Before coming to the RLI conference, I suppressed a lot of feelings and emotions towards God, myself, and my family. As a child, I experienced a lot of physical and emotional pain. And, instead of seeking help, I blamed God for all my troubles. I agreed with the thoughts in my head that told me I was unlovable, worthless, and burdensome. My identity (or lack thereof) grew around those lies. As a result, my relationships with God, self, and others suffered tremendously. I grew up a lone wolf.
While I’ve come a long way, accepting Jesus back into my life in 2010, I never dealt with those childhood issues. I still harbored a lot of toxic thoughts towards God, self, and others. My fiancé, Kiara, and I agreed to come to the RLI conference because we felt it would be in our best interest before getting married. We knew each other’s stories inside out, yet we never really knew how to pray and intercede for each other.
During the conference, Kiara and I, as well as the RLI team, really uprooted the seeds of bitterness hidden within me. I was impacted by Mothers Love and Fathers Love. The authenticity of the people standing in for my mom and dad was incredible. I released a lot of bitterness that day and have felt free ever since.
Now, Kiara and I share the same tools that we use on a regular basis to pray and intercede for each other with authority. We see a real difference after we’re done praying now. We feel lighter. There is healing that takes place. God is so faithful.
Cole Jackson attended the Restoring Your Life Conference at Living Word Fellowship in September 2015.