The Most Annoying Message in the Kingdom

What I am about to share with you is one of the most annoying messages in the Kingdom of God.  It absolutely drives me crazy, as it does with anybody who always likes to advance.  I wouldn't even talk about it if God had not kept reminding me of Matthew 10:27 - 

"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs."

I feel like the guy behind the kid when I hear what I'm about to share.

So here it is, the message God keeps poking me with every time I start to get out of line (not in a sinful way...you'll see), including today.

Here it is:

Luke 16:10:  “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones." 

I am a faithful person, including in the little things.  I always do my best to pay attention to detail and I believe in high quality.  My problem is the whole maintaining that diligence for long periods of time.  I like to work hard for a while and then move on to bigger and better things.  Unfortunately, most of the time God forces me to continue waiting in order to prevent some kind of Ishmael birth.

For example, my wife can testify to the fact that I have talked incessantly, to the point of her mostly probably tuning me out now, about going out and starting a YWAM base somewhere.  That has been my heart and vision for so many years now I can't really remember when it originated.  But if you were to ask I could tell you a whole big plan of how it would go down, what the web site would be like, when the training schools would start, the kinds of ministries we would do, even what the staff manual would be like!  I have thought through every one of these little details over and over and over again.

Since the vision was first birthed in my heart, I wanted to drop everything I was doing and go NOW to start the base.  It didn't matter where or how, I just had to go do it.  But without fail, every single time I started making steps toward it, some annoying man or woman of God would say, "You need to be faithful in the little things first, and then God will let you have the big things."  I can't tell you how that makes my blood boil.  Every time I hear it, I think, "I HAVE been faithful in little things, for years!"  And yet my mental arguing doesn't seem to change God's mind one bit.

My mind's face when people tell me this.

I am a visionary by nature.  I am constantly having to be reined in by my leaders, wife, and/or God because I can't stand repetition of any kind.  I always want the new thing, and I always think the grass must surely be greener on the other side.  

You would think I would learn by now, but it's not that I am trying to keep falling into this same thing, it's just that I honestly believe the new idea I just had will be way better for everyone on the planet that what we are currently doing.  

 I have been slowly falling right back into that over the past couple of weeks.  I had this awesome idea, I really did.  If I were to tell you what it was, you would say, "That sounds awesome!"  At least I think you would.  Anyway, about two days ago I started formulating my new plan for this new awesome thing.  And this morning I was just about to launch into it full steam, until I had to go to the store for some chicken for dinner.

Yes.  It is Pete.

I walked innocently to the store, my master plan coming together in all its glory.  I buy the chicken, and am happily whistling my way home, when I see a very annoying evangelist that I know standing on the side of the road.  

He isn't the easiest guy in the world to talk to because he never let's me talk.  Wow do I not like that!  I try, and he constantly cuts me off.  It was no different this time.  

"Hello Alan!"

"Hello T-"

"So how are things going?"

"Goo-"

"Yeah, me too.  We're both keeping pretty busy aren't we?"

"Ye-"

"You know, you just gotta stay faithful in the little things.  That's what the Bible says.  Stay faithful in the little things and He'll give you the big things."

There is was.  Boy did that deflate my bubble.  It put me right back into my place, into the present, and my master plan instantly fell apart as it has over and over again.

My Mind Face

God has taught me over the past decade of well thought out plans that quickly fall apart that in the end, that following Him is far better than what I have in mind.  There are some of my master plans that He has allowed to happen, and they work out quite well.  Unfortunately this plan was not one of them.  There will be a hundred more to come of course, but that is why people like me have to constantly be seeking God.  If we don't, we birth all kinds of Ishmael's.

You remember that?  Abram and Sarai were all in a hurry to fulfill God's promises.  They got impatient like I do all the time, so instead of being patient and waiting for Him to fulfill the promise, they got Hagar involved, had the wrong baby, and caused all kinds of problems in their lives and the lives of their kids.  

So, as annoying as it is.  Let's wait on God, dump the plans He doesn't put His stamp of approval on, and keep going.  Eventually we'll get one right!    

I should note, that sometimes, like the idea of starting a base, God isn't rejecting the idea, He just wants us to wait for the right time.