Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Acts 12:2-3

Can you accept God’s will when His answer is no? If you are praying in God’s will, He will always answer you when you pray (Jer. 33:3). However, sometimes His answer will be no.

King Herod arrested Peter and prepared to have him executed. During the night, as his church prayed, Peter’s life was spared when an angel freed him. God miraculously answered the prayers of His people that night. Yet not long before, James, too, had been arrested by Herod. James, however, was executed. Surely the church had prayed for James as fervently as they did for Peter, yet that time God’s answer had been no.

Did God love Peter more than James? Of course not. James had been one of Jesus’ closest friends. Yet God allowed James to die while He continued to use Peter in His service. The church in Jerusalem did not become bitter toward God. They accepted His answer because they trusted His love and wisdom.

There are times when God wants us to persist in our praying until He has completed His work in us (Luke 11:5–8; 18:1–6). However, when God’s answer is no, it is futile to continue pleading for a yes. Some refuse to take no for an answer, insisting that if you pray long enough and hard enough, God will ultimately grant any request you make. It is an affront to your Lord to continue pleading with Him when He has clearly said no. The purpose of prayer is not to conform God to our will but to adjust our will to God. We must learn to trust God so that if He says no, we accept that His will is best.

- Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional



The past couple months have been filled with "NO" for me! It is pretty hard not to get discouraged when you hear no, after no, after no. But if you are truly praying for Gods will for your life, how can you get discouraged when things to take place the way you thought they should? Like Jason Upton sings, "YOUR thoughts are higher than mine!" What a great thing to remind yourself about. It still doesn’t make hearing the word NO an easier. So what is the purpose, why does God allow you to go through periods of time where all year seem to hear is NO! I wish I had the answer...all I know is what I have learned for myself. For each thing you pursue and the answer is no that is just one more step closer to your destiny. For every no you hear, you are getting one step closer to your YES! God knows how much you can handle, and He knows how many NO's you can hear before you go crazy!

So, if you are truly praying for God's will in your life, we must learn to be ok with hearing NO. We must learn to trust that God's thoughts really are higher than ours. Maybe one reason He allows us to go through times like this is to build our trust in Him, and to check our hearts. Do we REALLY want HIS will for our lives, or are we to caught up in our own plans, and dreams? The truth is, when you let your dreams go, and give them to God, that is when He can really use you. Because there is finally room for HIS dreams in your heart. And you might be surprised at how similar His dreams are to your dreams...I mean, He did create you...and He is the one that put those dreams in you in the very beginning.

Through time we tend to twist the dreams He placed in us, to mold them into something more "realistic" in the world's eyes. So, give your dreams back to God, so He can make them unrealistic again. God loves dreams that no MAN can get credit for. Only HE can make the impossible, possible.

So, how many No's does it take to get to a yes? As many as it takes!

SNAKES!

I HATE them! Probably my biggest fear! So at times like this when I seem to be barely hanging on by a thread, I wonder…what is the significance of finding a 5 foot long snake in my house?

Yesterday was one of the first days in a while that I was able to stay home, alone and work on music. So I went upstairs to my little “home studio set up” and spent a few hours working on a new song God has laid on my heart. First I must say that the minute this song came to me, I knew it was something different, something that needed to be sung. So after a few hours upstairs working on this song, I decided to go down stairs to clean up a little before our company was expected to arrive. On my way down the stairs I almost stepped on a 5 foot Rat Snake!! Now, I honestly don’t remember what I said, probably not a nice word as I ran back up the stairs, got my cell phone and called our wonderful friend Sam who happens to live right down the street. I am not afraid to admit that I am terrified of snakes and I knew I would not be able to deal with this by myself. Hmmm…sounds familiar! Anyway…I stayed right where I was, watching the snake until Sam got here. Long story short we gladly chopped his head off!

Now if you don’t know, this is actually the 3rd time a snake has entered this house, and if you saw where this house is located you would understand. We are in the COUNTRY, for lack of better words. And my biggest fear since we have been staying here as been having a snake in the house.

So to many people this may seem like nothing, but for us, right now, it was just icing on the cake. I mean REALLY, what are you trying to tell me GOD!? I am either on the right track and satan knows it, or something is REALLY wrong! I can’t help but remember that snake making its way up the stairs (which I didn’t even know they could do!) right where I was making music. And is it just a coincidence that this happens just days after my last blog, which I wrote as a proclamation that as for me and my house we will serve the Lord, no matter what!?

So today as I am looking for jobs online at Publix, Blockbuster, and anywhere else I can think of so that we could get out of this house, I remembered my proclamation. And it hit me. God has been walking me through all of my biggest fears for the past 9 months at least. And even though I have said to myself, I don’t think I can do this, HE has never left my side. He has held my hand like a little child through it all. And now is not the time for giving up.

To Whom it May Concern:

To Whom It May Concern:

  Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.  I just wanted to take a minute to share with you what is going on in our lives at this moment.  This letter is more of a proclamation, whether you read it or not, it has done its purpose.

For the past nine months Janell and I have been walking through, what I can only describe as “preparation” (to stay positive!).   I believe God has been preparing us for something through this time, and I am beginning to see the purpose.  Through this time all we could do was TRUST God, and His plan for our lives.  We all go through tough times in our lives, and I honestly can say I would not be able to make it through this without my Father God, and my amazing wife, who both love me through it all.

 Today I write you encouraged because I am beginning to see the pieces come together.  We walk one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time, and even a second at a time.  I would be a liar to say that this process has been so wonderful, because honestly it has been more like hell.  But the more time I spend on the ground, the more I realize that it is the exact place God wants me to be.   If the ground is where you find God that is where I want to be.   There is no other place I would rather be than in obedience with God, even if it makes me look like a fool.  My pride has taken a huge hit lately, when everything that I thought was important fell to pieces.  But I find rest in the fact that the truly important things in my life continue to grow stronger.   My marriage, my Son, my Family have all grown stronger, our love has overcome every obstacle.  Through our love God has created a foundation that is unbreakable, and this is why I say it has been preparation.

 I know God created me to do great things in this world.  I don’t say that prideful because He has created ALL of us to do the same.  What I didn’t know is the hell I would have to go through to prepare myself for it.  Is it worth it, definitely!  There is no greater joy or peace that comes from walking in obedience with God.  It’s a peace that is unexplainable, I don’t even understand it.  So today I apologize to you, for not doing what you think I should do.  I apologize for looking like a fool, and because you know me, it might make you look foolish too. 

 My life is not my own, it is God’s.  So today once again I proclaim to the ones I love, and the ones who have said they believe in me.  That on behalf of my family, we will not conform to the world, and we will not give up.  I tell you today that I choose to walk with God on the road less traveled.  I choose to not give up on Gods dreams that He has placed in my heart.  Today I choose LIFE, and I choose destiny.

 

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, just not the way you think!

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