I'll never forget Saturday March 09, 2013 and Sunday March 10! That Saturday evening I received a Facebook private message from a pastor friend in Pueblo, Co., Aaron Tomlinson. In the message Pastor Aaron let me know that he just had a prophetic dream concerning Jeanie and me. I'll not share the contents of the dream but I would like to share the following sentence. "Your lack of perseverance has caused you to be delayed but not disqualified." Then Pastor Aaron said he believed he needed to reference the scripture found in 1Corinthians 9:24. I'll share why this is significant later in the blog.
I loved the whole message Pastor Aaron sent but I pointed out that one sentence for a reason. The following Sunday morning I walked into the church we attend (Jeanie and I currently serve as Associate Pastors at a great church in Port Neches, TX. called Freedom Christian Fellowship) and just as I entered the auditorium I noticed a very sweet lady named Daisy walking up to me with a huge smile on her face. She walked directly to me and without any greeting said, "God gave me one word for you last night." Of course my reply was....okay! She said, "that one word is qualified! God wants you to know you're qualified."
When she said that to me I had what I like to call a "sandy sea shore moment!" In a previous blog I talked about one of Jesus disciples named Peter. I specifically pointed out John 21 where Peter had gone fishing with some other friends. After fishing all night catching nothing Jesus shows up on the "sandy sea shore" and from there has an encounter with Peter which confirms to Peter that Jesus still had a plan for his life. Even after Peter had denied Christ three times!
What catches my attention in this story is that Jesus showed up where they were at. I know we're supposed to pursue God but I love those moments when God lets me know He's pursuing me and still has a plan for my life. And that's exactly what I experienced that Saturday night and Sunday morning.
I had recently returned from serving on a team conducting a Pastors conference in Muhorro, Uganda. Pastor Aaron didn't know that during the conference, while I was speaking to hundreds of pastors and church leaders, God spoke to my heart that I had quit the church plant in Pueblo West, CO. It was a total God moment because I was talking about running a race and used 1Corinthians 9:24 as part of my text. I then had to stop teaching and confess to those pastors that I had "quit" the race God had called me to run at that time. In other words I didn't persevere.
Here's the point. I had to put on my big boy pants and confess, I quit, I didn't persevere! But can I tell you our God is faithful! He's not the God of a second chance, He's the God of ANOTHER chance! He'll show up in your life and let you know He still has a great plan for you.
Let me remind you of Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Even in those moments that you failed God, if you allow Him, God can work them out for your good!
My friends that's good news because with that in mind you can DREAM.......AGAIN!
Ken
I loved the whole message Pastor Aaron sent but I pointed out that one sentence for a reason. The following Sunday morning I walked into the church we attend (Jeanie and I currently serve as Associate Pastors at a great church in Port Neches, TX. called Freedom Christian Fellowship) and just as I entered the auditorium I noticed a very sweet lady named Daisy walking up to me with a huge smile on her face. She walked directly to me and without any greeting said, "God gave me one word for you last night." Of course my reply was....okay! She said, "that one word is qualified! God wants you to know you're qualified."
When she said that to me I had what I like to call a "sandy sea shore moment!" In a previous blog I talked about one of Jesus disciples named Peter. I specifically pointed out John 21 where Peter had gone fishing with some other friends. After fishing all night catching nothing Jesus shows up on the "sandy sea shore" and from there has an encounter with Peter which confirms to Peter that Jesus still had a plan for his life. Even after Peter had denied Christ three times!
What catches my attention in this story is that Jesus showed up where they were at. I know we're supposed to pursue God but I love those moments when God lets me know He's pursuing me and still has a plan for my life. And that's exactly what I experienced that Saturday night and Sunday morning.
I had recently returned from serving on a team conducting a Pastors conference in Muhorro, Uganda. Pastor Aaron didn't know that during the conference, while I was speaking to hundreds of pastors and church leaders, God spoke to my heart that I had quit the church plant in Pueblo West, CO. It was a total God moment because I was talking about running a race and used 1Corinthians 9:24 as part of my text. I then had to stop teaching and confess to those pastors that I had "quit" the race God had called me to run at that time. In other words I didn't persevere.
Here's the point. I had to put on my big boy pants and confess, I quit, I didn't persevere! But can I tell you our God is faithful! He's not the God of a second chance, He's the God of ANOTHER chance! He'll show up in your life and let you know He still has a great plan for you.
Let me remind you of Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Even in those moments that you failed God, if you allow Him, God can work them out for your good!
My friends that's good news because with that in mind you can DREAM.......AGAIN!
Ken
Incredible!
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