As I started this Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS), I would meet with God in my early morning devotions, before our daily breakfast duty, and pray these words from Ephesians 3 . . . .
“Father, establish me in Your love that I may be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love that Jesus has for me, and that I may know and experience and share this love that surpasses knowledge.”The ways God answered this prayer always surprised me. He doesn’t modify our personality when He adds His dimension to it.
One day while walking to our classroom at the YWAM Tyler campus, I spotted a DTS student crying at a one-on-one table. I stopped to find out why and found myself weeping with tears of joy as she shared with me. God had shared His heart of love for this student with me.
Then a few days later in class during an intercession time we were praying for the United Kingdom. I found myself weeping uncontrollably as God shared His heart of love with me again.
Often while washing dishes during my work duty, God would pick out particular students for my wife, Marie, and I to pray His heart for. It was our joy to see the results of those prayers as their lives were gradually transformed.
This continued into outreach as God would lead me to pray His heart for our team members, especially the children.
In Dallas the ladies were tasked with working with a group of young women while the men and boys were sent out to a poor section of the city to give out bread and pray for people.
My team had prayed for several people when we came upon three women in a vacant lot. We offered them bread and asked if we could pray with them. One lady ran off but two of them said yes. They were filthy, smelled of alcohol, and seemed like they were high. One was pregnant. We started praying and the Holy Spirit engulfed us and prayed through us so powerfully that I actually had to hold the ladies up. We lost track of time as the Father poured His heart out to them through us. I don’t even remember what we prayed for ~ I just remember that about a half hour later as the prayers ended I was embracing one of these women as God loved her through me.
Another instance was in New Orleans. Our team had the responsibility for the Sunday service in a youth detention center. The entire team, including the kids, did an excellent job with this service. It flowed together so beautifully, and the Holy Spirit was present throughout. I only had a small part so I was mostly in the back of the room praying. And God did it again. He shared with me His heart for the youth. I was weeping uncontrollably again as I prayed for them. The service was incredible; the young inmates were attentive all the way through it, and at the end at least a half dozen kids responded to a call and started a new relationship with Jesus.
As the outreach came to an end and with it the CDTS, my prayer is that the Father will continue to share His love for others to me. This has been so incredible and I don’t want to lose it.
Guest Author ~ Frank Purser, Crossroads Discipleship Training School Student
In January 2019, YWAM Tyler will be hosting another Crossroads DTS. If you find you're ready to step out and go deeper into God's love for you and others, don't hesitate to join this school!! We have a spot ready with your name on it.
