A Spiritual Journey

It’s a dangerous thing to step outside your door. For once you place your feet upon the road; you never know where it will take you. Though I have not visited anyplace nearly fantastic as Rivendale or Gondor; I can certainly agree with that wise old hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

If you missed it, the above is a partial quote from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. Like Bilbo and Frodo, I’ve been on a journey for the past few months. Like Bilbo, I am far from dead.  Where have I been to? Let’s put it this way. It certainly wasn’t to Mordor or anything like that.

For the past few months, I have been on a journey involving something called Sozo. Between my caring for my mother and Sozo, my energy has been well spent.  Today, things are settling down and I’m nearing the finish line of this part of my adventure.  After two months, I should be done with Sozo.

What’s the point of an adventure, if you never talk about it? You may be asking, “What is Sozo?” It’s a Greek word  meaning “saved or being saved”.  What am I being saved from? It’s not just salvation.  Sozo includes both inner healing and physical healing.

You can read more about it at Andrew Wormack’s Ministries. Andrew gives a more detailed insight into the word, sozo. You can read about it, at his site. Here’s a link to Chapter 3: Sozo!

It’s a sample chapter from a book called “God Wants You Well”. You can buy God Wants You Well: What the Bible Really Says About Walking in Divine Health at Amazon.com. The above link will take you to the right page. Just so you know, I am a part of the Amazon Associate program.

Let’s get back to the journey; as this is not about Andrew’s book. My personal journey really centers on a central theme, it’s seeing my true worth through God’s eyes.  Like Bilbo and Frodo, I had the pleasure of friends, who accompanied me on this adventure.

I won’t go into details on who came along on this journey. However, I will say that I had the benefits of people, in different parts of the United States. How can this be? There were only a few people in my group and they live in New Jerse!

Before I started my adventure, I asked some casual friends, who live in Michigan.  They are committed Christians and I knew them, from a couple of YouTube channels. I asked them to pray. Though they are quite busy, I do appreciate any effort to pray. I can say the same thing, for friends in Jersey.

How can I be certain? The Holy Spirit is a great help in this area. From experience, the Spirit has brought various people to my mind and I felt encouraged to pray for them.  As for my friends, I am also trusting in their good character and I allow them to be human. Nevertheless, God is faithful.

Here is another little fun fact about such journeys, my Father has a funny way of providing you with what’s needed.  On a regular basis, I would visit the site of Riverside Church. It’s a large church that’s located in Three Rivers, Michigan.

Though I am happy with Shore Vineyard Church, located in Toms River, NJ; I have been blessed with timely messages from the lead pastor at Riverside.  For the past few months, it seems the  pastor of Shore Vineyard and the pastor of Riverside have been playing tag team.

What do I mean by “tag team”? For the past few months, their messages seem to fit certain areas that I’ve been struggling with on my Sozo journey. How is this possible with two notoriously busy pastors? If it’s one or two messages, I may buy the “It’s a coincidence!” argument.

Shall we add to this? Last year, I read a book that proved to be quite helpful on my Sozo journey; it’s called Confidence: How to Succeed at Being Yourself and it’s written by Dr. Alan Loy McGinnis.  Dr. McGinnis gave some very useful tips that would prove helpful during my journey.

How so?  Believe it or not, I had some unexpected help from a video game and a pair of YouTubers. Yes, I am 50 years old and I certainly enjoyed Minecraft. My main interest has been in building a base or a house.  Though I never really got into the game; however, I did enjoy building some things.

What does this have to do with building one’s confidence? For some time, I have been drawn to a certain YouTube entertainer; who is known for buildings and being an encourager to all that listen. In real life, the man is a Christian and he has a love for building and video games.

It’s one thing to listen to an encourager like BDoubleO or read a book about confidence; you have to put the suggestions and ideas into practice. It started with a video game and it moved on to something I really enjoy-Cooking.  As Dr. McGinnis pointed out, if you gain confidence in one area, then it can lead to confidence in other areas.

A second book that proved to be quite helpful is the book used in Sozo. It’s written by Robert McGee and it’s called “The Search for Significance: Building Your Self-Worth on God’s Truth” The book is quite good and it’s proven to be challenging. That’s why it’s good to sign up for a class and take it with others.

I could easily continue to tell of other people and resources that my Father has woven into my life, at this point in time. Each person has proven to be quite helpful in my adventure. How about some prophetic words spoken to me? How about some incredible visions that my Father showed me?

As per Romans 8:28, my Father has truly woven all things together for my good and I stand in awe of the tapestry that God has woven together. Why does God do this? Have you not read? Have you not heard?

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [1 John 4:7-10]

The above passage isn’t about salvation, alone. It’s about the love that God has for His children. The above is an invitation to begin a relationship with God, the Father. That’s right, salvation is just the starting point.

The next step is to develop a relationship with Jesus. Like Bilbo, it starts with a knock on the door and your willingness to open it. Don’t worry, it is not Gandalf and you’re not off to kill a dragon. 

Like Bilbo, you will need to do more than “open the door”. Invite Jesus into your life; it begins with a simple conversation. As with Bilbo, your life will not be the same; if you’re willing.  Don’t worry, Jesus is not going to leave you stranded.

⁸ The Lord is indeed going before you—he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!” [Deut 31:8]

Along this road, I shall travel and I’m not afraid. Why? It’s because Jesus has been with me, in every step of my adventure. It’s not surprising when you consider what Jesus says in Matt 28:19-20. I suggest you read it, for yourself.

My Sozo class may be ending in a couple of months; however, the road continues on and I’ve no plans to stop at the Inn. There are stories to write, people to meet and books to be read. One never knows where this road will take you.

Right now, I need to find a working balance between writing for Inspiration Point and caring for my mother.  My goal is to get back into the swing of writing on a regular basis.

Hope you enjoy!