Monday, February 8, 2016

CH - CH - CH - CHANGES

Where does one begin to chronicle all the changes in the two years since I last posted? It seems surreal to me that so much time has passed but it certainly proves the old adage that time flies when you're having fun. Although, I would like to ad that time flies whether you are having fun or not.

After my book, "Counterfeit Faith," was published, I put in about six months of book signings and other book-related activities. Then the Lord opened a door for Michael and I to go to Orlando for a year where we worked our collective butts off. Once that assignment was finished, we came back to Mississippi and spent the last six months in God's classroom, Faith 101.

We knew God was rearranging our hearts and lives, but weren't sure where He was taking us. God puts the puzzle together one piece at a time - which is for our benefit, not His. He already knows the big picture. Each little change, each new revelation, is another puzzle piece that - when put together with enough other puzzle pieces - begins to reveal a path. Or at least the outline of one. It is not our job to question the surroundings, or what will go in that empty space, or where the border piece goes. No, it is our job to go toward what little of the path we can see. It may only be one step that is discernable, but at least it's one step on the right path. It is not for us to fret ourselves with whether or not it is the right path, for God will gently nudge us toward the proper path if we are watching and waiting for His guidance. Besides, one of the best lessons I learned a long time ago is this: there is no mistake I can make that God can't fix. He is bigger than any wrong turn I could possibly take and He is more than capable of getting me back on His chosen road for me.

Michael has realized that God has called him to preach. Not to be a pastor, but to preach. God called me to preach 19 years ago, but He has waited until this point in time to bring it all about. He wants my Sweetheart and me to minister and preach together ... how awesome is that?! If we are going to preach about faith, we must live by faith. 

While we wait for God to open the next door for us, God is testing us in His refining fire. All the business we've had has all but dried up, almost overnight. It's been two months since we've had any income, and we're down to almost nothing. No doors have opened, no matter how hard or how long we have knocked. At times we have been anxious, but God keeps reminding us to trust in His timing and provision. So, we wait patiently and expectantly for God to open the right door. In the meantime, God is pouring fresh revelation into Michael and me and providing places for us to minister together.

Do we know where we're going? No. Do we know how long it will be until another job opens? No. Do we have reserves in the bank to tide us over? No. This is living by faith. Taking God at His word, trusting He will take care of such mundane things as what we wear and eat (Matthew 6:25-31), and knowing His gifts and callings are permanent (Romans 11:29) He will make a way for them to be utilized and fulfilled. It's up to us to be ready for when the door does open.

If you - like so many others - are struggling with which way to go or what to do, let me encourage you as a fellow traveler on that road to let go of all worry. It's not up to you to execute the Master's plan for your life. It's your job to seek the Master and get to know His heart and His love for you by reading and studying His word. He will see that the rest falls into place.

Matthew 6:33-34
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."







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