It Will Not Return Void

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Saturday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama! Wow, what another crazy, busy, beautifully blessed, week! :) With all the craziness I find myself writing another Happy Friday on a Saturday morning instead of on Friday morning as I hope/intend. And in this moment, I am reminded that God's timing is always perfect! :)

This week I am simply going to share a testimony.

A few weeks ago I started working on something that was very important to me. It was not something that I would personally gain from, nor was it for the benefit of my family or I. It was much bigger than any of us and I desperately wanted to see it happen. As I began working and preparing for it to happen, I prayed about and for it. There was then this moment that I remember clearly where a great peace came over my spirit as I heard - not audibly...it was much deeper than that - this, "Just trust the process." I have been a "Christian Under Construction" long enough to know that when I "hear" something like this it is not from me, it is from God. And I also now know enough that "just trust the process" means use your talents, gifts and abilities to do things the right way and God will take care of the rest. I have found these things to be true in my life, over and over again.

So, with this blessed assurance, I set about doing just that - doing everything I could to the very best of my ability and trusting God with the rest. This sustained me for a couple of weeks. There was even a moment where someone kinda pushed back against me saying, "You seem awful sure of this!" I simply said, "I am just trusting the process."

And then, earlier this week, I began to look at things with my physical, rather than spiritual, eyes. Someone reached out to me and asked me about the progress. I replied, "I don't think we are going to make it." Every time I start to get disappointed in myself about this, I feel the loving encouragement of my Heavenly Father reminding me that I am human and this is why I must rely on Him.

The day after I had sent that message that we weren't going to make it, I got an email that changed everything. As I read the email I started crying, yelling "Oh my gosh!" Over and over again I yelled "Oh my gosh!" as tears flowed and my voice cracked. My Beautiful Bride, joining my in crying, said, "Is it a good 'Oh my gosh' or a bad 'Oh my gosh'?!" I told her we had accomplished it, and we both wept together.

And in that moment, my mind immediately raced back to the early morning prayer when I felt an unexplainable peace come over me as I heard, "Just trust the process." And then "no word returns void" came to me. Isaiah 55:11 (New Living Translation) says, "It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." It always produces fruit...it will accomplish all I want it to...it will prosper everywhere I sent it! Sweet Friends, I am here to testify to these truths!

A couple of things:
1. This is not the story of a weak man but rather the story of a great God. This is the story of us. I am not going to beat myself up for the doubt I allowed to creep in. I am flawed, broken and imperfect...I am painfully aware of these truths. My God however says I am fearfully and wonderfully made, created on purpose for a purpose for which He has perfectly equipped me. We are doing a Bible study at church right now titled, "Freedom." The whole study hinges on the concept of are we going to live by the Tree of Life or by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? The Tree of Knowledge would have me live in sorrow, shame and guilt for my doubt. The Tree of Life has me live in love, mercy and grace. I choose Life! :)

2. Have you received a word/message in the deepest recesses of your heart? His word will not return void. Maybe it doesn't look like you thought it would look. Maybe it is taking longer than you thought it would take. I just want to encourage you, His word will not return void...He has promised us that. Please, if you have felt a conviction, please keep taking steps forward, even if they are baby steps. When the doubt creeps in, speak life. I don't know how, I don't know when and I certainly don't know what it will look like. I am simply here to tell you, based on experience, if He said it, it will happen. Walk in this blessed assurance Sweet Friends! :)

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!

Kev