wash you anew in the Holy Spirit. I want to baptize you into a new season. Quit trying to work for you own healing. I am declaring you healed in my name. Let’s move forward together. This baptism is your breakthrough. So say yes to this. Say yes to me. And let’s go do the thing.”

Of course, the next thing Jessi said was “There is a truck set up, full of water, for baptism. The people in Acts were baptized because they saw and heard and were called. Because their old lives were dead and gone. Because the were done playing around.”

I’m done playing around.

Ten minutes later, I climbed a ladder into the back of a pickup truck full of freezing cold water and Jessi prayed over me:“I pray you will be deeply rooted. Others will see your roots and your strength because you are an oak tree planted in Him. He’s called you to be an oak of righteousness.”

 

Tears. There it was – my promise and reminder. My oak tree.

 “That will be you. That is you. You are my oak and you will be an example of my glory. You, Deborah, are my Oak of Righteousness.”

So I had my baptism of breakthrough. I went down the broken, healing, striving, lost Deborah and I came up an Oak of Righteousness, full of promise and deeply rooted. The old life is gone, the new life has come.

 

I don’t have all the clarity I have been seeking, but I don’t feel like I need it anymore. I have my breakthrough. I am healed. I am stepping forward with God into the more He has called me to and promised. I will say yes in the small things. May my life be radically changed.

I got out of the truck and my roommate said, “Wow, I bet you’re glad you wore a black shirt!”

“Invite me into the mundane and see what I will do.”

Saturday started with a small yes. Today continues with everything else seeming so small in comparison to one thing – My King.