RiseFest 2019 Countdown Devotionals

The last few days leading up to RiseFest can be fun and exciting. We as RISE, along with some of our friends who will be sharing at the festival wanted to bless with you 5 Days of Devos to prepare your heart as we count down the days to RiseFest. We hope God blesses you, and we can't wait to see you at RiseFest!

 


 

1 Day to RiseFest | By Rob Roozeboom

1 DAY

It's been 365 days and I can't tell you how excited I am that RiseFest is here again! Months of praying, planning and preparing are about to happen, like literally in just a few hours the gates will open! And I hope you're going to be there! 

Every year I'm excited about the lineup, but this year I might be just a little more. I always have an artist that I liked to join us at the festival and sometime it takes years before that happens. Well, this year is one of those years. Zach Williams is that artist.

Why? Because Zach has a story of redemption and writes songs that penetrate my heart. One of those songs is, Fear is a Liar. I don't know about you, but fear can definitely wreak havoc in your life.

As Zach sings, "When he told you you're not good enough
When he told you you're not right
When he told you you're not strong enough
To put up a good fight
When he told you you're not worthy
When he told you you're not loved
When he told you you're not beautiful
That you'll never be enough

Fear, he is a liar"

I wonder how many of us have believed those lies? I know I have, and as Zach sings, it's stopped me in my steps. But recently God got a hold of my heart. I was talking with a friend, Adrie who told me years ago he let fear go. I said, "What?" He said, "I was at a Promise Keepers Convention and they said if you want to let anything go tonight do it." So he did. He let fear go. Just like that, He gave it to Jesus! He said, "I don't have fear anymore." He said, "It's not that I don't have concerns, but I don't worry." 

I want that. I want fear to be behind me and the truth of Jesus in front of me. How about you? Are you sick of being lied to? Are you ready to call fear what it is - a liar!

With the gates about to open. Whether you're joining us or not I pray that you'll sing at the top of your lungs - fear is a liar and put fear back in it's place.  

Written by Rob Roozeboom


 

2 Days to RiseFest | By Justin Jenness

2 days

How are you protecting your heart? As followers we may find ourselves in a constant battle on what is controlling our heart. We may allow our heart to be distracted and controlled by worldly things if we are not careful.If we are not careful whatever we allow into our heart, we are allowing part of our heart by being distracted and being controlled. We are told by the wisest person ever, Solomon, to protect our heart. From Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Through this we may start to question, how does one protect our heart? Well I am glad you asked. We protect our heart by controlling what we put in.

By asking these questions to ourselves will tell us what we are allowing into our heart.  What are you putting your money towards? What are you watching? What are you listening too? Who are you allowing to pour into your life?

All these questions we have to take into account when we are trying to protect your life. If you are not reading God’s living word (The Bible), if you are constantly listening to music that is not glorifying Christ, if you are not surrounding yourself with people who care about you and holding you accountable, we may not be protecting our heart. 

This is a constant battle and if we are not careful we may find ourselves in that constant battle of what we are allowing into our lives.  My prayer is that we will allow God, to take control of our life. That we will go to God and have our hearts cleansed before the Almighty, to the One who has cared for us, that has given us Eternal life, the creator of heaven and earth. Ask for forgiveness, surround ourselves with people who care for us. God cares, God protects, and God loves.

Risefest is a place where it can remind you of who wants your heart. Who died for you. This is a place for passionate people who care can pray for you, and remind you of how much you are loved. Come experience this time of worship and fill our hearts with Godly things.

Written by Justin Jenness


 

3 Days to RiseFest | By Kayla Raymond

3 days

After having the Rise Ministries team visit our ministry and family in Haiti this last January, we began planning and dreaming up our vendor booth for RiseFest 2019. Unfortunately, Haiti experienced a lot of unrest in the month of February and has been a "Level 4 Travel Advisory" since. The Level 4 has stopped so many people from visiting Haiti and as a result our business at Rosie's Boutique has decreased immensely. So, instead of heading into RiseFest with light-hearted joy and excitement, I've added a ton of pressure to myself, which has stolen a lot of my joy as I work and prepare for the week-end.

This week I was reminded by a friend that God opened the doors with RiseFest in January, fully knowing what was going to happen in February. And while we are still unsure of when Haiti will be peaceful again, we can be assured that God has already gone before our business and ministry and has given us opportunities, like RiseFest, to keep us moving forward. He's a God that never stands still; a God that never quits moving us forward; nor a God that will forsake us.

So, with that reminder, I challenge you to not only prepare your hearts for worship and a spiritual renewal inside of your heart this week-end but to also be prepared for God to maybe call you into something new that may be outside of your own comfort zone. Maybe he'll ask you to sign up for sponsorship or donate to something you've never had any interest in before, but be reminded that when we are left in those vulnerable moments of walking out in faith with our tithes and giving that God has already gone before us, prepared a way for us and calls us to join in His kingdom movements. 

 Written by Kayla Raymond


 

4 Days to RiseFest | By Lee Stover

4 days Title

One of the things the RiseFest team likes to do is pray over the grounds in shifts leading up to the festival. I had a shift last Friday night and walked the grounds for about an hour. Admittedly, prayer is not something I do near enough so taking the time to do it for that long was a struggle. However, once I started the hour flew by. 

As I was walking the grounds, spending time at each area, several songs came to mind. One in particular was Jeremy Camp’s new song “Dead Man Walking.” The chorus of the song says: 

“I was a dead man walking
Until I was a man walking with You
I was a blind man falling
'Til I felt the life You're calling me to
Pulling me out of the darkness and
Pulling me out of the lies
Putting the beat in my heart again
I was a dead man walking
Until You loved this dead man walking back to life”

I’m sure it’s because I was physically walking at the time, but as I reflected on my time on the grounds throughout the rest of the weekend, the song stayed with me. The idea of being dead and then coming to life struck a chord. I was walking. In a field. Where plants die only to grow again. This weekend the grounds will be filled with people from all walks of life. Some spiritually dead. Some alive. 

As we draw closer to the festival I challenge us to all exam ourselves. Are we dead people walking right now? Maybe we were alive and on fire, but currently that flame has given way to ash? When you’re walking the grounds at RiseFest I pray that you’ll have an encounter with almighty God and be brought back to life through experiencing whatever he has in store for you. We’re all walking in our own different directions. Let’s begin to walk WITH Jesus this RiseFest.

Written by Lee Stover


 

5 Days to RiseFest | By Ellie Waring

RF19 5 Days Devo

One of the RiseFest artists I am most excited for is Zach Williams. I love his southern rock sound, and his raw, authentic lyrics. 

When most people hear Zach Williams, they automatically think “Chain Breaker”.

Well, when I met Zach, it was at an artist showcase in Nashville right as they were starting to play his music on the radio. He was down to earth, kind, and had a really awesome story of redemption. After some small talk, I asked him if I would know any of his music. He confidently said, “Ya, you’ve probably heard my song “Chain Breaker.” I thought about it for a few seconds, running all the new music through my head that I’d heard recently, and “Chain Breaker” didn’t sound familiar. I shook my head and said, “I’ve never heard of it, but maybe when you play it I’ll recognize it.” 

He went on to play an incredible show! I heard “Chain Breaker” for the first time, along with a few other incredible songs, and I knew that I was going to be a fan. The next week I heard it on the radio, and in the next couple months it shot to No.1 on Christian Radio, and he eventually won a GRAMMY for it.

Looking back on that conversation just makes me “facepalm” now knowing how big that song would get.

Since then, I have had the chance to see Zach a couple times, and man is he good! One of my favorite songs of his, is “To the Table.” It is a beautiful acoustic song, inviting people to come to Jesus’ table just as they are. The Savior is calling you and me to come with all our shame, sin, sorrow, and sadness. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, and no one is turned away. Music really touches me, and this is one of those songs about the grace of Jesus that moves me to tears.

If you're coming to RiseFest, I’m so excited for you to hear Zach Williams' music and his story of redemption. If you're not coming, I totally encourage you to join us this coming weekend! Maybe you don’t feel worthy of Jesus’ grace because you're carrying a burden of sin or shame, but you’re invited. Bring it all through the gates to the grounds, and just soak in the grace and love of Jesus for a weekend. By Saturday night I hope you feel free and light knowing that you can leave your burdens at the feet of Jesus. 

I’ll be praying for you all this week, and can’t wait to see the amazing way God is going to move in your heart at RiseFest 2019!

Written by Ellie Waring


 

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