Hi there!! It’s really me, Bishop Robert. I’M BACK !!!
On Sept 1, I posted a message on my various social media channels reporting an urgent need that required my travel. I’m now able to report that I’m back from that initial trip and planning to re-commence writing my daily devotionals. So WHAT happened that took me “out of the loop” for the last thirty days or so? Read on and I’ll tell you. But first I simply MUST thank both Bishop Jarod and Abbot Chris for jumping in and covering my back! They’ve done an amazing job, and I’ve been encouraged by their wisdom and biblical insight.
So, what happened? Well, in a word – AFGHANISTAN.
Many of you know that I’m bi-vocational; working in the secular world as well as serving Christ in ministry. Sometimes those two worlds overlap and at other times they are separate and distinct. My life is like a very flexible venn diagram. For the past month, these worlds have totally overlapped.
The family office where I serve as a Managing Director had close connections with a large number of people that were in immediate danger in Afghanistan, and the Chairman and I developed a strategy to assist. It was an “out-of-the-blue” mission that required an absolute focus and entailed the risk of significant danger. It was an opportunity to live out Proverbs 16:9 in new ways:
WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS, BUT THE LORD DETERMINES OUR STEPS.
Thanks to our Bishop in Pakistan and some other behind the scenes folk, I was able to coordinate an immediate entry. I set up a base of operations in Islamabad from which I could be in contact around the clock with teams that were moving people out of danger and into safer places. The Lord determined my steps and opened several doors, I found myself being directed by Him in places and ways I never anticipated.
By His grace I was planning and supervising the execution of multiple life-saving missions, and then making certain that those saved had safe places to rest, recover and heal. Many donors who were aware of the operation gave designated gifts large and small, and the CEEC.CHURCH was able to be a conduit for these blessings. We’ve funded extractions from Afghanistan, safe houses, transportation, medical care, food and clothing, and so much more. (SHAMELESS PLUG: You can join the battle and send a designated gift via the CEEC.CHURCH website, too. 100% of the funds given go directly to the effort. For every $1800 we raise, we can save one more life.)
WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS, BUT THE LORD DETERMINES OUR STEPS
He does determine our steps. Not only where we GO, but also where we do NOT go!
On a particular morning last month I received a message asking me to travel to a specific village about five hours drive from the location I had been overnight. We had a group moving through a difficult route, and some folks on the team asked me to come and assist. As I began to make the necessary arrangements, ANOTHER couple of messages came through. These raised red flags. “Hold off! Reports of ISIS moving in [city name].” Another warned that “[city name] is NOT a safe place for an American right now. You should stay put.” As it turns out, later that day a suicide bomber denoted himself in the crowded marketplace of that city. Close to a dozen were killed, double that seriously injured. God DETERMINED MY STEPS and kept me out of danger.
WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS, BUT THE LORD DETERMINES OUR STEPS
He DOES determine our steps. Does that mean we ALWAYS are saved from every physical danger? Obviously not. But whatever He allows He does for a reason. (Even when we do not understand the reason yet.) It is the tested faith that can be trusted to endure. Faith Untested is 97% imagination.
We all face situations where we are called to TRUST GOD. This is where our faith must be applied. His wisdom, His overarching all-knowing and all-powerful ability to direct the affairs of people on this globe are beyond our comprehension. Like the five year old speaking with a calculus professor from a university, we simply don’t have the capacity to grasp an explanation, even if it were given. WE MUST TRUST, especially when we cannot comprehend.
When we understand God’s ways, faith is easy;
When we do not, faith is essential.
WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS, BUT THE LORD DETERMINES OUR STEPS
Where will God direct YOU today? Will you be listening for His still, small voice to directly impact the plans you’ve made?
Lives will be impacted by your decisions. Learn to listen for Him and His direction. Be deliberate about obedience. Trust Him.
WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS, BUT THE LORD DETERMINES OUR STEPS
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Just so you know, Bishop Jarod and Abbot Chris are STILL prepared to stand in the gap if the ongoing demands of this mission make writing a daily message impossible from time to time. But I am planning on being here. But, as we just learned, WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANS, BUT …
