Personal Testimony of David
Does God Have a Plan for Me?
Since 1976, I’ve had so much to celebrate, and it all started with a question that probably crosses everyone’s mind at some point: “Does God have a plan for me?” Life can be confusing, and it’s easy to lose hope, to stop trusting that there’s a greater purpose. But I can tell you from personal experience—He does. God has a GOOD plan for each of us because He’s an altogether good God. He is simply waiting for us to surrender to Him, and then the journey begins!
- And God “Tricked” Me…
- Painted or Plugged-In?
- A 12-inch Conversion: From Head to Heart
- How Beautiful the Feet
- So Much More!
- Rivers of Living Water: The Experience
- The Promise of My Heavenly Father
- “Of the Devil”? No Way! A Divine Surprise
- Discipled Unintentionally
- A Life-Changing Crisis: From Pain to Purpose
- Hearing the Call: A Life of Service
- Secret to Staying Sweet
- Yes, God Has a Plan For You!
And God “Tricked” Me…
I grew up in New Philadelphia, Ohio, with my two younger sisters. We were raised by loving parents and went to a Lutheran church every Sunday. We were active in church events, and I was content with what I considered a good, religious life. As a musician who plays piano and guitar, I started a rock and roll band that lasted a couple of years before we went our separate ways.
In 1975, a new opportunity came my way. A Christian music band called Patmos needed a bass guitarist. I was excited to get back into music and eagerly agreed to help without a second thought. The band was made up of two awesome and passionate young couples: Frank and Gale Limbacher, and Dave and Deb Garrett.
I joined Patmos because of my love for music, but God had other plans in His mind! I soon noticed something special about my new friends. Their faith wasn’t stiff and stuffy; they talked about Jesus from a personal, intimate relationship with Him.
Until then, I had been satisfied with my own “good works” version of Christianity—going to church regularly, saying nightly prayers, opening the Bible once in a while, and doing what I believed was “good enough.” I grew up with the mindset that God should be “reverently” kept at a distance. Even saying the name of “Jesus” felt so extremely awkward, as if I were being disrespectfully presumptuous.
However, what I saw in these band members totally blew my mind. When our band, Patmos, played at churches, youth camps, and evangelistic meetings, the band members spoke so personally about Jesus. I had never heard people talking about God and Heaven like that—not even the pastor of the Lutheran church in which I grew up! It went against everything I knew, and yet, surprisingly, I wanted what they had. Something was tugging on my heart. I secretly longed for the joy and enthusiasm my friends had, but I had no idea how to get it.
Painted or Plugged-In?
I would later compare it to the difference between a lightbulb painted white and a lightbulb plugged in. I could use the brightest white paint on my lightbulb, but it would never be able to generate any light. My friends were definitely “plugged in” to Jesus and shining brightly, but I was still in the dark.
I started going to their weekly home Bible study led by Frank and Gale. At the time, they were teaching from the book of Acts. I listened to how they prayed and began to use similar words: “Jesus, be the Lord of my life.” “Set me on fire for You, Lord.” On the surface, I may have looked just like them, but inside, I was desperately struggling.
On July 6, 1976, during a Bible study, I heard them talking with absolute certainty about going to heaven when they died. I was shocked. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out:
“How do you all know that you are ‘good enough’ to go to heaven?”
They quickly gathered around me and explained something they called “salvation” and being “born again.” They told me that no one is “good enough” to go to heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that all of us are born sinners (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12), and that a righteous God requires that sin be paid for by eternal punishment in “hell” (Romans 6:23). No matter how many good works we do, we can never pay our sin debt. However, Jesus paid our debt in full when He died on the Cross (Romans 5:6-11), and He rose again to offer the “free Gift of eternal Life” (Romans 6:23) to all those who believe, confess Him as Lord, and receive Him as their Savior (Romans 10:9-10).
A 12-inch Conversion: From Head to Heart
I had grown up in church and knew many Bible “facts” in my head, but as they shared the good news of the Gospel with me, those Bible “facts” hit my heart.
For the first time in my life, I saw myself as a wretched sinner with an eternal debt to God. All my “religion” and good works were nothing more than “filthy rags” in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). God’s love overwhelmed me as I realized Jesus died for my sins and rose again for me. My friends told me:
“Even if you were the only person on planet earth,
Jesus still would have died for you.”
Wow! It became so personal:
“Jesus loves me so much
that He died in my place on the Cross!”
That night, before I went to bed, I prayed from a heart broken by God’s love. For the first time in my life, I truly believed the Gospel—not from my head, but from my heart, and I confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior just like the Bible says to do:
Romans 10:8-10
But what does it say? “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the Word of faith which we preach):
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
In that very moment, an extraordinary change took place within me. It wasn’t some giddy, emotional high; in fact, what I felt was a very quiet, inner transformation and a sweet assurance deep down inside my heart. A peace flooded my soul and, to use an expression my friends often used in those days:
“I know that I know that I know!”
I had been “born again” (John 3:3). My name had been written in the “Book of Life” (Revelation 20:15). I could now say with my new friends:
“When I die, I know I’m going to my eternal Home
in Heaven to be with Jesus!”
Spreading the Good News: How Beautiful the Feet
I soon had my first experiences of sharing the Gospel and my personal testimony with others. There is no greater joy than to lead a lost soul to Christ and see them experience the New Birth. The Bible speaks about this joy that comes from sharing the Gospel with others:
Isaiah 12:2-3 (KJV)
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid:
For Lord Jehovah is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.
Therefore WITH JOY shall ye draw water
Out of the wells of salvation.
God says that our “feet” and our entire walk with Him become beautiful when we share the Gospel with others:
Isaiah 52:7
HOW BEAUTIFUL upon the mountains
Are the FEET of him who brings Good News,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Just a few weeks later, while jogging down a country road with Paul, my sister’s boyfriend, a car sped by us. It felt like the perfect time to share my experience with him.
“Paul, if that car had hit me and I were to die right now, I know without a doubt I’ll go to heaven to be with Jesus.”
To my shock, Paul became very angry and asked where people of other religions would go if they died. “Do you think you’re better than everyone else?” he challenged with a glare in his eyes. Then he ran off and later told my sister that if I hadn’t been her brother, he would have punched me right in the face!
Later that night, my sister asked me what I had said to Paul that made him so angry. I took her down into our basement, and I shared my experience of being born again. Then I used the four verses of the “Roman Road” to explain the Gospel to her. As I was speaking, the Lord touched her, and she sobbed and wept as she gave her life to Christ. Within a few days, Paul also gave his life to Jesus. Praise God!
So Much More!
A few weeks later, on my after-school janitor job at Fenton Brothers Electric, I met one of the three owners, Leo Fenton, for the first time. He told me that he had heard I had been born again, and he wanted to invite me to his home to study the Bible on Monday nights. I was soon to learn that Leo had an amazingly anointed gift of teaching the Bible. Brother Leo and his wife, Sister Doris (as we lovingly called them), gave me an open invitation to come to their house any time. “You do not even need to knock,” they told me. “Just come on in, the door is always open.”
The very next Monday, I went to Brother Leo’s home. There was a small group sitting on the floor of his living room. He taught us about two experiences: “Water Baptism” (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:1-14) and the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” and the gift of “speaking in unknown tongues” (Acts 1:5-8; Acts 2:1-39). I was bubbling over with excitement: “You mean God has more for us?” “Yes,” they told me, “In His Eternal Purpose, He has so much more in store for us!”
My parents had me “baptized” (sprinkled with water) as an infant at the Lutheran church, but now it was very obvious from the Scriptures that Water Baptism was NOT for infants, but for those who had believed and been born again:
Mark 16:16
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 8:36-37
Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
At our next band practice, I decided to check with Frank and Gale to see what they thought about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. He seemed quite troubled and told me I really must talk about that with a Bible teacher at their church. So I attended that church’s weekly Bible study. I sat through the whole meeting and then waited to talk with the young pastor. When he was finally free, I rushed up to ask him about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. However, before he could answer me, there was an urgent phone call for him that he had to take. Disappointed, I went home.
At that time, I didn’t understand it, but I realized it was God’s hand that allowed the phone call to interrupt the pastor’s conversation with me. I later found out that that church adamantly taught against speaking in tongues, saying that it is no longer available today. Oh, how sadly mistaken they were. And how glad I am for the divine distraction of that phone call! God’s ways are wonderful!
A week later, on Tuesday, September 8, 1976, I obeyed the Lord in Water Baptism at a swimming pool in Dover, Ohio. When I came up out of the water, Brother Leo and another brother laid their hands upon my head (just like Acts 8:14-17 and Acts 19:1-6), and I immediately began speaking in tongues.
Rivers of Living Water: The Experience
Some people try to say that speaking in tongues is nothing but “emotional ecstatic gibberish.” But that was certainly not my experience when I began speaking in tongues. In fact, to my amazement, this supernatural gift felt unusually natural. And what I was speaking was certainly not some gibberish. It was clearly a language that flowed beautifully—not from my intellect, but from my spirit:
1 Corinthians 14:2
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
1 Corinthians 14:14
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
That Tuesday evening, at Brother Leo’s house, a small group of us gathered on the floor in his living room. He encouraged all of us to use our new prayer language. We all prayed in tongues for quite a while. Sister Doris led us in singing a few verses of “Amazing Grace,” and then she told us to use that same melody and sing it in tongues. We sang in tongues to that melody and then began singing in tongues in beautiful melodies and harmonies that flowed together like a river. That experience was exactly what Paul told the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 14:14-15
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is the conclusion then? I will PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will SING WITH THE SPIRIT, and I will also sing with the understanding.
That time of singing in the spirit was such a wonderfully uplifting and edifying experience just like Paul said it would be:
1 Corinthians 14:4
He who speaks in a tongue EDIFIES himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
Jude 1:20-21
But you, beloved, BUILDING YOURSELVES UP on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Wow! What a beautiful night that was. I could feel myself glowing with joy and excitement. Jesus used the perfect illustration when He said that those who receive the Holy Spirit will experience “rivers of living waters” flowing from within their “inner being”:
John 7:37-39 (NASB)
Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his INNERMOST BEING will flow RIVERS of LIVING WATERS.’”
(But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)
The Promise of My Heavenly Father
This matter of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, also referred to as the “Promise of the Father” (Luke 24:13; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5,8; Acts 2:1-4, 33,38-39; Galatians 3:14), and the gift of speaking in tongues has been the source of many disputes and even divisions among Christians. Yet, there it is in the Bible, leaving no doubt that, as someone once said:
“God’s Word says it. I believe it. That settles it!”
Since that wonderful day of being baptized in the Holy Spirit in September 1976, praying and singing in tongues has naturally developed into a regular habit for me. I pray in my spiritual prayer language as often as possible. I would walk in the forests by my home and pray in tongues. I prayed in tongues when I walked to work after school. Between classes at school, I would step into the restroom and, if no one were there, I would pray in that new language. I sang in tongues in the shower. I worshiped in my prayer language whenever and wherever I could—even when mowing the grass or riding my motorcycle on the winding back country roads near my home!
To this very day, I use my prayer language to pray, sing, intercede (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18), praise, bless, give thanks, and worship (1 Corinthians 14:16-17). That gift of the Holy Spirit has been a great source of inner strength just as Jesus promised.
I have always been blessed by how Paul expressed his experience of this wonderful gift:
1 Corinthians 14:18
I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all.
The Amplified Bible explains that “more than you all” could more accurately be translated as “more than all of you put together.”
Now some misguided Christians claim that Paul was being prideful and boasting in some special talent he had that others didn’t. Oh, how sadly they misread God’s wonderful Words of Life! There is no hint of pride there whatsoever! Paul knew that this prayer language gift of speaking in tongues was for ALL of God’s children; therefore, he had nothing to boast about! Paul was humbly and simply challenging and encouraging ALL believers to use their prayer language.
1 Corinthians 14:26
How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a TONGUE, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
“Of the Devil”? No Way! A Divine Surprise
At the next band practice, right after I had received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I excitedly told Frank and Gale what I had experienced. Frank looked horrified, warning me that speaking in tongues was “of the devil!” I was surprised at his reaction, but calmly replied, “It sure does not feel like the devil to me.” For some reason, his comment did not bother me. I did not doubt what I had received. There was a sweet, quiet inner confidence—“I knew that I knew that I knew” that what I had experienced was the beautiful Promise of my Heavenly Father:
Luke 11:11-13
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?
Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your heavenly Father give the HOLY SPIRIT to those who ask Him!”
Later that same evening, after our practice, Frank’s wife privately let me know that she had been secretly seeking God concerning the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, she did not want to contradict her husband, so she was patiently waiting and praying about it.
Only a few weeks later, both Frank and Gale were at a local Christian radio station to be interviewed and to play some of the songs they had written. During a commercial break, the radio show host suddenly explained that he felt led to pray for them, but he did not tell them why. He laid his hands upon their heads and prayed, “Lord, let them receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.” At that very moment, to their utter surprise, both Frank and Gale began speaking in tongues! God saw their sincere thirsting and simply could not help Himself! God always fills those who hunger and thirst for all that He has for them! It reminds me of Cornelius, the first Gentile to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit:
Acts 10:44-46
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the Word.
And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
For they heard them SPEAK WITH TONGUES and magnify God…
From that moment on, our band practices were never the same! We would practice our songs as usual, but then we would spend time doing some “Spirit-filled jamming” on our instruments while worshiping and praising God in our heavenly prayer language!
Discipled Unintentionally
Driven by my hunger to learn more, I went to Brother Leo’s house for Bible teaching many times a week during my senior year of high school.
Now, there is something else that God strategized upon my life. In May 1976 (shortly before I had been born again), I made a commitment to teach the high school Sunday School at the Lutheran church. They told me I could use any curriculum I wanted. I agreed to do it only because I thought it would be fun, but God once again set me up!
My first day as a teacher of the high school Sunday School class was in September 1977, just a few days after being baptized in water and baptized in the Holy Spirit. So, guess what curriculum I chose to use? Everything Brother Leo taught me!
Unknowingly and unintentionally, I was being discipled. My mindset was, “What can I learn from Brother Leo that I can teach in my Sunday School class?” Everything I was taking in, I was also giving out to others. There is simply no better form of discipleship than that! This is what converted a group of motley men into Jesus’ twelve disciples. They knew Jesus was going to send them out as His representatives, so they pressed in to understand Jesus’ teaching so well that they would be able to share the message with others. Notice their relationship with Jesus:
Mark 4:10-11
But WHEN HE WAS ALONE, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.
And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…”
Mark 4:34
But without a parable, He did not speak to them. And WHEN THEY WERE ALONE, He explained all things to His disciples.
To those who become “disciples of the Kingdom,” Jesus gave this precious promise:
Matthew 13:51-52 (NASB)
“Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.”
And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a DISCIPLE of the Kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Disciples of the Kingdom diligently receive, search, and study (Acts 17:11) what they are taught about the Kingdom of God. When they faithfully pull out the “old things” (what they were taught) from their “treasure,” God will be faithful to add “new things” to their message! That’s exactly how it was for me during those next nine months, as I took everything Brother Leo taught me and taught it to those young people in that Sunday School class. It was exciting!
There is a specific five-fold apostolic ministry office of a “teacher” (Ephesians 4:11); however, every born-again child of God is called to be a disciple who teaches others:
Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
TEACHING them to observe all things that I have commanded you…
Teaching and being taught is the disciple experience. Oh, how different it would be in the church if everyone had this disciple-mindset! Notice how some believers were reprimanded:
Hebrews 5:11-12
Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
For though by this time YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
A Life-Changing Crisis: From Pain to Purpose
In January 1977, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. It had already spread to his liver and other organs. The news was devastating for our family. It was a clear and bitterly cold winter night, but I walked up and down the snowy country road near our house. I remember walking into a cornfield and sitting on the seat of a large old tractor, looking up at the stars and full moon, crying, praising, praying, and talking to God from my aching heart:
“Dear Jesus,” I prayed, “You alone know the number of pages in my life’s book. Maybe I, too, only have a few days left to live? And isn’t it true that You are coming back soon? Lord Jesus, I give my life, my plans, my everything to You. I want to do Your perfect will. Please help me to yield to you! You gave Your life on the Cross for me, and it is just logical and reasonable that I should give my whole life to You.”
I prayed according to Paul’s exhortation to the Romans, and placed myself as a “living sacrifice” upon His altar:
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable [logical] service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
That night, a line from a poem my great-grandfather often quoted came to my memory and was etched into my heart:
“Only one life ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
At the time, I didn’t fully understand what had happened in my heart, but little by little, God began to unfold His plan. He heard me that night, and He has lovingly held me to that prayer ever since.
For the first six months of my new life in Christ, I had tried to share my faith with my parents, but they seemed content with their own version of “good works” Christianity, just as I had been.
But God had a plan for them, too. While Dad was in the hospital, an evangelist randomly visited and shared the Gospel with him. Dad accepted Jesus as his Savior, and just a few days later, he also received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues while taking a shower in the hospital! How amazing is that!
A few weeks later, my mom was also born again and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Then, together, they obeyed the Lord in water baptism. For the water baptism, Brother Leo had to use our bathtub because Dad was too weak to leave the house.
For the next five months, before Dad went to be with the Lord on June 4, 1977, he held weekly meetings in our home on Sunday nights. Many from their Lutheran church received Jesus as their Savior, were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and several people even received remarkable healings.
With each passing day, God tugged on my heart more and more. By the end of those five months, I knew He wanted me to serve Him. Dad went to his eternal home the very day before my high school graduation ceremony. Our family was grieving, but we were also filled with gratitude for salvation and the promise of eternal life.
Hearing the Call: A Life of Service
During the summer of 1977, I continued seeking God’s will. In September, I joined a mission-oriented organization. Over the next eleven years (1977-1988), I served in various churches across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. In 1981, I also went on a six-month mission trip to India, Sri Lanka, England, and France, which proved to be a life-changing experience for me.
In 1988, God had another surprise for me. Through a unique series of events, I met a wonderful young lady named Marietta in Miami, Florida. She had been “born again” seven years earlier and knew God had called her to serve Him also. I had placed several conditions before the Lord concerning a marriage partner. Marriage is a lifetime decision, and I needed God’s loving guidance. Jesus had breathed faith in my heart that He would bring the right person at the right time. The missionary and martyr to Ecuador, Jim Elliot, said it like this:
“God always gives His best to those
who leave the choice with Him.”
And God did just that, shining favor down upon us:
Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord.
On August 19, 1989, we were married. The following year, our first child, David Josiah, was born on July 5, 1990. In 1991, God opened a door for us to pastor a new church in San Francisco, California. Our first daughter, Abigail, was born the following year. In 1994, we started a Christian elementary school that quickly grew to over 100 students. During the next 12 years, my wife gave birth to three more precious daughters: Priscilla, Kezia, and Elizabeth.
In 2006, we moved to Houston, Texas, to help a pastor friend of ours establish a Christian daycare and elementary school. Then, in 2008, through a whirlwind of extraordinary circumstances (which included Hurricane Ike that hit Texas quite hard), God led our family to my hometown of New Philadelphia, Ohio, where we began working with the Foursquare Gospel Church, where we received our Foursquare minister’s credentials, and later, our ordination as Foursquare pastors.
Our goal as a married couple has always been to love our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, passionately, and from that love, make ourselves 100% available to Him to use us however He pleases, building His Church.
As Ecclesiastes 4:11 tells us, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Our prayer has been that the three cords of our lives together—my wife and I, and the Lord Jesus Christ— would be entwined throughout every part of our lives, to the praise and glory of His marvelous grace!
The Secret to Staying Sweet
When life seems meaningless, remember that He is still deeply concerned for you. Shortly after starting in ministry training, an elderly pastor came up to me and told me he had a little secret that, as he put it, kept him “sweet at heart” even in the hardest of times throughout his life and ministry. This simple, but golden phrase totally rewired my entire way of thinking and living:
“Learn to take everything from the Hand of God.”
It sounds simple, but it’s one of the hardest things to do. The world tells us to become bitter and resentful when faced with life’s trials. That mindset, however, completely disconnects us from God’s grace and makes it impossible to discern His will for our lives. When we’re tempted to become soured by circumstances that are contrary and hardships beyond our control, we must close our eyes and take God’s loving hand.
Over the years, those simple words were keys to unlock God’s great store of grace to carry me through many of life’s difficult circumstances:
Ecclesiastes 3:1,11
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…
He hath made every thing beautiful in His time...
There is a time to fight fearlessly for what is ours, but there is also a time to refrain from fighting and to abandon ourselves into God’s hands and purpose for our lives. The secret?
Take everything from the Hand of God
and see God’s hand in everything.
When all the troubles came upon Job, even his wife told him to just “curse God and die.” But Job was of a different faith. He chose to see God’s Hand:
Job 2:10 (KJV)
But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Later, Job made an amazing declaration of his trust and abandonment into God’s hand:
Job 13:15
Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him:
but I will maintain mine own ways before Him.
Rather than becoming sour, we can remain sweet and remember that God’s “divine power” has given us “all things” and many “precious promises” to live a sweet and joyful life that exemplifies His glory and virtue, making us “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
There is an example of one of God’s precious promises:
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
Notice that the promise is not for everyone, but instead to those who (1) love God, and to those who (2) yield to His calling and eternal purpose. As we obey God’s calling, there is an abundance of grace available for us—grace prepared uniquely for us “before time began”:
2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV)
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own PURPOSE and GRACE, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
So just how do we go about taking everything from God’s hands? Abandonment does not come easily. Our human (Adamic) nature usually loves a good fight. But just study David’s responses in the Psalms. Read through all the stuff Joseph went through because of his malevolent brothers, and yet look how sweetly and confidently he answered his brothers:
Genesis 50:20-21
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
“God meant it for good.” The reactions and responses of these men were not natural; they were supernatural –filled with supernatural grace.
How can we recognize God’s hand? By seeking His heart:
Proverbs 28:5
...they that seek the Lord understand all things.
Isaiah 28:23-29 adds a whole other dimension to this beautiful truth. Isaiah speaks of how, in agriculture, the farmer uses many unique methods to process different kinds of grains. None is treated in the same way. He compares this to God’s unique dealings with us, and then finishes his discourse with this precious verse:
Isaiah 28:29 (KJV)
This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working.
God taught me how to use this passage as a promise in prayer:
IF—in whatever difficult circumstances come my way—my heart and mouth can recite to God the first part of this verse like this:
“This [the very situation I may be in] also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts…”
Then God would be faithful to recite from His heart to me the blessed assurance in the second part of this verse:
“Yes, My child, I truly am wonderful in counsel and excellent in working!
Just wait and see how wonderfully I will deal with you!”
Hallelujah! God’s plan for us is good because He’s a good God!
Yes, God Is Calling You!
There is an incredible, purpose-filled life waiting for you—a life God has been dreaming up with your name on it even before you existed.
If you’ve never been born again—if you’ve never been saved, forgiven, and cleansed from your sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—today is the day to make it happen. You don’t need to earn it; you simply have to believe in the Lord with all your heart, and you will be saved. You can pray and receive Christ just like I did. Here is what I prayed:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner, and I need Your forgiveness.
I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead.
I turn from my sins now and ask You to come into my heart and life.
I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior from this day forward.
Thank You for Your amazing grace and for the gift of eternal life.
In Jesus‘ Name, Amen.
Once you have been born again, remember that God has “so much more” for you! Water Baptism and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit are the next experiences God has for you. You can find out more by clicking on these links: Water Baptism, and Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Maybe you’ve already been born again, water baptized, and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, but you’re struggling to fully surrender your life to Him. Now is the perfect moment to reflect on His ultimate goodness. He “who spared not His own Son” (Romans 8:32) to save you would never, ever withhold any good thing from you. He is a good, good God, and He has a good, good plan for you!
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“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.”
Give your life to Him unconditionally. Lay it all on the altar and let Him have absolute sway in your life.
Don’t wait another moment. Do it today. I promise you, you will NEVER regret it.
