In 1973, Dennis and I were living in California and in the midst of planning our wedding. As we made our plans, it became clear to both of us that right after the wedding, God wanted us to attend 14 days of meetings Kenneth Copeland was having in Fort Worth, Texas. In order for us to be away that long, we both had to quit our jobs.
Needless to say, this didn’t seem like a reasonable thing for newlyweds to do! Yet both Dennis and I knew that God was directing our decision to go, so we quit our jobs and got ready to leave for Texas. On the day we were to start our journey, we received a call from our pastor’s secretary. She said it was urgent that Pastor Ezell meet with us before we left for Texas.
That day, Pastor Ezell asked us to become the church youth ministers as soon as we returned from Texas. God had provided our first step into a life of ministry as a confirmation that we were right on target. This also meant there were jobs waiting for us both when we returned!
We made the long journey to Texas to attend this life-changing conference. But there was a much bigger and far more important plan in the works. During this trip, Dennis and I met all the staff and family members who made up the Kenneth Copeland Evangelistic Association.
Later, God established in our hearts that we would one day relocate from California to Texas and work with the Copelands’ ministry. In 1976 we took that step, and we’ve enjoyed being closely associated with the Copelands in various ways ever since.
It’s absolutely vital to know beyond a doubt that God is truly directing us when we make any major step of faith. Too many Christians have found themselves in terrible trouble because they presumed God would take care of them if they “stepped out in faith” and quit their jobs. But quitting a job has nothing to do with proving our faith. If we cannot live by faith with a job, we certainly can’t live by faith without a job.
In our case, the job wasn’t the issue; it was being where God wanted us when He wanted us there. The fruit of that decision to obey Him was clear from the start and has continued to grow, becoming more and more evident throughout the years.
When we hear from God, we can be assured that we will ultimately learn of an action or a step He wants us to take.
Every step of faith we take in obedience to God’s Word and His leading in our heart will position us for bigger and bigger things in His plan for our life. Notice what James 1:25 promises us when we choose to obey.
“But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out, he will be blessed in what he does” (New English Bible).
If we will make a practice of both hearing and obeying the Lord, we, too, will see God’s abundant blessings multiply in our life in ways we can’t even imagine. We are the seed of Abraham, and his example of obedience is our call to rise up and follow God’s leading every step of the way!
