Picture this:
Your contact takes you to his church, which is basically in a small strip next to a motorcycle shop/coffee shop and other various shops – each one about the size of a garage. He takes you up some stairs to the loft directly above his church. To the right are two bathrooms with showerheads over the toilets and no sink. To the left is an empty room with no beds but air conditioning, and in the loft itself, one couch and two small tables.
You live there for about three nights/two days when your contact offers you a house.
Picture this:
A beautiful one story house with a TV/DVD player, multiple couches/sitting areas, a dining room table, a sink, two beautiful bathrooms, three bedrooms, a kitchen with a huge fridge and freezer, and washing machines.
Which would you choose?
My team, Rebellious Love, desired the house. It was beautiful and we would be living in luxury for the rest of the month. Having all of those things in one location was basically unheard of on the Race. Our flesh desired the comfort of having a home to ourselves. We were all ready and planning to move in the next morning bright and early – until Hanna voiced she had gotten a bad feeling about the house. Which confirmed what I had also been feeling but hadn’t voiced, that we shouldn’t go to the house.
We discussed it as a team and acknowledged we all thought the house would be awesome. But we agreed to pray over it as a team once we got home that night. So we did.
The first thing the Lord gave me as I prayed about whether or not we should move into the other house or stay at the church was that there was something dark inside the house. Something not good, and that we shouldn’t go. I continued to pray over it, fighting between what the Lord had given me, and my fleshly desire to ignore my instincts and God, and move to the house anyways.
When we all came back together no once voiced anything at first, but finally I shared what I had gotten. JB said the Lord had said to stay at the church. Christa said she thinks she got a definite “No” from God.
Everyone agreed that our answer should and would be “No” to the house. Candace text Pastor Thomas saying we had a prayer session and that we felt we needed to stay at the church. His response was “Praise God, I also felt that but I wanted you all to be comfortable.”
The following morning he explained how both he and his wife had really bad feelings about the house as well, but they didn’t say anything because they wanted us to be happy. That they were actually arguing over it when Candace text him saying we wouldn’t be moving.
What a testament to God’s glory. We might never know what was wrong with that house but what we do know is that we are here for Pastor and his ministry. The other house was farther away and less convenient for Pastor’s ministry. Being close to his church is the most important thing, and praise God that we prayed over the decision and decided to honor that instead of satisfying our flesh.
It seems small, praying over whether or not we should move to another house, but God was at work. He showed us that we should be praying over the littlest thing because He has a plan. That the flesh might lead us to destruction, whereas obedience to God brings eternal glory. Our flesh desired that house – bad. We’re on the Race and used to not being “comfortable.” Most of the things I listed that the house had, are a blessing to have on the Race, not an expectation. So the house was really appealing. But God called us to be at the church – which is amazing in itself – WE GET AIR CONDITIONING (first time in four months). Although we don’t have three bedrooms, a TV/DVD player, a sink, a dining room table, a fridge, a washing machine, beds… we have God’s presence in where we ARE staying, and His protection from possible danger somewhere else.
