I’ve been diving into community at Destiny House for over four years now where God sends incredible people into my life for a season. But then many return to their home countries after the season is over.

At times, it’s heartbreaking because I have come to love these with my whole heart and then they leave. I always have a choice. I can fully engage, be all in, enjoy every moment and be fully present during the time we are together. Or, I can live guarded, protected, and pull back because they are going to leave anyway.

I can choose to realize that God has intersected our lives for such a time as this and that there are keys of destiny hidden inside of us for each other. Or, I can remain in relationship with them at an arm’s distance so they can’t access my heart and then I won’t have to feel pain when they leave. This would be a very sad story if I chose the latter. The abundant life Jesus died for us to have in John 10:10 is full of joy and sorrow, tears and miracles.

It’s important to be all in and fully engaged with the people God has surrounded us with in each present season. It’s not wise to pull back just before someone moves away because of fear they will be gone forever and the relationship will end. This action will sabotage great treasures that might still need to be discovered in the present with that person.

God has destined us to live and be fully alive in each and every season of life. With all of the incredible people coming and going in our lives, I want to share something that one of my spiritual fathers, Bob Fulton, taught me that will help in this transition. Being the surfer that I am, he explained it to me this way.

Imagine you are sitting at a lifeguard tower and there are people playing in the sand and in the water just in front of your tower. These are the ones God has brought into your life for such a time as this.

It is important to be present with these in the moment. Some of these will stay in your life forever and that is a beautiful thing, but some also will be there only for a season and then they will move on. That is also something to celebrate and thank God for the gift of that season of time together.

Looking to the left up the beach, you can see people playing in the water and you can’t wait to do life with them. However, they are not in front of your lifeguard tower and it’s not time to give them your full attention yet. Eventually, the current will bring them to you and then you can dive in together. When they arrive, some of these will stay with you for a season and some for life. It is all worth celebrating.

Then there are those who enjoy the beach in front of your lifeguard tower who go out swimming and the current takes them to the right and further down the beach. They no longer play in front of your lifeguard tower. They have now moved on.

As you look down the beach, your heart swells with so many memories. It’s a bittersweet moment but you realize this is their path. You try your best to celebrate the moments and memories you’ve had with them. You do your best to let go and trust them to God because you know if you don’t, you won’t be able to be fully present for the ones God has positioned right in front of you for the this new season.

It’s important to celebrate and thank God for every moment you have with the people you love and also to live open handedly, fully surrendering these gifts to Him. He is their Father and loves them even more than you do. He will provide other spiritual mothers, fathers, and friends, down the beach in front of other lifeguard towers. Some may even come back later on in life and visit you again, recounting memories of old.

Every moment is worth living wholeheartedly. Every season is something to celebrate no matter how short or long it may be. Every relationship is a gift from God.

Celebrate those God has positioned in front of you for such a time as this. You will never have the same dynamics and synergy of people together like what’s in front of you today. Some may transition out of your daily life but as we live wholeheartedly, pieces of our heart will carry on within each other far and wide.

May God give you the grace to dive in with those He’s brought to you now. May you have a fresh perspective to celebrate, bless, and live wholeheartedly until the end of each season, thanking God for the gift of life and friendship He has brought into your life today.

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., is the founding director of Destiny House, a ministry that cultivates communities of worshippers who do life together in God’s presence and who launch people into their destinies from a place of intimacy with God and connection with family. Destiny House has a 100-year vision for worship to be released in the context of family and for 5,000 other houses to be launched around the world. Jen recently released a new book called Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution. She also supported Bill Johnson in his Defining Moments book as well as has authored Writing in the Glory, Life on Wings, Water to Wine, Spirit Flood, and Silver to Gold. Jen teaches revival history classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry as well as facilitates Writing in the Glory workshops at Destiny House. Jen is ordained by Heidi Baker with Iris Global and also by Bill Johnson with Bethel Church of Redding, California. Jen loves to lead people into life-changing encounters with Jesus through her writing, teaching, and ministry. She received her Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K.

For the original article, visit silvertogold.com.

We are on the verge of one of the greatest awakenings of all time. Many have prophesied about a new move of God on the horizon that far surpasses any we have ever seen. Our generation is pregnant with birthing a new Jesus Revolution and we have been given the incredible opportunity to step into something truly special in our day.

The Azusa Street Revival is not just something that happened over a hundred years ago, it prophesies into our future of what God wants to pour out in an even greater measure today. There is great momentum for us to step into that was initiated in the Azusa Street Revival, a move of God that has brought more people to Jesus than in previous centuries combined. Lessons and keys for our destiny are embedded in their story. We can access these to unlock even greater realms of God’s glory in our day. The fire from Azusa is still burning and available today.

The Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) was a significant spiritual awakening that played a crucial role in the emergence of Pentecostalism and the rapid growth of Christianity around the globe. On Nov. 16, 1905, just months before the revival was sparked in California, an intercessor in Los Angeles named Frank Bartleman felt a stirring similar to what many of us might be feeling today. He said,

The current of revival is sweeping by our door. Will we cast ourselves on its mighty bosom and ride to glorious victory? A year of life at this time, with its wonderful possibilities for God, is worth a hundred years of ordinary life. “Pentecost” is knocking at our doors. The revival for our country is no longer a question. Slowly but surely, the tide has been rising until in the very near future we believe for a deluge of salvation that will sweep all before it. Wales will not long stand alone in this glorious triumph for our Christ. The spirit of reviving is coming upon us, driven by the breath of God, the Holy Ghost. The clouds are gathering rapidly, big with a mighty rain, whose precipitation lingers but a little.

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, and their names will be emblazoned on heaven’s eternal page of fame. The Spirit is brooding over our land again as at creation’s dawn, and the fiat of God goes forth. “Let there be light.” Brother, sister, if we all believed God, can you realize what would happen? Many of us here are living for nothing else. A volume of believing prayer is ascending to the throne night and day. Los Angeles, Southern California and the whole continent shall surely find itself ere long in the throes of a mighty revival, by the Spirit and power of God.

Can you feel the stirring deep within your spirit? If we really believed God, can you realize what might happen? Many of us today are sensing the intensity and weight of what God is about to pour out in all the earth. We are indeed on the verge of the greatest revival we have ever seen. The momentum of those who have gone before us is great.

As you dive into the Azusa story, I declare that the weak be made strong, the hidden unveiled, the brokenhearted restored and made whole, and the wounded healed. I call forth the heroes to arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances. As you read Ignite Azusa, I pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite you with the fire of God like never before.

“God, do it again in our day and even more. Whatever it looks like, we don’t care, just as long as we have more of You. Release the keys of intimacy and destiny that You want to deposit into our generation. Overshadow us and cause us to burn for You with a flame that will never go out. We are Yours forever, Lord. Mark us for Your glory. We say yes to You, no matter what the cost.”

The preceding is an excerpt from the new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., with Heidi Baker, Lou Engle and Bill Johnson.

Heidi Baker, Ph.D. (Iris Global), Lou Engle (TheCall) and Bill Johnson (Bethel Church in Redding, California) partner together in Ignite Azusa to inspire courage to step into the momentum set before us today. They will also be in Los Angeles April 9, 2016 for the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival at the AzusaNow gathering. We are believing for a new Jesus Revolution in our day. Join us at TheCall Azusa (thecall.com).

Jennifer A. Miskov has a Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K. She is the founding director of Destiny House, a ministry that cultivates communities of worshippers who do life together and who launch people into their destinies from a place of intimacy with God and connection with family. She teaches revival history classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and facilitates Writing in the Glory workshops at various places. Learn more or order your copies of Ignite Azusa at silvertogold.com. 

A Holy Spirit fire was ignited in Nuremberg, Germany, this past week. In a stadium where Hitler once raised up and trained his army, friends from around the world came together for one purpose: at an event called Awakening Europe they came to see people saved and transformed by the love of God.

On July 9-12, 2015, about 25,000 people from more than 20 nations gathered together in Germany to glorify the name of Jesus in Europe. Ben Fitzgerald, Todd White, and others assembled a large family of Jesus lovers to send throughout the world carrying the fire of the Holy Spirit and the love of God. Heidi Baker, Jesus Culture band, Jake Hamilton, and others rearranged their schedules to be a part of what God was doing to re-awaken Europe and to see God’s kingdom come.

Ben Fitzgerald, an Australian born evangelist who was also a pastor at Bethel Church Redding, said that Germany was ripe for what God wanted to do in all the earth. He said, “A great catalytic fire is going to leave Germany and go across Europe and millions of people are going to come back to God in the next few years.” Fitzgerald saw the beginning of his dream come true this weekend in Germany.

At Awakening Europe, there was no other agenda but Jesus. There was no competition, no striving, no trying to get a higher position. If anything, people were trying to get lower still so they could lay down to worship before King Jesus. Awakening Europe appeared to be a fulfillment of Paul’s words in Philippians 2:1-3 of “having the same love, being in unity with one mind,” and of Psalm 27:4: “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that will I seek after—for me to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”

This conference was more like a huge family reunion than anything else. Everyone worshipped Jesus together and sought to invite even more people into the growing family of God. It was such a pure offering unto the Lord.

Faith also marked Awaking Europe. The speakers and leaders seemed to walk in high levels of faith. Fitzgerald and White stepped out in faith to rent a stadium when they didn’t have the funds. Even when the conference started, they were short thousands of dollars. On the final day, however, all the money came in to cover the costs. Awakening Europe was a present-day Nehemiah story coming together.

The conference started with a Thursday night session with no real agenda other than worshipping Jesus. Fitzgerald, White and others gave room for the Holy Spirit to take over the stadium. They simply knelt down on the stage to worship and invited God to come and lead. A chorus that regularly flowed throughout the conference was, “Holy Spirit I surrender, I say yes to You. Jesus, Jesus.”

There was desperation in their cries for more of the Holy Spirit. There was passion in their voices. There was a sacred hunger present.

On Friday, White called for all who had not yet encountered God’s love to stand up. Many people responded. White asked them to run quickly to the end of the stadium where a ministry team was prepared to receive them. Hundreds of people cascaded towards the field so they could give their lives to Jesus. White had the several thousands gathered at the end of the field get down on their knees and repeat a prayer. Following this, he had the rest of those in the stadium extend their hands and ask for a baptism of fire. There was a special presence in the stadium that night. When the Holy Spirit crashed in on them, they could no longer hold back the tears. People were marked by the love of God like never before.

Walter Heidenreich and Heidi Baker spoke on Saturday. At one point, hunger for more increased as a young woman ran onto the field as fast as she could. She wanted more of God. This hunger is similar to what Baker experienced in the late 1990s. At one meeting, she ran up to the front of a church in the middle of Randy Clark’s message because she was so hungry for more of the Holy Spirit. She was marked by Clark’s prayer that day. Hunger attracts the heart of God; those who are hungry shall be filled.

Europe indeed was awakened to hunger for something more this week. Thousands were saved. Many were set free from shame. Multitudes were activated to be Jesus to those around them in their everyday lives. Many in and outside the stadium were physically healed and encountered the love of God like never before. Hope arose in the hearts of those present. A nation was lit on fire by the Holy Spirit. Ripple effects for eternity will come from what God poured out this weekend. Years and even generations from now, stories will continue to be told about how God met hungry people in Nuremberg, Germany at Awakening Europe.

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May this conference be a template, a new wine skin for carrying what God wants to pour out in our generation. May releasing the heart of God always come from a place of being united in love as a family. May every conference or church meeting begin with no other agenda than to worship and encounter the living God. May space be made to yield to  the spontaneous leading of the Holy Spirit. May a sweet sacrifice of our yielded lives always be poured out before our King. May every single gathering of believers forever be marked and led by seeking the face of Jesus. 

I pray that you would receive a fresh impartation of what God did at Europe Awakening, that you would run after Jesus and never look back. May God help you to realize that you need family to fulfill your destiny. May He surround you with kindred spirits who will burn with you. May faith arise so you will have courage to step into the impossible. May hunger increase so that you are so desperate to have more of Jesus that you will take hold of Him at any cost. May everything you do come from a place of deep intimacy with Jesus. May you be undone for anything else but knowing Jesus and making Him known. In Jesus’ name, Amen.