"Kind Of"
I'm back from Turkey and up from my sick bed. I wondered why God had me go to Turkey in the midst of Launching H2H, our third campus and a 15 million capital campaign….just not my idea of good timing. But now that I've gone and come back, even though I became so ill, I wouldn’t have changed anything. Sometime I will share about some of the experiences we had there. An English missionary that was there at the retreat was the best friend of one of the men that was tortured and martyred in Malatya. He was supposed to be there at the meeting, but he was running late. When he arrived, the door was locked but he could hear his best friend’s screams and called the police. When the police came, one of the perpetrators leapt out of a window and fell at his feet. The stories that missionaries and saints told me has changed me forever. The persecution is on-going and even stepping up. I know that my purpose was to help bring healing to the church of Turkey. But I believe I am the one who came away the most changed. For one thing, my definition of problems has been radically altered. Now, I have a new understanding of the word picture below. I hope it is a blessing to you...
Picture…I saw a toy robot that is designed to turn around and change directions when it hits a wall. I think that one of my children had one of these “little guys” when they were young. The area in which the robot was operating was filled with obstacles and every time it hit one of them, the robot would turn around and go into another direction only to hit another obstacle and turn around again. It really wasn’t getting anywhere until it moved out of my line of sight for a moment. When it returned it was sort of ‘glowing.’ That is the only way that I can describe it. This time when it hit a wall, instead of bouncing off of it, the robot went right through the wall. This wasn’t a flimsy paper wall that the robot went through. It was a cement wall and the robot went through it like it wasn’t even there. The picture was fun to watch, but I know the Lord didn’t show it to me just for my enjoyment. There was a lesson to be learned and I thought that I knew what it was. I asked the Lord, “Are you trying to tell me that the robot represents a lot of us who struggle with obstacles? Because I know a lot of people who just try a different approach when they hit obstacles. They don’t try to press through. Are you telling me that you are going to anoint us to break through barriers as if they are of no significance? You are telling me that the anointing will make the difference?”
Hear…the Lord say, “Kind of.”
Consider: Kind of? KIND OF? What kind of answer is that? Has God ever told you “kind of?” I was about to leave God’s presence in frustration when He added, “You understand it was the anointing that made the difference, but you do not know from where the anointing came. The little robot finally decided which direction he wanted to go and he went. You receive power from the determination that nothing is going to stop you.” Most of us pray for God to miraculously remove obstacles, take us out of difficult situations and make life easier. But those kinds of prayers are a waste of time because God is not interested in making life easier. If you are expecting your walk with God to be easy, you are going to be severely disappointed. God never meant any of this to be easy. Life with all of its difficulties and struggles is what God uses to help you develop strength and character. Just like the butterfly’s struggle to get out of the cocoon is what gives it the strength to live there. Manually help break apart the cocoon to help the butterfly, and you will be signing its death warrant. Without the struggle, it does not have the strength to live. The difficulties are what make us the men and women that God created us to be in the first place. You just need to make up your mind. If something is God’s will, then go for it. Don’t let obstacles cause you to doubt that its God’s will, or to doubt God. For some reason we have been led to believe that God’s will involves straight, smooth highways and open doors. Although, some doors come already opened, don’t for a moment imagine that it’s the norm. Decide whether or not something is God’s will and then determine that you will not allow ANY obstacle to cause you to doubt it. Once you hear God’s voice, and KNOW deep down in your ‘knower’ that this is what God wants you to do, then go for it. When you face obstacles, press through them in prayer. Be determined that you are not going to allow anything that the enemy does to stop you. Make up your mind what you believe and then go for it.
God loves you. He is absolutely crazy in love with you and He has some awesome purposes planned just for you. If you know what those purposes involve, then go for it. Go for it and do not allow anything to stop you from pursuing God’s purposes in your life. If you have received a specific word for your healing, claim it! If you have a promise about your family, claim it. If you have a word about what God wants you to do, claim it. Make up your mind to agree with God.
Prayer: “Lord, I don’t want to be a pansy. Non-churched people think that Christians are wimps, but you and I know better. To be a Christian and to stand for what is right regardless of the consequences takes a great deal of fortitude. To stand up to the enemy of our soul and pursue God’s purposes regardless of the obstacles takes courage. Lord, I do not want to allow anything to separate me from your love. I don’t want to allow anything to separate me from your purposes. So when I start getting soft, full of self-pity and worry, stop me in my tracks. Speak to me directly, or cause someone else to have a word with me. But do not allow me to be like that little robot bouncing around the obstacles, accomplishing nothing and going nowhere. You have already given me courage, just remind me to use it in Jesus, Name.”
posted by pastorc @ 7:31 AM
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