Am I Ready For YWAM?
December 31, 2030 - March 14, 2040
Am I Ready For YWAM?
Am I Ready For YWAM? Am I Ready For Discipleship?
When one stands on the brink of a new adventure, a new chapter, or a new season, it’s normal to take a deep breath and ask the question: “Am I ready for this?” (Luke 14:28-33) For those who are considering participating in a YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS), the question “Am I ready for a YWAM DTS?” has likely crossed their minds, and for good reason: the testimonies of many DTS graduates paint a vision of Christianity so different (possibly even radically different) from their own experience that some Christians disqualify themselves from thinking that it could ever become their reality.
They may believe things like: “I’m just not ready to have that kind of faith in God” or “I haven’t been a good enough Christian to have that close of a relationship with Jesus” or “When I get my __________________ (fill in the blank … ‘sin’, ‘career’, ‘relationship’, ‘finances’ etc.) under control, then I’ll let God have total control of my life.” Sadly, many of us let these subconscious thoughts (and others like them) disqualify us and prevent us from ever growing in God.
For those who are asking questions like “Am I ready for discipleship?” or “Am I ready for YWAM?” you may be asking the wrong question; you just have to ask yourself: “Do I really want to grow in God?” If your answer is “Yes”, then nothing else matters: you are ready. Right now.
Allow me to explain.
Jesus and the Cost of Discipleship
When people approached Jesus and pledged to become one of his disciples, he didn’t sugar-coat anything, but was intensely realistic about what he expected of those who would follow him. In Luke 9:57-62, there are a few very sobering interactions recorded between Jesus and some would-be disciples. For each, the opportunity of following Jesus was on the table, only to be overturned by some underlying duty, worry, or attachment. He was very clear: If you want to follow him, everything else in your life must take a back seat to the authority of Jesus.
These ones must have thought they were so ready to lay it all down and follow the Messiah. Each seemed very zealous, but they also included a “but first” statement in their declarations. They knew that they wanted to make a change and begin a new chapter of their lives, but wanted to wait until they felt the conditions were perfect. However, Jesus, knowing what was in each person (John 2:23-35), simply highlighted for them their biggest contender to his Lordship and kept moving. In doing so, he left them to contemplate whether they were serious enough about discipleship to lay even the strongest cultural obligations, fears, and loyalties at his feet.
We aren’t told how these would-be disciples answered Jesus, but each of us is invited to come up with our own answer to Jesus’ call to become one of his disciples.
What are your “But first’s”?
This is a common human reaction when faced with the possibility of embarking on a new adventure: before you embrace the new, you have to be willing to let go of the old. So why would it be any different with following Jesus?
Each of us has a few things in our lives that we would rather hold onto than go without: our secret addictions, our little compulsions, our long-standing beliefs, our preferences, our ‘ways’. We hold onto them because, for one reason or another, we believe them to be good, right or valuable in some way, adding to our lives.
But what if that wasn’t the case? What if these little attachments were the very thing keeping you from embracing the new life Jesus has for you? What if letting them go was the doorway to freedom?
Imagine Jesus was standing in front of you, inviting you to follow him: what would be your reply? Would it include a “but first” statement? E.g. “I’ll follow you Jesus, but first, let me get my pornography addiction under control” or “I’ll give you everything Jesus, but first, I need to be a little more secure in my identity” or “I’ll be your disciple, but first, let me save enough money to finance my mission trip.”
Jesus Is Calling
In case you haven’t heard, Jesus is calling you to be his disciple. He’s asking whether you are willing to lay aside every excuse, every hurdle, every roadblock to lay hold of him. This is incredible news! Jesus knows exactly what’s in your heart; he knows your past, your tendencies, your failures, your weaknesses, etc. and he still wants you to be his disciple.
We reveal our ignorance of God’s grace when we insert a “but first” in our reply to Jesus’ invitation. He already knows everything about you, and (here’s the beautiful part) he wants you as you are. You don’t need to become a super-Christian before Jesus welcomes you into discipleship. It’s not our own efforts to change our lives that qualify us for close fellowship with God, but the other way around: encounters with God and his kindness lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4).
For those who think that a relationship with God is earned, discipleship will always seem impossibly difficult. But for those who are willing to hear it, God’s favour is already given to us, through the work and gift of Jesus; all that’s required is to believe, receive, and step out. The invitation qualifies us because it comes from the one who has already accounted for and made up for all our shortcomings.
Are You Ready?
So, are you ready to take the next step and follow Jesus’ call? Maybe he’s calling you to get baptized. Maybe he’s calling you to do a YWAM DTS to equip you for overseas missions. Maybe he’s calling you to sell your possessions and minister to orphans in a developing nation. Are you ready? Don’t wait until the stars align and you feel 100% ready. Don’t disqualify yourself; God hasn’t.
If you really want to follow Jesus, you’re ready.
“Prayer and Passion completely changed my outlook on the true power that prayer has. It had always been something that I knew worked and I did, but it was boring. Being a part of this stream gave me new understanding of how prayer is worship and fuels the power of heaven connecting with earth. It will move you to a place of praying out of your relationship with the Lord rather than giving him a list of things you want. You will gain a newfound intimacy with God as your prayer life is propelled.”
Tilly Logan, 21, Australia
“In the Kingdom Come stream, we really focused on what the kingdom of God is and how to live that out on earth. The most impactful aspect of this was walking out a miraculous lifestyle and being in an intimate relationship with God, where you can expect miracles to happen.”
Peter Seip, 25, Virginia, USA
“Being a Kingdom Come student was an awesome experience. We learned a lot about the kingdom of heaven and how to live it out in our daily lives.”
David Lindner, 21, Germany
“The Pilgrimage DTS allowed me to take the time I needed to get to know God more and grow closer to Him while spending lots of time in His beautiful creation. God also used the hikes to challenge and encourage me to rely on Him more.”
Colin Berkley, 24. B.C. Canada
“Before I did the Go Pacific DTS, I was expecting the Lord to do a lot of amazing things through me; and He did. However, I never expected Him to do so much work in my own heart. I drew a lot closer to God, experienced freedom, and I learned to believe in the ‘Jonas’ that He says I am. My relationship with God has become deeper and more serious, but at the same time it has become more fun and casual.”
Jonas Sørensen, 21, Denmark
“Doing The Cover to Cover DTS at Pacific Reach was one of the best things I’ve decided to do. Reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation helped me see more of the different characteristics and nature of God. The Cover to Cover DTS was great. It taught me how to be diligent, manage my time properly, and helped me have a more sturdy foundation and in my beliefs. “
Talon Jernigan, 20, USA
“Before doing the Justice Movement stream I was so full of hatred and anger toward the perpetrators of human trafficking; completely lacking the love God has for them. But through the stream meetings and prayer it’s been a beautiful journey in which God has shown me how deep and vast His love is for ALL His children. God completely changed my view and I couldn’t be more thankful for this experience!”
Kara Spencer, 19, BC, Canada
“We had been married for 5 years when we came to Pacific Reach. As a married couple, we learned a lot about each other and ourselves and gained a lot for our marriage. What we enjoyed most during the GO PAC stream times was the mix between the depth we dove into God’s Word, getting to know His plan for us better, and the times thinking and learning about the interesting Pacific cultures. We think it is so important to get to know new cultures. At the base, there are many different cultures, but you really want to get to know the one culture where you live and where you’re going on outreach. We experienced that when spiritual basics are understood with the heart and not only with the mind, that is what brings change into your daily life, and that is what you can carry home after DTS.“
Tobias & Annika Dietrich, 26 & 26, Germany
“For the first time in my life, God showed the revelation of his father-heart through the Cover-to-Cover Bible read and I can now say that I know that I am a Daughter of the King of Kings. So many things moved from my head to my heart through the teaching and reading, and I’m so thankful the Lord lead me into this stream!”
Elizabeth Thruston, 24, USA
“Throughout my time on the Pilgrimage DTS, God has worked in me in countless ways. Whether it was learning to see His beauty and love for us in creation, or learning to trust when I was soaking wet, and knowing it’s all for a purpose, a part of the adventure! But also a great part was having lectures about how to walk in the authority of Christ, and learning how to hear the voice of God and grow in relationship with Him! I must say, it’s been the adventure of a lifetime, which won’t end because God isn’t just staying with us for a season, He’s in it with us for eternity!”
Blaise Brunson, 17, Turkey/USA