Sunday before church Regis decided to head to the altar early for prayer. It was one of those mornings where I woke up not wanting to leave the house at all. We had gotten into a pretty heated argument the night before and the devil was having a field day in my thoughts. To be honest, it was one of the more intense times where the thought of giving up ministry all together was front and center. If you've followed me over the years, you'd know that I don't sugar coat things. That what I blog about is raw and real, and if I have learned anything over the years, it's that I'd rather help 5 real life people walk through trials and come out victoriously in Christ, than motivate 10000 people with another self help speech they forget about as soon as its over.
So as I begrudgingly get myself up, Regis tells me that he is "using my biblical authority as your husband and telling you that we are going to church, so get ready." Now as a woman, in this circumstance, I had two choices. I had the fleshy choice of my attitude coming up and no man telling me what to do (which was already bubbled up to the surface, locked and loaded with some sarcasm to sprinkle on top to boot) or I could be the biblical Proverbs 31 woman and submit to my husband and to what the Spirit of the Lord wanted to do that morning.
Here's the funny thing about warfare. Even when you don't realize you're in it, you still feel drawn to the Spirit. You will always feel drawn to what the Lord is wanting to do in that moment. You will always be able to see the clear right and wrong. It's our mind, will and emotions that need the convincing. Yet, many of us, including me at times, still choose wrong even when we know right.
I had a clear choice in how the rest of the day was going to go based on my decision in that moment. I chose to go to church.
We got there about a half hour or so early and sat at the altar. Regis had a chat with Harry and I was still not in the mood at all for church. As I was praying to the Lord at the altar I heard Him speak John 2:2. When I opened my bible, I expected some deep revelation regarding my situation. I expected the sky to open and the Lord to speak right to me. Instead I got "Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples." and I was like Lord really, what is this.....
Then the Lord revealed to me that His disciples went everywhere with him. We can liken it to today's VIP terminology. They were so close to Him that they received the benefits of being WITH Him. They ate with him, they walked with him, they shared days and nights with Him. They were in the vicinity, the same place and time with Him doing life all the time. This is how they learned. This is how they grew.
The Lord challenged me to look around and think about who my VIP's would be. They're the ones you can build with. They're the ones that show up consistently. They're the ones you can count on. They're the ones that call you out on your crap and raise up a standard. They're the ones you feel safe with. They're the ones you cry with in the middle of the night or message when you are feeling like a shell of a person. Yes we love revival worldwide, but worldwide revival will not change a local church, city, town, state, or country. The people within it will. Yes we love our big name ministries, our mega churches and our video sermons, but they will not be the ones to help you plate food for the homeless and clean up afterwards. If you want to see revival happen in your own town, you need your VIP's.
There have been many times that my flesh has wanted me to leave that church. There have been many times when I was critical instead of constructive. There have been many times when I have wanted to walk away from the Lord, move and just overall get outta dodge. Yet the Lord has reminded me time and time again that Pastor Harry and Grace Community Church are my VIP's. That the Lord is connecting the dots and that there's work to be done here. That Uniontown is on the Lord's map and that my red pin is stuck there until the Lord moves it himself.
I am also thankful for my husband who is a VIP and raises up a standard for the calling of God on my life. The Lord has used him in such an amazing way to help me break down walls and rebuild strong foundations in my mind. I am thankful for Kevin and Amy Riordan and the many folks that I have met through connecting, traveling and serving with them. I am thankful for Marlena, John, Andy, Tiff, David, Nicole, Jayme, Champ, Shawn, Kelly, Lisah, Randy, Heather, George, Josh, Shannon, Michele, Scott, Tyler, Maria, Jake, Rachel, Guy, Collette, Brian and Val, and so so so many others that the Lord has introduced me to over the years. Thank you all for being there when we need you, for praying for us, and for always keeping the Lord and what His Spirit is doing front and center. VIP's and MVP's all rolled into one. Leaders learning and growing with other Leaders.
As I was sitting at that altar reading that simple sentence, I was reminded that I just had a similar conversation with my friend Heather, when she stopped over the day before with her girls. The men went to the men's conference and we hung out, talked about life, ministry, kids, and enjoyed some deserts Leah and Hannah had made us. One of the topics of conversation was who we do life with. Who we turn to when we need counsel, help, or just to vent and get a biblical perspective on our issues.
These are the relationships the Lord puts in your life, and these are the very same relationships the enemy will do absolutely anything to tear apart.
Do not let offence, petty fleshy feelings, moods, emotions, words, or arguments interfere with what the Lord is wanting to BUILD. Do not stay home holding on to this big dream of doing something for the kingdom of God and wonder why it's not happening. Get up and Go!!! Go back to that church the enemy had you leave. Call that friend and apologize for letting the devil get the best of it. Repent for being a vessel the enemy used to stop advancing the kingdom of God. If you know the enemy destroyed a God connection for you, learn from it and get back out there.
Strife ain't life ya'll. Lets get back to doing life together. Let's get back to kingdom building here in our own towns for our own people. Do not let the enemy stop you from the calling the Lord has placed on your life.
Push past your feelings and Go. It's the only way things will get done.
As I stayed in this place with the Lord at the altar, seeing how big one small sentence can be, the Lord also reminded me that we take our VIP's with us every time we enter the room. This time He referenced demons and fruit. When we walk into a room, do we bring with us the Holy Spirit? Is He our VIP? Or do we bring anxiety, fear, panic, drama, trust issues, abandonment issues, heaviness, depression, gossip, anger and the like? Do we hang out every day with Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Patience, Long Suffering, Self Control etc? Or do we let our emotions, the news, our issues with our families and circumstances take up our time and steal our peace?
It's time to build, it's time to overcome the enemy's advances. It's time to find your VIP's and get building!
Now to circle back to my mood and our argument, it turned out that Pastor Harry's sermon was exactly what we both needed. Not only that, but I was able to reach out to Heather and George too because I felt led by some of the sermon. In turn, that one act of submission to my husband, brought breakthrough to me on multiple issues, provided me with insight into battle strategy, provided another couple with encouragement that they weren't in a battle alone, brought joy and laughter back into our household, and the Lord rewarded us by giving us the name for our ministry and our big picture vision that very afternoon.
I can only think to myself, how amazingly different everything would have gone, had I made one different choice based on my snarky attitude that morning. I praise God for the ability to push past my flesh. I praise the Lord for launching our ministry that the enemy wanted to destroy before it even got off the ground.
This is why it's important to walk in the Spirit and not of the flesh.
You have no idea who else will be impacted by your obedience.
You have no idea what God is going to do with one simple act of obedience to His word.
Be a VIP for yourself and for those around you. You have no idea what the Lord will do next!!!!
John 2:2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
1 Peter 5:3 - Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Philippians 2:3 - Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
1 Corinthians 12:12 - For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
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