Six men attended the Journey to the Heart that was held February 7-14. The Journey was hosted at the International Ministerial Institute (IMI) campus in Burnet, Texas. It is a beautiful facility with trails and walking paths lacing the property. Solitary spots along the trails were perfect for personal devotions. The men enjoyed the best of both worlds: peaceful fellowship with God amid wondrous creation and mealtime fellowships about God with the IMI students!

The Journey participants arrived on Saturday afternoon. After becoming acquainted with one another, as well as with the Journey leaders, each man shared a “brief” testimony of how he came to know the Lord. This was a rich sharing time; although only ten men (the six participants and four leaders) comprised the entire team, the sharing time lasted about three hours! The men’s openness right from the start was testimony to God’s answer to the prayers for these men even before they came. As they spoke, it was evident that God had been involved in each man’s coming for this time and event. Some even told how they weren’t “supposed” to be able to come or didn’t want to come, but God had arranged their plans in order for them to be there.

With a definite awareness that God had led them there, the Journey began. Each day included team meetings to read and discuss the Journey material followed by group sessions to hear a message. There was time for personal reflection to consider what the Lord was saying to them. These men had not come for “great teaching” or “more materials,” but they came conscious of their need to meet with God – a need that is often ignored or resisted. 

Throughout the week the messages, team times, and even the singing seemed handpicked by the Lord to address the specific needs of the men. There were times of confession and prayer as God dealt with each one about unaddressed sin in their lives that was hindering a deeper relationship with Him. Some key topics covered were the necessity of understanding their identity in Christ, the urgency of resolving bitterness in marriage, and the vital importance of keeping God’s Word before their eyes through daily meditation. On the final evening of the Journey, the men voiced what God had taught them. They shared areas in their lives that needed change and listed out plans of action to begin cultivating newly-found truths into their daily lives.

Pray for these men to continue their pursuit of God through meditating and abiding in His Word in the daily walk of life with all of its pressures and problems. Pray for all Christian men to seek God wholly. Praise the Lord for the opportunities a Journey affords to set aside time from our busy daily lives and focus solely on time with our Heavenly Father.  Registration is open now; 2015 Journey dates are posted at iblp.org/programs/journey-heart. How about you? When is God calling you to a Journey with Him? Of significant note is that each one expressed that he had begun to see the extreme importance of meditating upon God’s Word. Meditation on God’s Word renews and changes our minds, resulting in complete transformation of our lives. (See Romans 12:2.) What we meditate on becomes what we believe, and it is our belief system that defines and guides all that we do. These men saw that meditation on God’s Word was not one among many things that should be done; it should be the first above all!