Andrew Wommack's Blog, page 16

Get Your Life Back

Many of us do our best to stay healthy or to follow the doctor’s orders to get results, but how long can we maintain that effort? After years of trying to break free, have you just decided to live with your pain? We live in a fallen world where sickness and disease are commonplace, even for health-conscious individuals.

But we have a Savior who died for us—a God who still heals today! This means we can walk in divine health just as He intended!

Find out how people just like you got their lives back when they attended a past Healing Is Here Conference:

Debbie suffered from a neurological condition and vocal cord spasms, which caused voice loss. When Debbie was prayed for, she felt a warmth in her chest, then felt a release in her throat, and got her voice back. She’s
singing again!

Sue had stage 4 cancer, and doctors said she had just four years to live. She was losing weight rapidly, and her height was deteriorating. Then she came to the Healing Is Here Conference. Sue received prayer from Andrew her first year at the conference, and she held on to her miracle during the year that followed. She is now working full-time, walking, and exercising and has gained one-and-a-half inches back out of the five that she lost!

J.J. had lived with a back brace, had hip pain, and walked with a cane until the Healing Is Here Conference. When someone prayed for J.J. at the conference, he instantly felt his back pain leave. Rejoicing in his healing, J.J. shares, “It works. [Healing is] there. All we have to do is receive it!” He now lives without a cane, a brace, or pain!

And that’s not all that happened at this conference. Double vision was eliminated, knee pain cured, and even a newborn on life support started eating and breathing on his own after a long-distance prayer!

At Healing Is Here, it’s all about becoming equipped to receive your healing and to minister healing to others. Join us this year, August 14-17, for rich teachings, workshops, and hands-on training sessions. You can find out how to walk in God’s promises of health and wholeness—both physically
and emotionally.

Whether your need is big or small, you can see God’s goodness break through in your life! Come for a week of the anointed Word being spoken over you, and believe God for your miracle to take place. God has made a way for you to be free from sickness. Get your life back at the 2018 Healing Is Here Conference! The conference is free, but it fills up quickly. Register today!

Written by Mo Smith

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My Dad, My Trainer

My head was sweaty, my stomach was aching, and I was sprawled out on the couch. I could barely muster up the strength to stand up on my own.

I was sick.

Growing up, I hated being sick. I hated the feeling, the nausea, and the lack of energy. The only good part about it was my mom always taking care of me. She would fix up my favorite toast and let me sleep to my heart’s content.

But this time, my mom wasn’t around. I was home from school with my dad, who had a slightly different approach when it came to sickness.

Of course, he wanted me to feel better, but he didn’t want me getting used to caving in every time the Enemy attacked me. As a sophomore in high school, I didn’t think much about fighting the devil and standing up for God’s promises over my life. But my dad knew that this could not continue. Once I was out on my own, I would need to know how to believe God’s Word for myself. My dad was determined to teach and train me not only how to have faith but also how to stand on my own.

So, up we went, walking up and down our hallway, declaring scriptures of healing and life. As much as I did not like it at the time, I can now see how this prepared me to receive healing. (It did more for me than toast ever could!) Acting on what I believed was such a powerful lesson to learn.

On the Gospel Truth, Andrew has been teaching from his series Proverbs: Timeless Wisdom for a Life of Blessing. He shares from Proverbs 22:6,
which says,

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Commenting on this verse, Andrew says, “Boy, this is a powerful scripture, but I do need to point out that there’s a difference between training and teaching. There’s a lot of people that will teach their children what’s right and they’ll say, ‘You need to do this,’ but they actually train them in disobedience.”

How is that possible? Because those parents don’t act on what they’re teaching their children. They don’t lead by example.

After I graduated from high school in Madison, Georgia, I made the bold move to Colorado to go to Charis Bible College. I didn’t have my dad with me, but I did have his training and example. And because of all the ways he guided me in walking out my faith while I was growing up, I was able to stand on my own two feet, equipped to live a life based on faith and not
just principles.

Keep watching the Gospel Truth this month to gain more timeless wisdom for a life of blessing. It just might train you to act on your own faith too.

Written by Jessica Giaimo

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Fear Can Be . . . Good?

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Philippians 2:12b

It’s easy to see how this verse could be confusing. You might be thinking, What do you mean “with fear and trembling”? The Bible says that God is love, and there is no fear in love.

You’re right! That’s what 1 John 4:18 says, and on this basis, a lot of people will reject any notion that fear can be good. But Paul wrote the above verse in his letter to the Philippians and is known as the apostle of grace and a huge proponent of the love of God (1 Cor. 13). I don’t think that he was contradicting his other letters when he wrote this one or that he was suggesting you should pick and choose which parts of his letters to believe. Can you imagine Paul saying, “If something I wrote doesn’t agree with your theology, just rip that part out of your Bible and believe what you want”? I sure can’t.

So, what does Philippians 2:12 mean? Well, it doesn’t mean you should be afraid of God! You can have fear in your relationship with God without being afraid of Him. After doing a double take, you might ask, “How does that work?”

A lot of scriptures explain this, but what God has been speaking to me lately is from Proverbs 9:10, which says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

The word “fear” in that verse can also mean “reverence” (Strong’s Concordance). What helped me understand the fear of the Lord is understanding that it’s humility toward God. Andrew talks about the correlation between fear and humility in his book Proverbs: Timeless Wisdom for a Life of Blessing:

“Part of fearing the Lord is hating pride, hating self-promotion, hating doing our own thing. We love God and would rather live for God than live for ourselves. Most people would love to have honor. They would love to have trophies and have people acclaim all the things that are happening in their lives, but they don’t want to humble themselves. Outside of the Lord, there are people in this world who are promoted and who receive honor from others that doesn’t come through humility.” (p. 376)

Look at this verse:

“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.”

Proverbs 22:4

Riches and honor and life sound good to me. I believe this is part of what Paul was talking about in Philippians 2:12 when he used the word soteria, translated “salvation.” Salvation is everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3), and life and godliness come through walking humbly with God (Mic. 6:8).

Humility does not mean to think little of yourself. It means that you agree with what God thinks about you. Andrew says:

“True humility is not having an opinion of yourself. It means you don’t promote or debase yourself. If God says you are the meekest person on the face of the earth, then you’d say it, too, because you don’t care what people think. You aren’t trying to promote yourself nor are you trying to debase yourself. You aren’t self-centered. You aren’t focused on yourself.” (p. 297)

I believe this explains Philippians 2:12. This is how fear can be good, and it’s what I’ve been striving to walk out in my life. To walk in humility toward God, you have to see yourself the way that He sees you.

What do you think? How do you work out your salvation with fear and trembling? Please share in the comments below. And watch Andrew on the Gospel Truth broadcast, where he’s teaching from the book of Proverbs throughout the year.

Written by David Moore II

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Fear of Missing Out

 I used to be preoccupied with finding God’s will for my life. Don’t get me wrong; desiring God’s will is not a bad thing. But my heart so badly wanted everything God had for me that this obsession morphed into a fear of missing His will. Being a planner and a left-brained, analytical thinker did not help either. Andrew’s teaching How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will quickly became my favorite audio series. And as I’ve lived a little more life and have taken steps in the right direction, I’ve found everything in this teaching to be spot on.

If we really desire God’s will for our lives, we won’t miss it. How can I be so confident about this? Well, because desiring God’s perfect will is ultimately tied to wanting a close relationship with Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Right there is a promise that He will make Himself known to us if we seek Him with all our hearts. That includes making known His specific plans for us.

One way we can seek His will is through devouring the Word of God. Andrew puts it this way in his book How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will:

“I can’t over-emphasize how essential the Word of God is in discovering our spiritual identity and finding God’s will for our lives. . . . The Bible isn’t just another book; it is quick—which means alive—and powerful. It reveals things to us that we could never figure out on our own.” (p. 79)

God transforms you from the inside out when you pursue Him with all your heart. He will put His desires in your heart (Ps. 37:4), and then He will fulfill them. Romans 12:1-2 is the core Scripture passage Andrew uses in this teaching:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

When you read God’s Word, you are aligning your soul and spirit to be receptive to His voice. And when you’re receptive to His voice, you will know when you are following God’s plan for your life. You won’t have to worry about missing God.

But what about when His will for our lives isn’t coming to pass when we think it should? Those delays can sometimes cause us to think we’ve missed God. Moses fell into that trap himself and delayed God’s plan by forty years! However, it was only a delay; it didn’t change God’s will for his life and the lives of the Israelite slaves.

Andrew goes on to explain: “God’s will for your life involves His timing. You can’t just take a Word from God, make a paragraph out of it, and do whatever you want to. God’s plans can’t be sped up. You can delay God’s plan—Moses delayed it 40 years—but you can’t make it happen any quicker than it’s supposed to” (p. 117).

God has a purpose for you! And He wants you to know that purpose more than you do. Andrew’s book How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will lays out your part and God’s part in walking that out. Don’t be worried about it like I was. Just take a deep breath and dig into the Word.

You won’t miss it.

Written by Aria Fischer

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What Were You Born to Do?

Have you ever met someone and thought, You are doing exactly what you were born to do? I know I have. Then I wonder, Am I doing what I was born to do? and, How do I know for sure? 

I believe all of us ask ourselves these questions at some point in our lives. Is God’s will for us just a guessing game? Is it something we’ll happen to stumble upon accidentally? Or, is it something we can know for certain and even something we need to purposefully pursue?

In Andrew’s teaching, How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will, he proves through Scripture that God has a specific and perfect plan for each of us, He wants us to know what that plan is, and it’s up to us to find it. That sounds like God is putting a lot of pressure on us, right? Well, He’s not really.

What’s the one thing God wants from His people more than anything else? A relationship! As Andrew discusses, it’s through this relationship that we can know God’s will for our lives.

Romans 12:1-2 says to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Andrew explains, “The general will that God has for everyone is to be a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God. . . . There is a good and then an acceptable and then a perfect will of God. . . . It’s step by step by step; you have to begin. . . . The first step is that you have to become a living sacrifice. . . . You need to quit running and controlling your own life and instead turn it over to the Lord.”

It’s encouraging to know, as Andrew states, that God “wants you. He wants fellowship with you. He wants relationship with you. That’s what God’s will for your life is.” As you surrender yourself to God and diligently seek Him, He’ll begin to reveal His purpose to you.

However, once we discover His will, that’s not the end of the story; now we have to walk it out. One of the hardest parts about following God’s will is moving in His timing. Moses tried to bring God’s will to pass when he moved in his own strength and killed an Egyptian (Ex. 2:11-12 and Acts 7:24-28). Attempting to rush God’s timing actually set Moses back thirty years (Gen. 15:13 and Ex. 12:41)!

Following and fulfilling God’s will is a lifelong pursuit. Many Christians stop seeking God once they know His will, thinking they can then take matters into their own hands. But God wants us chasing after Him all the time. As we do, He’ll reveal more and more of His specific plans for our lives, and the timing will always be perfect.

Finding God’s plan for your life isn’t a secret, but you will have to search for it like the precious treasure that it is. It’s worth it because there’s no better place to be than in the center of God’s perfect will. When you walk in the truths that Andrew explains in How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will, others will then say of you, “You’re someone who’s doing exactly what you were born to do!”

Written by Renée Gray-Wilburn

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Suicide: The Preventable Disease

The celebrity suicides that have occurred during the last week have brought this issue to our attention again. In America, there has been a 30 percent rise in the rate of suicides since 1999,1 with nearly 45,000 suicides in 2016 alone.2 Suicide is now the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S.3
How tragic.

This isn’t a disease for which we have no cure. This is totally preventable, but not by teaching people how to cope better, having more drugs for treatment of mental illness, or staging more interventions by friends and family. Those are just treating the symptoms. In order to treat the problem, we have to correctly diagnose the cause.

The root problem is that our society has unleashed pure evil into our culture through promoting immorality and sin through media, schools, and government while marginalizing Christianity and its godly influence. We’ve had a major departure from the moral standards that held evil in check for hundreds of years in this nation, and now we are paying the price.

Those in power have thought they could unleash all types of ungodliness without suffering any negative consequences. That’s not how it works. The wages of sin are death (Rom. 6:23). Satan only comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The only way to stop Satan’s ultimate goal of devouring us (1 Pet. 5:8) is to resist him (James 4:7). Our society has been resisting God and His people while submitting to the devil.

I know the “politically correct” crowd will scoff and even ridicule such a diagnosis, but that is precisely why we see society unraveling. The fear of God used to be acknowledged, even in those who were not actively seeking or serving the Lord, and it restrained sin.

Proverbs 16:6 says, “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

Psalm 36:1 says, “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.”

Those who fear the Lord and are aware of a future reckoning with the Lord don’t commit suicide.

Those who decry suicide yet promote ungodliness are unknowingly the source of the problem. They have cast off all traditional morality and don’t see a connection between the ungodliness they promote and live in and the rise in suicides. A culture of sin can’t be created in one area without it affecting other areas.

We have seen rebellion against every godly standard and authority by some of the most well-known athletes, actors, politicians, and leaders. They have opened a Pandora’s box, which has released all the evil we see increasing today, including this rise in suicides.

What’s the answer? God! A return to God and a reverential fear of Him is the only solution to this problem. All other answers are only coping mechanisms. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the changed hearts it produces, and the fear or reverence it creates, even in unbelievers, is the only solution for
this crisis.

The fault for this current godless culture lies with the church. We have not been the salt and light that Jesus commanded us to be. Those who don’t speak out against the immoral issues being promoted today are allowing evil to triumph. All that has to happen for evil to triumph is for good people to
do nothing.

Paul told us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), but we must tell people the truth. It’s only the truth we know that sets us free (John 8:32). We are the salt and light of the world. If we don’t release our preserving effect, there is no hope for the world.

Many proposals and adjustments will come as a result of these recent suicides, but the only cure is for us who believe to once again become the salt and light God called us to be. Let these tragedies motivate us anew to speak out the truths of God’s Word to our families, our friends, and those we come in contact with every day.

Together we can turn this nation back to God. Certainly, we can’t do it without God, but He can’t do it without us either (Eph. 3:20). I know He is willing, and I pray that all of us are willing to take a stand for truth, against ungodliness. Let’s do it.

If you are in crisis and need prayer, call our Helpline: 719-635-1111 (Monday through Friday, 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Mountain Time). You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for help:
1-800-273-8255 (24/7).

Written by Andrew Wommack

1 https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/suicide-rates-are-30-percent-1999-cdc-says-n880926 (retrieved 6/11/2018)

2 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml (retrieved 6/11/2018)

3 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929.php (retrieved 6/11/2018)

Write History with Truth and Liberty

Believers throughout the world must be the influencers of our culture. Men and women of God have always risen above the crowds during dark times in history. David stood up to Goliath (1 Sam 17). Elijah confronted King Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-27). Deborah righteously judged Israel during a time of compromise (Judg. 4:1-5). Today, the body of Christ continues to rise up as a standard in these last days (Isa. 59:19). While others pull back, courageous people respond.

Their response is fueled by the idea that enough is enough!

We must decide that our freedoms as followers of Jesus are too precious not to protect. As one body, the church must rise up and be the standard of truth and liberty in our country and in the world. When we become complacent and disengaged, when we neglect to vote or even to be informed, we let the world dictate our nation’s future.

Andrew has arranged a very special broadcast to share why it is so important for believers to get involved in their culture, socially and politically. Hosea 4:6 tells us that God’s “people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” It is vital for Christians to become educated, to know what’s going on in our nation, and not to bury our heads in the sand.

But change is up to you. Are you satisfied with only reading about history? Or are you going to write it?

Watch the Gospel Truth broadcast June 4-8 as Andrew and his guests Lance Wallnau, author of God’s Chaos Candidate, and David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, explore the direction America is taking and how it affects the entire world. This broadcast will share truths you won’t hear in the mainstream media. Join Andrew and learn how you can take action and make a lasting impact on our nation.

To accompany the broadcast, we’re offering the Truth and Liberty Package, which contains The Battle for America CD/DVD combination album and David’s Barton’s DVD, Exceptional. With this package, you’ll learn why the upcoming U.S. elections are crucial to our future and why the world needs us to stand up for godly principles. You can order this package through our online store (see link below) or by calling the Helpline.

In addition to the June 4-8 broadcast, tune into the Truth and Liberty livecast every Monday night at www.truthandliberty.net. Here, you will also get information about upcoming elections, registering to vote, and other resources to help you influence your culture.

Together we are a powerful force in the earth, and our voices do matter. Let’s protect the truth of God’s Word and the liberties our ancestors fought for. Watch the Gospel Truth broadcast, order the Truth and Liberty Package, visit www.truthandliberty.net, and help change your world.

Written by AWM staff

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When I Grow Up

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When you were five years old, what was your answer? A doctor, a fireman, an actress? We don’t usually consider this question after our high school years. We’re mature now, and that notion is for kids. Right? But I think you should reconsider it today, right now, wherever you are.

What do you really want to be?

Surprisingly, that five-year-old’s answer could actually be what you were created for. In his teaching How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will, Andrew tells us, “Where and when you were born, the parents God gave you, your personality, and everything else about you [were] orchestrated by God for a specific purpose.”

Imagine that. Even your small hometown or your goofy laugh was handpicked by God to contribute to His purpose for you. Those seemingly insignificant desires, from wanting to save lives or hoping to sing on the radio someday, were planted in your heart all those years ago by a God who knows what
He’s doing.

Now think about where you are right now. Do you feel like you are doing exactly what God has called you to do? If you had endless possibilities, a limitless cash flow, and all the ability and open doors for you to live your dream, what would you choose to do?

Andrew explains that “God wants everyone to find and walk in the purpose He has ordained for them, yet not everyone will.” He says, “Once you realize you are the one responsible for discovering God’s will, the next step is to start seeking Him for it. He’s not hiding His will from you. But you’re going to have to do some seeking to find it.”

When I first heard this teaching by Andrew, I was so excited. I became solely focused on finding God’s path for me in a time when I had no idea how to live my dream. I finally realized I wasn’t crazy for wanting the same thing I had wanted since I was a kid. All I had to do was pursue God with all my heart (Jer. 29:12-13) and never give up.

Even when you face rejection and the road gets rough, you still have a choice to pursue God’s calling. Andrew explains that it’s more than just finding God’s will for your life; you need to seek Him and follow it to completion because the dream he gave you just might seem impossible in the natural. But you can cooperate with Him, and His continual guidance can make that dream your reality.

“God called me to do what is beyond my natural ability so that I would have to rely on Him to get it done,” Andrew says. “So, if you only look at what you’re good at to determine your purpose, you may totally miss it.” Having a relationship and constant contact with God opens up your entire world! Psalm 25:14 says, “The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them” (New International Version). He will share things with you to coach you to your destiny. He knows your potential, not just your talents. He wants to see you reach it!

You are meant for something more, and God is calling you to adventure to find, follow, and fulfill whatever that is. When you seek God and never give up, you can live your dream.

To help you in this quest, keep watching the Gospel Truth broadcast as Andrew continues to share on How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will. You may also want to consider ordering the God’s Will Package, which includes a book, three study guides, and three teaching series on CD or DVD—all on this subject. This package also includes the Destiny Stories, Volume 2 DVD. Apply what you learn, and see your life transformed!

Written by Mo Smith

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What Is Your Calling for Today?

All this talk of destiny and calling in Christian circles can leave you feeling dizzy about where you are in life. Sure, life shouldn’t be about what makes you feel good all the time. The Gospel is the Good News and not necessarily the “feel-good news.” But if you’re not careful, you can get wrapped up in doing rather than being. But being is an essential part of your destiny.

I don’t believe you’re supposed to know everything about your calling before you fulfill it. But you should have a sense of where you’re headed. Look at what Paul said in Acts 20:22-24:

And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, [23] except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. [24] But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

New King James Version

Paul was talking about his destiny. He believed he was supposed to go to Jerusalem, and that seemed to be enough for him. He didn’t worry about what would happen when he got there. In fact, Jesus gave us
similar instructions:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34, NKJV

Is it wrong to have a vision? No. Is it wrong to want to know more than the next step? No. But if your head is in the future, you could miss your destiny and calling for today!

Your present is not the enemy of your future. If you think it is, you could be focusing more on doing rather than being. To determine where your focus is, ask yourself what you’re thankful for. In Andrew’s teaching How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will, he explains the power of thanksgiving:

“If you would go back and start thanking God for your salvation and just think what could have happened if you weren’t born again . . . and you spent eternity in hell. Man, you go to thanking God for that and then you thank Him for all of the opportunities that you’ve got today. You thank Him for your health, you thank Him for your family, you thank Him for the job that you’ve got. . . . Go to thanking Him for the level of prosperity that you have, . . . and you know what, God just gets bigger and bigger and bigger in your way of understanding. And all of a sudden, your problems get littler, smaller and smaller and smaller. Your mind is like a set of binoculars. If you look through the little end and out the big end, it magnifies everything. That’s what thanksgiving does. . . . We need to go to magnifying God with thanksgiving. . . . If you do these things, you will fulfill God’s will. You fail to do this, and you will not fulfill [it]. You might start in that direction, but you’ll never cross the finish line, not as a winner, unless you learn how to be grateful and
glorify God.”

That just says it all. Being thankful for what God is doing in your life today does not mean you should forsake what He wants to do tomorrow. Instead, it will simply help you be prepared for what He wants to do in your life both now and in the future.

The Enemy will try to make what’s going on in your life today not seem very remarkable. He’ll have you worrying about things you can’t know right now. But I encourage you to look at your life with a thankful heart. Focus on tomorrow when tomorrow comes, and ask yourself, “What is my calling
for today?”

Written by David Moore II

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Ready? Set? Wait!

As the spring semester is coming to a close and many Charis Bible College students are nearing graduation, I’m reminded of something Andrew said earlier this year during a live-stream chapel: the goal of Charis is to produce ministers who will succeed. Andrew is not in the business of sending out just anyone. He knows unprepared ministers can quickly get burned-out and quit. Success in your calling requires patience, diligence, and renewal by the Word to find the next step God has in store for you.

Many in our “right now” generation tend to look for the quickest way to get what they want. We were raised watching overnight successes and taught ideas like how anyone can start a business overnight or buy a plane ticket and “just go.” But how long will that self-drive and ambition last? Can your passion and excitement really keep you going? When there isn’t time sown into building your foundation, you and what was produced through you can waste away very quickly.

We all want to succeed and build something great—to leave a legacy or impact a generation. And that’s good; it’s a desire from God! But it comes from first persevering and maturing in relationship with Him.

Proverbs 16:32 says, “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city” (New International Version).

When determining which path to take or which school to go to, the world usually tells us, “Now’s the time. Just go! Just do it!” And in Christian circles, men and women of God are often portrayed as warriors, taking on challenges without any hesitation. But wait. Doesn’t this verse say that patience is more valuable than vigor? That harnessing your emotions is better than “going crazy” for God?

Proverbs shows that taking time to seek Him will change you and mature you from the inside out and produce lasting fruit. God’s kind of success is better than any quick fix the world can offer. We can’t let our zeal get the best of us. Proverbs 19:2 warns us that “Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” (NIV).

Our culture puts all the focus on zeal and desire, producing a “get everything instantly” mentality. With declarations like “Stop wishing, and make it happen! Chase after your dreams! Don’t wait. Follow your heart!” it’s no wonder we have people running off, unprepared, overwhelmed, and confused.

You might feel ready to just go. To be the next star. Drop everything and move. And you might feel the passion overwhelming you to the point of restlessness. But remember this: There’s knowledge to be found. There’s the Word to renew you. There is communion and relationship with the Father to complete you. It doesn’t matter if it takes two months or two years; God will get you to where He’s called you. Trust in His steps. He will cultivate you as you cultivate your vision.

The book of Proverbs can provide you with so much on wisdom, knowledge, and walking with God. Get Andrew’s new teaching, Proverbs: Timeless Wisdom for a Life of Blessing, and let it help you prepare for what’s next in your journey with God.

And congratulations to all 2018 Charis graduates around the world! We’re excited for you and believing with you that the foundation you’ve established by sowing the Word into your hearts will produce success wherever your next step takes you!

Written by Mo Smith

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