EMPOWERING LIVES WITH PURPOSE:
When we face big jobs or important responsibilities, we all want to be successful. I know that was a huge concern of mine personally while planning our first, large sold-out event for WWL called The Soul Healing Summit!
God called us all to faithfulness in completing this task and we set out to do so.
Our best way of accomplishing a task is going directly to God. He wants the very best for our lives. We need to ask Him for His guidance.
Many of you know my “sea turtle” story.
In short, it’s a story of faith. During the planning stages of the Summit, my faith in “pulling it off” was lacking some. It was a monster to me. I prayed daily asking God for help and direction.
One day while out on the boat with my husband Ken, I needed a confirmation from God that this event was going to happen and happen with success! In Jesus’ name I declared it and needed to solidify it!
We ventured out and I prayed for a sign that day from God. I had never done this before.
What would the sign be that I needed? Something that would allow me to know beyond a doubt it was God speaking.
Never seeing a live sea turtle in my life, I knew this request would be almost next to impossible to happen! We set out that day for an all-day excursion. I prayed for something outrageous so I would know 100% that it would be a “God thing” if it happened. It would be my personal confirmation from God that all would be well.
Understand, I had never seen a live sea turtle before in the wild, ever! They are extremely difficult to find or see in nature! We began our day on the boat and I prayed over our Summit event continuously that day. I prayed like I had on other days and with strong intensity but this time asking God for my “sign”.
This would be a sign, directly from Him out on the water on our day of rest, letting me know I need not fret. Would God actually allow me to see a “sea turtle?”
I asked Him for this crazy request early on that morning before setting out on the water…
All-day long on that boat, I prayed and wondered if God heard me.
I sought out God alone, I did not tell Kenny of my request to God. I kept it personal for whatever reasons. Maybe my lack of faith that I’d really see one, or maybe so as not to hear anything negative from him and squelch my own belief…I don’t know why, but I kept it between me and God.
Kenny and I both listened to scripture together like we often do, that day while out on the water. We listened to worship as well and I did it all while internally continuing to pray alone for my sea turtle to show up.
From early morning to mid-afternoon, no turtle anywhere in that ocean. I didn’t give up praying and asking for my sign from Heaven; knowing God would see the Summit to completion for me and with a promise, through the times my faith may have staggered. I wanted to see that turtle soooo badly.
The day came to a close, we were headed in shore….
Out of nowhere, if we could have a boat crash, it was then. Ken screamed and swerved on the ocean as if in a car on land with no one in sight or nothing around us!
Out of nowhere emerged the largest sea turtle you could ever imagine- a Goliath turtle, which came from the depths of the sea.
It swam right beside our boat in the crystal clear water. Quick enough for me to scream my head off and jump out of my seat to look at him, he swam right alongside the boat for just a moment- not even seconds, but I saw his large eyes as he glanced up at me- almost sweeping the side of our boat.
Goosebumps galore, I knew it was God. Within seconds, he was gone! Never to be seen again.
It was God’s sign and promise to me. That day I will NEVER forget, ever… it was a reminder the Soul Healing Summit was in God’s control, His hands until He saw it to completion. I just had to do the work He called me to!
God cares about your responsibilities. He wants to see you do well, to succeed. He wants our faithfulness.
Don’t be afraid to ask for success. Always keep in mind, however, that He may define success very differently than you do.
The Summit was God’s success story. We lost our first venue to hold it at Life church, but God provided a better one at Keiser University! The list goes on through that faith walk of planning the rest of the Summit with Him… God shows His faithfulness to us! Ask Him to show you. Are you doing the work? Why then wouldn’t He be faithful?
Walk so close to God, that you’re able to put aside what you might want for yourself in order to succeed at what God wants for you.
I’m crying as I write this. I urge you, include God in ALL your plans.
Proverbs 16:3
Submit your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
God is faithful to His Word. Are we faithful to the obedience of it?