I was in a ministers’ conference one time and one of the most respectable Pastors in the country was asked the secret to running a successful ministry. I was sure a lot of people (including myself) expected to hear rules number 1 to 10 but he shocked us with his answer: ability to hear God.
Fast-forward to when we needed property for Church because the growth has been amazing. God has been faithful to His word. Today again was an unusual service. We recorded attendance we had never recorded in Citizens of Light Church. Thank God for his word. In order to cope with this growth we needed another venue urgently. I mean very urgently.
We were so favoured again that a great man offered us two and half plots of land four our use, free of charge. He also helped secured another two and a half plots beside it for our car park. The entire five plots is just a walking distance from Shoprite Mall, Ilorin. A good location you will say. One day after praying, I felt the need to go to that land. As I got there, a scripture came to my heart;
“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3 KJV).
I knew we weren’t to go to that area anymore. I had to call him that we would not be using the land anymore and I apologized to him.
YOU SEE, WE ARE NOT LED BY OPPORTUNITIES AS GOD’S CHILDREN. WE ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD. There is a way that seems right but the end is trouble big time. One of the lessons of ministry is that you must be able to walk away from things, no matter the perceived advantage they have, especially if your conscience is troubled.
So we continued our search for a property until one day, a dear brother took me to a place in town to show me a property. The moment we got there I knew it wasn’t the place, on our way from that place he pointed to a property and said there is a land behind that particular place. So I asked him who owned the property and he told me. I instantly called some dear ones and we went to pray that God will He would grant us favour in the sight of the owner. We went and we negotiated and YES, FAVOUR STEPPED IN AND WE GOT THE PLACE. But now, it was not 5 plots; it was 12 PLOTS, DIRECTLY BY THE ROADSIDE. The lesson I have learnt is that we could have stayed in that place because it was free but we would have probably ended our ministry there. By simply listening to my inward witness, we got a new and a better place. Everyone that has been there has said it doesn’t make human sense that we got this property. No one could believe that such a large portion of land existed there. It was a ram caught in bush for us. Hallelujah!
It is easy for you to look around you and search for what other ministries are doing, the steps they are taking and the methods they are using so that you too can follow same. Forgetting that God called you and He’s obligated to instruct you on the steps to take, and the method to use. The grace for the assignment is in the place He instructed you to go, not where opportunity leads you. Every step you want to take, subject it to the leading of God. When we follow God’s leadings, they may look silly, like walking away from free property, but just trust God, you will never regret following him.
WELCOME TO FREEDOM.