"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11
Recently I wrote about a potential change that would be taking place in our lives. At the time I did not know what this change was, what it looked like or what any of the details would be. Well I still don't know what those details are, however I know for several months now God has placed a conviction in our hearts that is becoming so loud it is hard to bury.
3 years ago, we were called to follow some friends of ours to Perry, Oklahoma to partner in planting a church. Megan and I had no idea what this would lead to, shortly after the planting process was underway we felt a strong conviction to move our lives to Perry. We were living in Stillwater at the time. We could have easily stayed living there and still been active within our church. But we knew we were suppose to plant ourselves within the community. So we obeyed and moved into town.
Along with converting a 1932 Hotel into our place of worship, we were converting it into a coffee shop. We knew that some day we would be called to serve in this coffee shop full time, but no idea when this would be.
I am writing this very uneasy, nervous, and scared. I am feeling these things because I know it is time for us to make this step of faith, it is time for Megan and I to commit ourselves fulltime to the ministry that takes place at HeBrews and Church on the Square every single day. Do I know what this looks like? No. Do I know how it will happen? No. Do I know we are being called to make this step of obedience? YES!!
I write this today to tell you that I have never felt such a strong conviction outside of the day that Jesus Christ came into my life. I go every single day experiencing the conviction that has been placed in my heart. I recently heard a good message from a friend of ours here in town who spoke about obedience, he made the statement that it's not about the results, it's about the faith to be obedient.
To those of you who will read this, I am asking for support. I am more than serious about this. I am looking for people who will pray with us and over us. I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful, but I am not looking for those who say they will be praying for us. I am looking for those who will call us and pray with us, who will grab us by the hand and pray over us. Who will write us prayers via message. This is real, God is real, our obedience is real.
We have no idea what will happen, will I be able to support my family financially or will I have to surrender that to God? Will we lose our house? Will we go with out? I don't know. But I know I will be successful as long as I am obedient. We may lose the world but we cannot lose God's Grace.
"Your obedience will give you a long life on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors and their children, a land flowing with milk and honey." Deuteronomy 11:9
Hey!!! I will pray with you and along with you on this journey! And I will feed you when you are hungry. And we have a big living room floor..to hang out in. If God has called you to this point, He is not about to abandon you now. All you have to do is abandon to Him...He will take care of the rest, including the results. Thanks for being faithful to the message of the Gospel. :)
ReplyDeleteJesus’ secret to joy and life was simple: Die.
ReplyDelete“If anyone would come after me,” he said, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34–35).
“
Against what all our instincts of self-preservation whisper to us every day, total surrender to Jesus is the safest investment we can make.
”
For disciples of Jesus, the gospel of grace not only plucks them from the easy path to hell but also places them on the hard path to heaven. “When Christ calls a man,” wrote the German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “he bids him come and die.”
That’s more than a cute tweet.
I borrowed that ^ from the resurgence.
I love you brother and I am proud of you. My wife and I will be praying for you and your family. Our God, Jehovah Jireh, will always provide. Always. Have confidence in your decisions. God always knows exactly what he is doing. I am thankful for your boldness and can't wait to hear what God will do through you.