Missionary, songwriter and worship leader, Lindy Conant is a young woman passionate about seeing the Gospel spread accompanied by signs and wonders. Her desire is to “see every nation and every soul radically experience the love of Jesus”. From a young age she chose to devote her life to sharing the Gospel and the love of Jesus. She travels to universities and large gatherings with her group, ‘Lindy Conant and the Circuit Riders’, leading young people in praise, worship and consecration. Lindy was part of Ben Fitzgerald’s team at the Awakening Europe event which was held in Prague from the 29th of June to 2nd of July. Her interview was originally published (in French) on Info Chrétienne. We have been blessed to hear about her journey and her zealousness to win souls which is so evident by the answers she has given below. We trust you will be blessed too!
Can you tell us about when you first met Jesus?
I was raised in a Christian family but did not surrender my life to Jesus until I was 18. Until that time I thought being a Christian meant you were saved from going to hell. However, even when thinking about my salvation only having to do with eternity, I always had a sense that there must be more. In middle school I started attending Bible studies and would often think to myself, “Does God still do this today? Is He still healing people?”
I developed a hunger to find out who God really was. In high school I became fascinated with ‘missions trips’. I signed up for as many as I could, with any church that would let me! The travel to new places inspired me and I loved seeing what God was doing around the world. But, it was only in my senior year of high school when everything changed. I was walking the streets of Mexico where an old, sick, impoverished woman was sitting in a chair. I walked up to her and asked if she know Jesus, at which she looked at me with her piercing blue eyes and asked if I knew Jesus. My heart sank. How could someone who had nothing and had every reason to be mad at God, be so full of joy and life? That was when I decided I wanted to know Jesus like this old, broken woman knew Him.
I asked my parents if I could take a year off after high school and join a missions school. With their blessing I began the search and stumbled upon YWAM. In 2007 I left for missions and the rest is history. I met God in 2007 and surrendered my life to Him as Lord of my life and began to experience the Gospel of the Kingdom! My whole life I had known the Gospel of salvation, but I had no idea how much God loved me! This changed everything and the more I understood God’s love for me, the more I became passionate about preaching and evangelizing! The whole world must know about the greatest invitation of all time!
What triggered and marked the beginning of your ministry?
In 2008 my discipleship training with YWAM came to an end and I was seeking the Lord about what to do next. Little did I know God had plans for music in my future. Andy and Holly Byrd moved to Kona, in Hawaii in 2008 by invitation of Loren Cunningham to pioneer a house of prayer and God lead me to stay in Kona and serve the house of prayer. Before I knew it, I was helping to lead worship on the YWAM base and developed a passion to see people encounter God’s love and be activated to reach the lost through music!
We all know that life is full of ups and downs. Would you mind sharing one of your trials with us, and how you overcame it by God’s grace?
In 2013 I developed nodules on my vocal chords. It was horrible! I couldn’t sing and for at times, I couldn’t even speak. Without Jesus, I probably would have sunk into a deep depression. One of the great things God taught me in this time was to learn to be loved for who I am and not what I can do. Not being able to sing for quite some time was like being in a pressure cooker of identity. God’s grace was sufficient for me in that season in many ways. It was a trial of understanding who God is and who I am in Him.
What project or achievement are you most proud of?
That is a hard question to answer! So much of what I do is in a huge team that simply hears from God and obeys. All our projects and achievements aren’t attainable at all without God’s grace. Our Circuit Rider team is passionate about seeing the lost saved on college campuses. We are in our 6th year of serving on campuses and I am SO honored to be part of this! I am so proud of our teams and the way they have pressed in to hear God’s voice and run after His will!
What is the greatest lesson you have learnt through your ministry?
Wow, another hard question to answer! I feel like I am learning lessons every day right now! Here are the top three things that came to mind when I read this question:
1) Keep an unoffended heart. In Proverbs 4:23 it says, “Guard your heart, for from it flows the wellsprings of life”. I believe this Scripture is charging us to guard out hearts from sin! We have been given the gift of abundant life through Jesus. But there are practical ways to keep an unoffended heart in ministry and embrace the power of forgiveness.
2) Count everything as loss to know Him. As soon as Jesus has lost the highest place in our calling, we burn out. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If we lose that grit, we become ministry robots!
3) Have fun! Enjoy God! Fear Him!
And if you had to do it again, what would you do differently?
Be more bold and speak more truth in love.
Who is the person / people who have played a major role in your ministry?
There are a few couples that have had a major impact on my life! Loren and Darlene Cunningham, the founders of YWAM, demonstrate a steady life of faithfulness, persistence and joy! Brian and Christy Brennt who, in the midst of suffering tremendous illnesses, have a fire in their bones to preach the Gospel and raise up the next generation! Andy and Holly Byrd whose zeal and love for God affected me from the moment I met them. They have a passion for discipleship and I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for them! And Heidi and Rolland Baker. I met Heidi when I was 20 and had no idea what was in store with our friendship. Her life is a love song for Jesus that resounds wherever she goes! I am so grateful for each of these people and the impact they have had on my life.
Do you have people who are examples, or mentors, who push you to grow and improve?
Yes! All the people mentioned above!
Which Biblical character inspires you most and why?
Jesus: His three years in ministry during His life of 33 years displayed an entire culture of the Kingdom by which we can learn from and live in even now!
David: His courage!
What advice would you give to those who want to follow the same path as you?
Don’t follow the system. Follow Jesus. Listen to His voice and let your love for Him and His love for you lead you.
How do you see your ministry in the coming years? What projects are important to you?
I believe we are about to see another student missions movement sweep the globe. I believe we are in the greatest harvest the world has ever seen or known. In the coming years it is our hope and prayer to have the Gospel reach campuses all across the globe. And for Lindy Conant and the Circuit Riders we hope to keep creating music that leads people to Jesus and activates hearts to follow Him.
The news is often sad and disturbing: Christians are being persecuted, society is falling apart, there are natural disasters, and major ethical changes… What stand have you taken in the face of all these events? Are you too busy to get involved? Are you an attentive watchman? Or are you sounding the trumpet?
I am taking a stand for the Gospel of Jesus to be preached in the face of all of this. We are sounding a trumpet, to let people know that there is one way to God, through Jesus Christ and there is hope and eternal life in Him. We are sounding a trumpet so that our hope and trust is placed in Jesus Christ and not the kings of the earth.
