DTS WEEK 2: Character & Nature of God

Our second week of DTS lecture phase began on a crisp, Fall afternoon. From learning about hearing the voice of our Maker last week right into exploring the chambers of His heart. Mysteries to engage in within each room. Holiness and compassion. Justice and hope. Peace and a place to mourn. Who is God? What is God’s personality like? Who are we as people made in Imago Dei? His own image?

Shannon Casteel, who works with YWAM Kona and helps lead the global branch of a women’s movement called Brave Love Women, joined our DTS this week to speak on the character and nature of God. Shannon has such rich history with Jesus, and her love and devotion to Him leaves a mark in every room she enters. This week, she highlighted over and over what it practically looks like to have devoted intimacy with the Lord. And that, within that practice, we can’t rely on our emotional state of being to drive us to dedicate ourselves to loving God. It’s the every day yes of waking up and saying out loud “God, I love you.” and watching our heart’s affections turn towards Him. And, within this daily devotion, we begin to absorb and understand the very being of God.

As we behold Him, we know Him. As we engage in scripture, we know Him. He longs for us to know Him. He desires closeness and authenticity with each one of us. While the hurts and trauma of our lives have painted pictures of God that don’t quite make sense, we must break through the canvas and discover that He really is who He says He is. And, as we behold, we become. It is impossible to encounter Yahweh and leave unchanged. With each glimpse of His tender, intense, creative, loving, righteous, holy heart, we are molded in His likeness. And, what’s beautiful about us as the collective church, the bride of Christ, is that as individuals, we each carry a different mix of characteristics of God that we were designed to be strong in. This is why we need one another in our corporate efforts to know God and make God known across the earth. Like it says in Ephesians, when each part of the body of Christ is working properly, the body grows and builds itself up in love.

We’re only a few weeks into our DTS, and our students are having life-changing encounters with the Lord. God has shown up as a faithful healer, a close friend, and a loving father, and we’re stoked to see how He continues to move in this school. As we move into Missions week, we are believing that He will grip the hearts of our students and instill them with a love for the nations and a drive to live their daily lives with a missional perspective.