Line Upon Line

Recently, Sam Hinn, pastor of The Gathering Place, in Sanford, Florida, and brother of Benny Hinn, came and ministered at Life of Faith Fellowship Church, in Port Huron, Michigan. Sam had a message planned for the Monday night meeting, but as he began to minister, the Holy Spirit led him to speak some specific words to the local church congregation and leadership. This was Sam's first visit to the church, and he didn't know a whole lot about the ministry, but the words he spoke were extremely accurate and very encouraging.

After the meeting, I had an opportunity to meet Sam. I looked him in the eyes and said, "I need to have a few words with you." Well, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what I had to say. I pointed my finger at his chest, and poking him, I said, "You are the right man, in the right place, at the right time, with the right message, and with the right heart to deliver that message. Thank you for your obedience!" I smiled, and he started breathing again.

There's nothing like being in the right place at the right time!

Back in the 80's, when I was ministering in Dublin, Georgia, I invited a pastor from one of the local churches to lunch, so we could spend some time together and get to know one another. After lunch, we went to my office at the church and engaged in a friendly theological discussion. It didn't take long to realize that about the only things we agreed on were that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He became the sacrifice for our sin, and that to be saved, a person must believe on Jesus and receive Him by faith.

As we talked, one thing in particular stood out to me -- this pastor believed that God has called everyone to "go into all the world," but, that any place is as good as another, as long as we go "someplace." I believed that God desires to lead us by the Holy Spirit to a particular place at a particular time to do a particular thing. (Am I being too particular here?) 20 years later, I still believe we need to be where God wants us to be, when He wants us to be there, doing what He wants us to be doing.

There have been many times, I'm sure, that I have frustrated my family, friends, and co-workers, as I've waited to get a "sure word" from the Lord before I made a move. But I believe the price of moving outside of God's will is just too great a price to pay. I'd much rather be in His perfect will than any other place, thank you.

Someone once said to me, "I don't know what God wants me to do, so I'm just going to 'step out in faith.'" I told him, there's no way you can step out in faith unless you've received a word from God. You see, true faith is always based on the revealed word of God. It's foolish to make a move until you've received God's word. If you don't have His word, you can't move in faith -- no way, Jose'!

There will be times in life when we need to stop and wait for God's direction. There are just too many options -- too many roads we could choose to take. Face it, neither you nor I are smart enough to make those decisions on our own. I've seen many lives ruined and ministries destroyed because people weren't willing to stop and seek God concerning His will. Yes, I realize (I'm talking to the guys here), it's "against our nature" to stop and ask for directions -- we're supposed to have all the answers, right? But we need to admit that most of the time, we don't have a clue.

Many years ago I read A.T. Pierson's book, "George Mueller of Bristol." George Mueller was an extraordinary man of faith, who ministered to the orphans of Bristol, England. Thinking back on his life, Mueller said,

"I never remember, in all my Christian course, a period now (in March 1895) of sixty-nine years and four months, that I ever SINCERELY and PATIENTLY sought to know the will of God by the teaching of the Holy Ghost, through the instrumentality of the word of God, but I have been ALWAYS directed rightly. But if honesty of heart and uprightness before God were lacking, or if I did not patiently wait upon God for instruction, or if I preferred the counsel of my fellow men to the declarations of the word of the living God, I made great mistakes."

I wonder how many lives have been spiritually shipwrecked for lack of waiting for God's instruction and direction.

It's important that you know you're where God wants you to be, doing what He wants you to do. The only way I have been able to endure certain situations in my life and ministry, is because I knew God called me to that place -- and I know that if God has called me, His grace will sustain me.

The enemy of your faith will come with questions, trying to get you to doubt who you are, and what God has called you to do. "If you're a child of God..." If you were really called..." But, if you know, that you know, that you know that God has called you, chosen you, and sent you on a particular mission, you can have confidence that you will succeed -- you've got God's word on it!

think on these things...

Acts 16:6-10 (NKJV)
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us.'' Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Colossians 1:9,10 (NLT)
So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.