PaulI arrived in Oklahoma a little scared and uncertain. I had gone on a Journey several months before, and there God had opened my eyes to sin and rebellion that had been in my heart for a long time. I had then become convicted like never before. I told God I would follow Him wherever He wanted me to go. Several months later, someone suggested I go to teach character in the Oklahoma public schools.

I had all kinds of objections. One was, “I’m not qualified; I’ve never even been in a public school.” Another was, “I’m not worthy to teach character. I’m the last one to tell others about self-control and other character qualities.” A third was, “The kids will think I’m stupid.” Having all these fears, you can see why I was scared and uncertain when I came to Oklahoma. But I had decided to follow God’s leading.

Discipleship is worth everythingWhile I was there, God did the impossible. He made me into someone who could teach and reach others for Him. He gave me a good relationship with Him. I cannot count the times I had no idea what to say in a situation, but after a short prayer, the words came to me. In Bible club, the Lord gave me two fifth grade boys that were trouble makers. I had no idea what I was going to do. I kept loving and praying for them and tried not to give up, but I was at my wits end with their annoying antics. Yet by the end of the year, they not only were cooperative, but they were listening and learning as well. My relationship with them is proof that I can trust God in any circumstance.

This is the greatest thing I learned there: I can trust God! Every time I had given something to God, I would end up taking it back: music, movies, TV, friends, you name it; I couldn’t seem to let anything go for good. I realized the reality was I didn’t believe God. I didn’t believe He was greater than all these worldly things or that He could make my life fun without them. But God proved to me that I could trust Him with everything in my life, and the end result would be greater then anything I could possibly have imagined.

Do I still make wrong choices and go back to old things? Yes. But my whole outlook has changed! I am learning things from the Bible I never knew, and my walk with God is better than it has ever been before. Going on the Journey was the first stepping stone to a whole new life, a life that was not ruled by my earthly desires, but by the Lord’s guidance and direction.

~ Paul
November 2007 Journey

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    This entry was posted on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 11:51 pm and is filed under The Journey Continued. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.