Stand Strong!

The Lord just recently gave me an amazing rhema that I want to share with you all, and it is found in 2 Timothy 2:1-4,

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."

I would have never dreamed what the Lord had in store for me during this past off semester, but without a shadow of a doubt it has been AMAZINGLY awesome! God has taken my hand like a little child and has walked me through depths of death and the heights of life. I have never been alone, no not even for a moment! I am reminded of God's promise to me, "I will never leave you nor forsake you". (Heb. 13:5b)

Whether visiting the execution chamber or seeing someone get radically saved, I KNOW God has led me and will continue to! At the same time, I have never before seen so much spiritual warfare over the last 3 months, than what I have seen on this off semester. But I am learning something; something that Dr. Gothard said recently that has impacted my life. He said something along these lines, "You know when you are approaching the Enemies strong hold, when the warfare grows stronger!"

As God has led me through these past 3 months, I have only been inspired and encouraged to look forward to returning to a time of seeking His face! Yes, I have been learning through these challenges, but their is nothing like spending time at the feet of Jesus in a solitude place! The battle has been strong, but God has always been faithful to be there for me. I have learned that I cannot fight battles it in my own strength, no matter how much I intellectually know. Therefore God's grace is sufficient for me, because His strength is made perfect in me when I recognize my need for Him!

This Saturday I will be returning to IMI and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me for this next chapter of life! Lord willing I will be returning November 19th, but until then please keep all the students at IMI in your prayers. And for me specifically, that I would NEVER take my eyes off my good Shepherd and that I would always seek an intimate relationship with the Lord, no matter what waters or firers I may go through. 

You guys don't understand how much your prayers mean to me and to others for whom you pray...it is like a breath of fresh air and strength to the weary soul! I love you all BUNCHES and I will look forward to returning and seeing you all again soon! May God richly bless each one of you as you day by day set your face to seek your Father!

Blessings!

                 Naters

              Isa. 61:1-3

God's Faithfulness...

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." Lamentations 3:21-26

      Here in Chicago, the weather has been breath taking! In the morning the air is cool, droplets of water cling to the blades of grass, the sun streams through the sky beaming its rays down to earth while the plants and vegetation show their beautiful deep colors of green! One morning I remember stepping outside and heading off to work, when I experienced all this...it was incredible! It was like a burden had been lifted and I had a knew energy to meet the day.

     This experience is exactly how the Lord wants us to experience Him early in the morning, in prayer and in His Word. He wants us to be awed at His holiness, He wants us to be refreshed by the washing of the water of the Word and by the Light that the Holy Spirit shines into those lives that will except Him. I don't understand why the Lord loves me so much, but I know He does!

     Take advantage of the early morning hours. God is waiting to meet with you and ready to pour out upon you the living water of Life, whereby is the only means by which we have new Life! Allow the Lord to fill you up in the morning with His Spirit, so that He can pour you out upon the lives of others through out the day, impacting them for eternity!

God's MATCHLESS Grace...

     Again, I stand amazed, overwhelmed and humbled about my Father's gentle hand at work in the hearts and lives of many young men! I am remind of the lyrics to the hymn "I Stand Amazed":

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Chorus:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!


I guess the most exciting part of the Journey, is that the Spirit of  God does the work and nothing else! During this time, I have personally seen lives literally transformed before my eyes...it's AMAZING. I saw men who were lovers of themselves turn, and are now lovers after the Lord seeking for a personal relationship with Him.
     In my own walk with the Lord, God again used this time to break me. It wasn't easy, but the fruit and freedom that continues to come as I listened to the Holy Spirit's voice is immeasurable.While I was on the Journey, the Lord exposed a lie in my life that I had been believing...a lie that had kept me in bondage and a lie that was destroying me. The lie could have simply been resolved by truth, but yet I had pridefully overlooked it and disregard the consequences of my decision.
     This lie I had believed was, "If you have failed morally in your life once or twice, but yet you are now having "freedom" and have "conquered" it, you don't need to confess it to your authorities". The Lord showed me very clearly that this lie had given ground to Satan to keep me bound from victory. The tool that the Lord used to expose this lie is the DVD by Paul and Jenny Speed on Openness and Brokenness.
     I am excited to see how the Lord will continue to work not only in my life, but in the lives of all the Journey young men! Please keep the Journey guys in your prayers, because I know that for some of them this is the very beginning of a new Life. I truly heard God's voice while I was up at the Northwoods, and I will NEVER regret going or the experience of this time alone with the Lord!
     My challenge to you all would be, MAKE the time to spend with the Lord and you WILL reap the rewards of an intimate walk with Him that you will never regret...do this no matter the cost! May God richly bless you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your faithful prayers...I can truly attest that God moved mountains this past week and He will continue to!!!

Here are some pictures that I took on the Journey, I hope you are encouraged by them!!!

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14