Summary: <br> Have you ever witnessed a changed life? A life that was on the wrong path, fully rescued, redeemed, restored and placed securely on the right path? This past weekend I was in the presence of redeemed lives, restored people and rescued destinies. Some still in the process and some now on the right path.<br> I was part of a team of 65 women serving the Grace and Peace Revive Center in Chicago. There we met Maria. A homeless heroine addict for 24 years. A woman who’s story had been defined by her drug. A woman who grew so tired of living a life she was never created to live, that 93 days ago she sought God for healing and hasn’t been high since. Now just 3 months later, she led our group to the streets where she once lived to rescue others living the same story.<br> Maria was created for more. She was destined for a life of quality and impact. She was designed with value and worth. She just lost her way. But what matters now is she found it. 24 years is a long time to be on the wrong path in life, but not too long to change it.<br> God never gave up on Maria, and GOD HAS NEVER GIVEN UP ON YOU. EVER. God doesn’t have a time clock that’s ticking on your opportunity to come back to him. He’s not tallying your missteps and mistakes. There is no score. Today, God is saying TODAY is your opportunity. This day of life has been given to you to come back to who you were created to be. Come back to the life available to you.<br> For some of us that journey feels so far because we’ve fallen so far from where we could be. We’ve traveled so far down that road that the journey back is overwhelming. We don’t even know who we are anymore. Somewhere along the way, we lost ourselves. May I remind you of the story Jesus shared of the Prodigal son in Luke 15? A father had a son who had chosen money over family, cheap highs over purpose, the right now over the future. This son had failed. He had brought shame to his family. He had lost everything and reached his rock bottom. And at his rock bottom scripture says “he came to himself.” He came to himself. Understand what happened here was this young man realized in his desperation, in his guilt and shame, who he had become, and who he could be. The great distance between the life he was living and the life available to him.<br> God allows us to hit that rock bottom so we have that moment of coming to our true selves. When all the layers of pride are stripped away and we see through our failures that within there is still someone God greatly treasures and has a plan for. Someone God still loves and wants to use. Someone who has lost no value. Someone of tremendous worth still being fought for. Someone waiting to be welcomed home. Someone you may have lost, but God never did.<br> The prodigal son started the journey back. Back to himself. Back to his family. Back to who he could be. And the father saw him in the distance and ran to him. He didn’t stand on the porch with his arms folded waiting to lecture him … no he ran to him.<br> My friend, God is running to you today. No matter how long your journey is back to who you were created to be, he’s running to you the moment you decide you still want that life. The moment you decide you don’t want to stay lost in not knowing who you are anymore, this is the moment your glorious journey begins. The journey home.<br> We can see it in the prodigal son and in my friend Maria. Clearly lives that were wasting away, falling so short of their potential, and now they’re fully rescued and redeemed. But what about the life that’s been making hidden bad choices, tip toeing down dark paths no one else even knows about? This is where the enemy plays. This is the danger zone. AND GOD IS CALLING YOU OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE TODAY.<br> You were created for more. You are capable of more. You are worthy of more.
