Life will always throw you curve balls that you are not ready to handle. How you react will determine the outcome. Many years ago, I was struggling with my walk with the Lord. I was trying so hard to do everything myself instead of letting go and letting God. My church attendance was waning along with my fire for Jesus.
I remember a church service one Sunday evening that changed my outlook, perspective, and ultimately my life. It took a lot for me to show up to the Sunday morning service that day, but I made it there and was certain I would not go to the evening service, and maybe stop going altogether. Normally, my church would have begun with praise and worship, then preaching. But that night, we watched a video of Jesse Duplantis talking about his visit to heaven. It instantly caught my attention and as I watched, not only did I feel different, but I felt like a burden had been lifted. I knew from that moment on, I couldn’t do it on my own and began to surrender to God. Things started to happen in my life for the good.
For the first time, I was walking with the Lord with a new perspective and hunger. Peace and comfort seemed to follow me everywhere I went. Favor was all around me and it was tangible. I met my wife, which at the time felt impossible, but God made it a reality because I surrendered. Serving the Lord in the church, and in my everyday life, felt like a privilege and not a requirement. I stopped trying so hard to gain grace and just received.
Oh, how things can change in an instant for the better when God is involved in our lives. He wants to guide us and help us through, but we need to let Him. Psalms 32:8 (NLT) says, “The Lord says, `I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’”
I’m not sure why the Jesse Duplantis heaven experience made that much of a difference in my life. Maybe it sparked a faith in me that I didn’t know was possible, or maybe it simplified my thought process and helped me receive the goodness of God. Whatever the reason, I surrendered more and more to the Lord, and it changed my life.
Let the Lord take care of you. Let Him guide you and let Him be God! If He did it for me, He can do it for you!
Ryan Jochims is a staff member of Lord of Hosts Church.
