[1] The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…” It is a scripture that is becoming more and more real in my life each day.
I often share with the Gospel Catalysts who I have become extremely bonded with that the AoP could not have been a more welcome and timely addition to my life. I was in a dry place in my ministry and needed something more.
I often share with the Gospel Catalysts [who I have become extremely bonded with] that the AoP could not have been a more welcome and timely addition to my life. I was in a dry place in my ministry and needed something more.
In short, I simply needed to get outside of the familiar and predictable confines of my context. I needed something different—something that was going to stretch me, challenge me, provoke the evaluative side of me, expose me to things different, and be a blessing to me, all at the same time.
I can vividly remember getting off of a plane on January 2nd in Louisville, a place I’d never been, feeling the brisk chill of winter, and walking into a hotel where I knew absolutely no one. When I reached the Seelbach Hilton, my first order of business was to check in and get my registration materials.
My immediate next destination was my room. I had already made up in my mind that I was going to fully participate in the program, but I was subconsciously adamant that I was going into seclusion each day after session.
I justified this mindset by telling myself that this festival wasn’t about relationships; I had signed up for it for own self-development. So, I kept telling myself that I didn’t come some 600 miles to hang out or meet new people. Successfully registered and checked in, I quietly and politely walked past several groups of people to the elevator. I reached the 10th floor and walked to what would be my home for the next several days.
That afternoon, as I unloaded my suitcase, in the stillness of that space, I remember hearing the Lord ask of me, Why did I bring you here?” I had already pulled into my shell and was not coming out of it for anyone but I kept hearing these words from God: “Why did I bring you here?”
It was a divine inquiry that shocked me out of my comfort zone! Needless to say, instead of staying in the comfort of seclusion, I came outside of myself and decided to be sociable.
I share that to give some context for what I am about to suggest. It is my one piece of advice to you as this festival approaches. Stay open to the providential possibilities of the festival! If you’re willing, God will connect you with persons whom you never imagined and create opportunities for you that you never thought would be yours!
Do not seclude yourself [as I tried to do] or hang with a group of familiar friends. Rather, I charge you to come out of your shell. Don’t wait until January 2nd to do it. Make that decision now! Be open and receptive and watch God blow your mind! Walk in His ordered steps for you!
[1] Psalm 37:1, KJV.
