Interview Series: Kimberly Clervois.

Kim Clervois.

Kim radiates with the light of Jesus. She and her husband are youth pastors, and I have had the privilege of hearing both of them speak at a youth retreat this and last year. Last month I got to hear Kim speak on our identity in Christ. It was amazing to hear her speak on our original identity from Christ, and it gave room for the Holy Spirit to move hearts, because she spoke out of a place of knowing her own identity. Kim is confident in who she is in the Lord, and His love for her. While interviewing her I was just amazed at how simply she spoke about hearing the Lord's voice and walking it out. So often we find it difficult to rap our heads around being able to hear the voice of God, when the reality is is that if we have the Holy Spirit living inside us there is constant communication between us and our Father! Kim just talking about what the Lord has done in her life inspires others to seek after that close communion with the Lord and running after His love.

Here is a look into what the Lord is doing in Kim's heart!

Interviewee:

Kim Clervois; age 26. Currently in: Lynn, Massachusetts.

How long have you known the Lord for?

21 years.

How did you come to know the Lord?

Well I mean, I went to a kids festival at church when I was in kindergarten, and it was there that I first felt a need for Christ. The gospel was presented and I knew I needed to respond. I would say my relationship with the Lord started so early; I was very passionate and I knew that I was going to do ministry when I was nine years old. I was called to youth ministry specifically when I was twelve; I walked into a room of fifteen thousand teens worshiping God. It was a national convention. God struck me; He spoke to me so clearly and it hit my heart that these teens worshiping was my future.

What was the turning point at which you realized the Lord's love for you?

I would say that my relationship with Christ took a nosedive into a deeper relationship with Christ when I was twenty. That was the year that I stopped anything in my life that was a hindrance to my walk, whatsoever. So, God was calling me to a position of leadership in my generation. That wasn't an average calling, I was to be put on a pedestal. I had accepted parts of that in years past and started working towards it, but I still held back parts of my heart and parts of my will. God showed me what my future could be if I made the sacrifice of being one hundred percent obedient. And I couldn't deny that.

How did you know the Lord was calling you?

It was a couple different ways that God tried to get my attention, but I ignored the first couple of them. Looking back I can tell that that was God calling my name. I was walking down a hallway and God told me that the person walking in front of me was going to be my husband someday. That was pretty crazy to me because I already had a boyfriend that I planned on marrying that was wonderful. However, God had plans for me that I didn't know about yet. And in order for me to get there, part of my journey was leaving some people behind. This was the first act that led me to a series of obedient sacrifices that transformed my life so I could live the extraordinary life that God wanted me to live. The extraordinary service that God had in store for me. Because after all it's not about my life being awesome, it's about what God wanted to use me for. I had to get ready.

Explain the feeling you get when you fully worship?

For me worship is not about a feeling. Worship isn't meant for us to feel good. The result of me worshiping is often being fulfilled and comforted in Gods presence, but that's not because I was seeking an experience or a feeling. That's because I was doing what I was created to do: worship. Worship is about giving God glory, honoring Him, and giving Him the praise and the thanks for everything He's done in my life. And that is a lifestyle.

What is the Lord doing in Lynn Massachusetts?

God is moving and shaking the lives of teens in Lynn, where my husband I and are youth pastors. I one hundred percent believe that we are raising up a generation that will be an example and inspiration to the generations that came before them. I am seeing a generation that, when their potential is reached, are incredible Kingdom workers and world changers. This is not cliché youth pastor terminology, this is God's purpose for a generation and these students acccepting the Holy Spirit in their lives every day.

What is the Lord doing in your own life?

The main thing that the Lord is doing in my life is teaching me that working for God is not the same as loving God. Sometimes I completely drain myself, trying to do more. But because I stretch myself so thin, I'm not effective in anything I do. Of course God uses me despite my flaws. I have learned that I need to do less but with more focus. I only need to do what God calls me to do, nothing more, but certainly nothing less. And that in and of itself is hard work.

What makes your heart come alive?

When I see students pursue Christ on an abnormal level. When they respond to a call God has given them, and when I see them make a hard choice because its the right choice. Also when my husband and I minister together, I'm tapping into a part of my calling that God has for me that for many years I tried running from. When I see my family members do ministry work; my parents left an amazing heritage of faith. And when I go to the beach!

“Whatever you think you know about God, whatever relationship you think you have or don't have, is ultimately irrelevant because God's love for you and purpose for your life was decided even before you were born. There is more. Have hope, things can get better. God has an intimate relationship waiting for you that brings comfort, fulfillment, peace, and joy to my life in the same way that He would deliver to you. Press in.”

-Kim Clervois