Be Ready and Willing

"but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" -1 Peter 3:15

This weekend we all went to a town about 3 hours from Nairobi, named Kibwezi. We went to Kibwezi to do a youth weekend. We went to 4 different secondary schools, high schools, in the surrounding areas. We went to go to try to change the life of some of Kenya's young people. We went to make a difference in their lives, to show them the love of Christ. To try to disciple them into healthy disciples of Christ.

We tried to speak to them through songs, skits, dramas, poems, and teaching the Word of God. We were able to speak to about 2,000 high schoolers. We went to secondary boarding schools, where the students live there as well as learn there.

While planning for the weekend on thursday, God began to show me the opening of a door for me. We had 5 sessions for these schools. Our team leader, a partner of Only Servants Ministries, Pastor Meshack was teaching 3 of those sessions. The other 2 were needed to be filled. Another member with us Ben volunteered for one of the sessions. I began to pray to God to see if this was something that HE wanted me to do, if this was something that HE was leading me to do.

God began to show me that this was an opportunity that HE wanted me to do. I could feel HIM leading me to do this. So I volunteered to teach the other session. I was able to speak to a all boys secondary boarding school.

I have felt a calling to speak about suffering and persecution. I have struggled with these things a decent amount this year. Something I have felt a lot of churches and people have failed to talk about was that we will be persecuted & indure suffering in our Christian walk. Many people today preach about the prosperity that comes with our Christian walk. They speak of the verses that show happiness, prosperity, joy, and comfort. BUT they fail to speak about the verses that say we will indure suffering and face persecution because of HIS name. Verses like Acts 14:22 that says "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" and Mark 13:13 "all men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved". Also that God calls us to live a different, changed, and transformed life. Different from non-believers, a life that does not make sense to non-believers. Changed from our old ways, "a new creation, old has gone, the new has come." Transformed, "being transformed into his likeness". God calls us to get uncomfortable, to do the dirty things, to do things that go against this world. Doing these things will be hard. You will be persecuted when you do these things. BUT in these times and when things get hard you have to be faithful to God. Colossians 2 says "continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him."

This year was hard for me because God brought a friend into my life. He is a great guy, and an amazing man. We became great friends, and I knew God brought him into my life for big things. That he would be with me through the calm and the storm. But that wasn't God's plans. He decided to move away, which would separate us and we would not be anywhere near the big parts of each others lives. I really struggled with why God was doing this. Why he brought this friend into my life to have him taken away. God used this to show me that I have to lean on Him. That HE is the only thing that will be there for me no matter what. So I had to lean on Him, and stay faithful. God helped me learn a lot through this and has brought me to where I am now, leaning on HIM and staying faithful to His Word.

Also I began to see in His Word that suffering & persecution is also a very good thing. Suffering & persecution strengthens our faith. Just like it did for me, it makes us lean on God more, and see How much we need him because we can not do it by ourselves. It says in scriptures that "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope". Also in James 1 when it takes about "consider it pure joy when we go through trials, and temptations, because it develops perseverance.

Then I found that scripture shows that we should feel blessed that we endure suffering or persecution for His name. In matthew 5 it says "blessed are the ones who are persecuted". Then also in 1 Peter 4 "If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." We should feel blessed that we get to endure the suffering for His name. Even going farther than that in the Word, it says that we should feel blessed because "we are to share in suffering with Him to share in His glory". WE GET TO SHARE IN HIS GLORY! How awesome is that? God's Glory! The name that is above all names, the creator of all things, we get to share in his everlasting and eternal glory! Then even farther in Romans 8 it says "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." God is going to use our sufferings to show even more glory that we will be able to compare.

Suffering is not always a bad thing. God will use these times of suffering to show His glory, and we get to share in that glory, and He will reveal HIS glory in US. That is amazing! I can't believe that He will let me, Kevin Huff, someone who is just a college student, trying to follow after him, trying to get to know Him more each day. Trying to help advance HIS Kingdom and Glory more and more, but not doing it with what I can do, but He is letting me be a part of it. Im am just so grateful that He lets me be a part of HIS work and HIS glory.

I was able to speak the Word of God to 630+ high school boys. God used me to speak to these young men. I was able to help these young men where they were. I was able to speak to some of them afterwards, and they said that it really helped them. Some of them were really struggling with suffering and trials. It was amazing to think that God used me to help these young men. God spoke through me to touch the hearts of some young men. I am forever grateful for that opportunity.

I really enjoyed speaking the Word of God. I enjoyed just speaking what I have been struggling with and things that I have realized. I was grateful to be able to show them things I have realized while pursuing God & staying faithful to His word. I am looking forward to seeing how God is going to use this situation.

I have a few minute video of it, but I can not upload it because of the internet here is very slow. I will update a post later that just has my video on it hopefully next week.

The Joy is Rising!