God is Great! (All the time)

This may get a little deep for some of you, but I feel that I need to share this:

This week was the annual Youth Camp at my church. A huge part of our Youth Camp are the Praise and Worship Services, which without any coaxing from the adults or leaders become Altar Services. Most churches have Altars, where I grew up as in some Protestant and Catholic churches it's the place where you kneel and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. But in some other churches, its a place of prayer and a place for you to kneel before God to pray and worship.

I've learned a lot about the Holy Spirit since I became a Pentecostal. It's amazing to feel the Holy Ghost move during a worship service, to witness the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which generally manifests itself with the speaking of tongues (Yes, I have witnessed it, but haven't not been blessed with yet), and to see and hear people cry out to God with their needs And cry out in praise.

I've been fighting God, not wanting to be honest with the people closest to me. During my prayer time and the time that I've spent in His Word - He constantly showed me this and told me to take care of it. There is a scripture verse that says if you are at prayer and remember a quarrel with another to leave and make things right before returning to prayer. I wasn't ready to give it up. I wanted to praise and worship Him on my terms and not His. Let me just tell you that God does not work like that. We must be obedient to God and His word to receive His blessings.

At the beginning of Youth Camp, Kate and I went out for the evening service and as the youth gathered around the altar, I went and prayed with them, but knew that I was not right with God, because I refused to do what he asked of me. I watched Jeremy who was a counselor stand at the back of the group with his hands in his pockets during the song service and prayed that God would touch him and encourage him - that he would be bold in his witness this week and would take a step of faith and begin to pray with the youth at the altar.

God is faithful! I still wasn't obedient to God's command, but tonight I witnessed Jeremy raising his hands and praising God. Then I witnessed him kneeling down in prayer with one of the teens and God showed me that He is faithful even when we are not. I told God then and there that I was sorry and that I was willing to do what he required of me. He even gave me the words to say. When I did, I knew that God was with me because I felt his presence and remembered his words, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

As a reader of my posts, I'm sure that I can consider you one of my closest and best friends. Tonight, however I can't close without asking one question because what kind of friend would I be if I didn't ask, "Are things right between you and God?"