Good morning! Tomorrow I’m leaving for Asia and an undercover operation. For three days we will preach, break camp, preach again, and break camp again, all in a hostile environment.
This past month has been a time of retrospection for me. I have been looking back on how I ended up doing what I do. Well, it’s a journey, step by step. When you are walking with the Lord, continually moving forward for 30 years, then there is a lot that happens!
No one starts at their destination. There is always a journey in between. There are life changes, career changes, and God begins to move you toward your purpose. In my own life I can look back and see that before I could stand out, I had to fit in. Whatever God is going to do with you, it starts in the crowd.
Another lesson I have learned is that if opportunities come your way too quickly and doors open too readily, it can be dangerous. Don’t despise small beginnings. Be thankful for the steps it takes to get where you are going. In fact, sometimes my enemies have been my steps. Even the Bible says that your enemies can be a footstool. So in retrospect, I can look over my shoulder and say that the things I have had to go through have been good for my journey, because otherwise I would not have learned to take the steps. Otherwise I would not have paid the price that took me to where I am now.
Yes, it took something to get me here. You wouldn’t believe where I started from. And the journey from where I started to where I am now has been filled with both pleasant things and painful things. You see, plenty of things are said about the purpose God has for our lives, but there aren’t many who will talk about the process it takes to get there. The process might be frustrating, but you can’t accomplish your purpose without the process.
One problem that you might run into is that many times people define you based on where they first found you. For them, as long as you remain standing on that step it’s okay, but they have an issue as soon as you move off that step and on to higher things. They don’t understand your process, and many times you might not even understand it, but He’s calling us to have faith to praise and thank God in the midst of the process, in the midst of the journey.
He is faithful to bring us through, step by step, continually progressing toward the destination – the purpose – He has intended for us.
Have a great week!
-Tommy
