God is at work.

He is moving around the world, drawing people to His Son, Jesus Christ, to a new and eternal life with Him forever. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, lives are being transformed from the inside out.

Sometimes transformation is dramatic, even miraculous. Other times, the Spirit drills down to deal with a specific heart issue. We see that happen over and over in Global Disciples trainings—the Spirit uses the lessons to address a person’s heart.

Jane participated in a discipleship-mission training near her home in Botswana. She’s married, mother to two young children, and part of her local church. During a lesson on right relationships, the Holy Spirit began to speak to her, to draw out Jane’s deep-rooted problem with anger.

In brokenness, Jane shared how she struggled with a spirit of anger, and it had affected her life. Pregnant at 18, she couldn’t finish school, and her parents offered no support. Jane and her boyfriend eventually married, but her anger created conflict in her family, bullying and abusing her husband and child, and disrespecting her own mother.

Jane said the lessons on right relationships and the power of the Holy Spirit showed her that she was a new person in Christ and treasured by the Lord. With the Spirit’s help, she could let go of her anger. Now her heart, her relationships, her family, even others who have heard her testimony, are experiencing God’s transforming work.

Mary also experienced the Holy Spirit’s touch on a heart issue. She’s a 64-year-old woman who attended her local discipleship training. She’s a respected and influential woman in her community, a retired civil servant, and now runs her family farm.

During the lesson on “dying to self”, the class was surprised to see Mary begin crying and calling out, “Lord, forgive me.” The leaders gently asked her to explain.

Mary said that years earlier, she had made a covenant with God, that when she retired, she would build a place on her farm to provide lodging for visiting pastors and church workers. God had provided the means for her, and she had built the apartment. But now, three years later, it had never been used for that reason—she had even turned down a pastor’s request. What she had promised to God, she had kept for herself. Even in telling her story, Mary was physically distressed.

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, she asked her pastors and leaders to forgive her too. And on the spot, she again dedicated her life back to Christ. The tears and rejoicing flowed, as the class erupted in songs of praise for the Spirit’s work!

Later, Mary said, “I give God glory for allowing me to attend this training; it is so different from others. My life is full of praise because my relationship with God is restored.”

Surely the Spirit will use Mary to influence others, and model what it means to follow Jesus. What a joy to see God use Global Disciples’ training as a tool to change hearts and multiply disciples around the world.

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