How Do You Know?
How do you know you are supposed to be where you are? How do you know that you are in the center of God’s will? How do you know whether another time and place is calling you?
Do angels fly overhead with a banner message from heaven? Does a prophet call you out or visit you with a message from heaven? Do you hear a voice when praying that seems like thunder?
How does the Holy Spirit get through to your mind and heart? How does the message get burned into passion that transcends every question and leaves peace with commitment?
I remember being a social worker for the Commonwealth of Virginia. At first it was exciting. But in time my passion for lost souls was frustrated by the system in which I worked. I wanted out.
I remember being an evangelist. Laila and I traveled from church to church preaching revivals and teaching. I found myself hurting and in prayer for folks at the former churches where we had ministered. Gradually it dawned on me that I was not an evangelist, but called to be a pastor.
I remember our first pastoral assignment. We loved what we were doing. We devoted ourselves totally to the congregation and the community. God blessed our efforts. We thought we would be there until we died. However, after about five years a strange thing began to happen. I felt heavy in my chest. Little stabbing pains---not a good thing at age 32. When I would leave town the heaviness would lift. No pain. When I would travel back to town the heaviness and pain would return. The Lord helped me to understand that it was time to trust another pastor with the congregation.
Laila and I both went back to school. Three years later God worked a plan for us to be at Covenant Church. Time has passed. At the end of 2009 Laila and I asked the Lord for 2010. We asked for specific and major events. God answered. It was an enormously intense year. Long hours. Lots of energy. Working with multiple teams and advisors. We celebrated victory after victory.
In the process of the year the Holy Spirit did a wonderful work with different ministry teams of Covenant Church. The Prayer Team kept us focused as we worked on strategic goals.
As 2011 approached Laila and I agreed we needed a retreat. We wanted a slowed down time at some distance. Time to rest. Think. Pray. Talk. Listen to the Holy Spirit. What is God saying?
How do you know you are supposed to be where you are? Try this. Fourteen hours away from Charlottesville. Staying in a quiet place. No internet service. No regular phone. A TV which we chose to remain silent. We rest. We walk. We read. One night I slept ELEVEN hours!
We fill our days with talk of the goodness of the Lord. Our hearts are warmed by thoughts of our Covenant Family. I wake in the night thinking about what God is doing and going to do. While I thank God for retreat time, Laila and I look forward to coming home. There is a lightness in our heart for the home---an excitement. There is a burning passion to experience God with a team of folks committed to the harvest.
How do you know? Well, you know by the peace that passes understanding. There is no restlessness. There is no heaviness of the chest. Rather there is a sense that God, Awesome God, has prepared us for this hour. This is our time. Our season for victory! Our season for harvest!
The Holy Spirit knows. The Holy Spirit is able to confirm in a gentle and powerful way that is at once tender, yet solid as the Rock of Gibralta. And those who walk in the Spirit know when the Spirit confirms.
Have enjoyed our rest and relaxation. Looking forward to coming home and seeing you in church on Sunday!
Pastor Bare
Philippians 4:7- “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Jeremiah 29:11- “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”