Men with swords don’t usually attend our Pure Freedom event for moms and daughters. That’s a good thing! But recently a group of men (with giant swords in tow) came to our event in Seneca, PA and blew us away!
Let me explain.
Pure Freedom is an event for moms and daughters launched by Dannah after the release of her book What Are You Waiting For: The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex. I have the pleasure of emceeing the event. Dannah teaches and Stephanie Peters brings the house down in worship. We have a lot of fun with our giant slingshot and zany games like Lets Make a Deal and Are You Smarter Than Your Hormones, but we also take a serious dive into God’s Word together.
That Word has the unique power to slice and dice our hearts. Night after night we’ve seen young women lay down impure relationships, moms accept God’s forgiveness for past sins, relationships restored, patterns of sexual sin confessed, and a holy passion for purity unleashed.
I’d like to think all that fruit is a direct result of my witty stage banter, but I know better. The truth is, there is always a sword involved.
Ephesians 6: 17-18 urges us to take up, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
It is the Word of God that cuts down deep into the hearts of these girls and momma's. And then it is the Great Physician, Jesus who comes behind to stitch the pieces back together again. The heavy lifting happens in the heavenly realms, which is why men with swords were such a blessing to our team in Seneca.
After watching this promo video, 30 men from a local church in the community where our event was to be held volunteered to pray for the event. The event’s coordinator told me afterward that each one of them had signed a covenant to stand in the gap for their wives and children. When they heard we were coming to speak to moms and daughters, they started praying. And boy, howdy did they pray! They fasted the day of the event and stood outside the venue to pray before, during and after.
What a difference their prayers made. Fifteen young women came to know the Lord that night. Many, many more confessed sin, received healing and laid their love lives on the altar.
Why am I telling you this? My motivation is three-fold.
First, I want you to have a glimpse into what God is doing through Pure Freedom. He is on the move and we are blessed to be on the ride.
Two, I want you to see that the responsibility for protecting the purity of young women (and young men) rests on all of our shoulders. Just because you’re not a youth pastor, a mom, or directly connected to a teenager doesn’t negate the need to help teenagers stand for purity in a culture gone wild. These men prayed because they knew that impurity and sexual sin affect the whole Church, not just those hiding their shame behind closed doors.
Three, we can all use reminders about the power of prayer. These men lived like they believe God when He makes promises like the ones found in Jeremiah 33:3 and John 14:14.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
“If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Those praying men reminded me that prayer is the fulcrum that allows me to do the Kingdom work God has assigned to me. The same is true for you.
Ultimately, if lives are going to be changed, culture is going to be shifted and purity is going to be possible, the battle must be won in prayer. Will you pick up your sword and join me in praying for a turn of the tide?
Written by: Erin Davis
