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By Jolene Aycock, Lt. –
1 Thessalonians 5:24 says: The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it (NIV). Over our time at the College for Officer Training (CFOT), I have seen this promise fulfilled in my life and in the lives of my fellow Messengers of Light, over and over again. We know that he has been and will continue to be faithful, and that he will accomplish his purposes through us.
Twenty-two months ago I stepped onto CFOT’s soil with just a few items in hand, but a heart full of undeniable peace, knowing that this was where the one who calls had called me. When God called, I was very comfortable. I was serving him in a Christ-centered church. I was living a wonderful life with my loving husband and working at a job I enjoyed. And then God came and said, “I have something different for you.”
As soon as I surrendered to him and said, “OK,” he began to open doors in ways that only he could. With every step forward, the peace increased. As I got to know the Messengers of Light and heard the stories of God’s calling in their lives, it became very clear that we were all here for the same reason. We each had said, “OK” to God and let him lead us step by step. Whatever different paths God used to bring us here, I know that each Messenger of Light truly loves the Lord and wants to share his light with the world.
When I stepped onto campus, even though I knew I was called to be here, it was a little intimidating. I knew that the campus would be a place that God would refine me. I knew that it would be a place where God would challenge me. I knew that it would be a place where God would transform me. The one who called has been faithful through this journey. Through all the laughter, tears, difficult days, joys and triumphs, God has molded each of us more into the people that he wants us to be.
Our hearts have been broken for the people of this world who are hurting and in need, and a passion for showing those people God’s love has been ignited. Our weaknesses have been brought to light, but we were empowered to accept them, knowing that he is glorified in them. Courage and confidence have been given to us to minister with the gifts he has given, and we were humbled as we came to a better realization that we get to serve God in this capacity.
God has used this session to touch the lives of so many people already. I have been witness to their love for people—how they pray, fervently, believing that God is able, and how they have a passion to see souls saved and lives transformed. Our session verse is found in 1 John 1:5: This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. We have each seen and experienced God’s light in our own lives as he has transformed us over the last two years. Now we stand ready to declare the same light to this dark world.
On this journey, I have learned a great deal, and I know that does not stop here. An imperative truth that has been and will continue to be at the heart of everything is this: God will do it. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Going forward, we do not want to go in our own strength, in our own wisdom or in our own power. We want to go forward abiding in Jesus. We want to go forward in such utter reliance on the spirit of God who lives inside of us, that there is no denying that this light is God in us and not ourselves.
We go to our first appointments, as lieutenants, by the grace of God and by his power alone. He has called. He is faithful. He will make us true Messengers of Light.
