Lydia

“I can honestly say that I have never doubted the existence of God. I have also never doubted if He really is a loving Father. In fact, He has been transforming me since the day I was born with this ever-growing revelation of how much He really loves me. 

When I was in 8th grade, I had an encounter at my church where I felt the Holy Spirit for the first time physically. I remember as I was worshipping, I began to cry harder and harder as the set went on. I got overwhelmed and for the first time ever I felt the desires of my heart change to not only believe in God but to follow Him. From that day forward I knew that the Spirit of God was alive in me. First because He loves me and second because He wants to move through me. Now that being said, I had years in high school where I didn’t follow Him as closely. I went through phases of listening to bad music, watching Netflix shows I shouldn’t watch and by my senior year even pushing some physical boundaries with my boyfriend (who is now my husband, so let’s just say things worked out in the end). I would feel conviction really strongly even though to the world, and even most of my friends, I was very “pure” or “good”. I just never felt like I was truly pure. Realizing this brought me to a season where Jesus started to share with me what the purpose for purity is. This was one of the top most transformative revelations thus far in my life. I was sitting with the Holy Spirit one day and I was reading in the book of Titus and in verse 14 it says, “For He purified FOR HIMSELF a people who are zealous for good works.” Immediately, the Holy Spirit said, “Lydia I don’t want you to be pure for any other reason except for MYSELF.” 

My whole life I had thought purity was important as my “witness to the world,” when it is actually just so that my connection with Jesus can be clear and undefiled. This is worth everything. 

Distance with God is an illusion. The only reason I have ever gone through seasons that felt distanced from God was because I wasn’t protecting our connection,rather I was fogging it. But even still, He never moved away from me. This has transformed the way I live my everyday life. I can see clearly now that my purpose here is to LOVE God, know Him, and serve Him!

I grew up around Christians who have settled into life and don’t hunger for the more of God. They’ve become okay with dryness, and stagnation. Until I spent 2 years at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, I did not know that you can actually never be dry. I had always been taught what to do when I got “dry”. This belief system completely negates the living water that Jesus promised to give. Holy Spirit is dwelling among us to completely transform us day after day after day. His design is for us to NEVER run dry, but to be filled to overflow with love for Him and from Him. He will transform every piece of you, if you let Him.

Lydia Timmons [Texas]