By Sis. Bala Samson
CONTENTS:
1 From Caterpillar to Butterfly
2. King David – A man after God’s own heart!
3. I am crucified with Christ!
CHAPTER ONE
From Caterpillar to Butterfly!
Romans 12:1”I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
As I was preparing for the three days ‘ABIDE IN CHRIST’ - ‘fire camp’ where I had to preach on the theme ‘SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION’, I decided to put the revelations that God gave me in writing.
In order to renew or revamp anything, we got to first clear the old stuff in order to replace it with fresh new ones. Outside changes in not enough, changes should take place thoroughly - in and out. What we feed our mind with is most important to form good thinking! Anybody listening?
Florence Nightingale, Founder of modern nursing and known as the ‘Lady with a lamp’, got saved at the age of 16; while reading a wonderful book, she experienced a spiritual new birth. A few months after that she heard God say, I HAVE CHOSED YOU TO SERVE ME.’ On February 7, 1827 she wrote in her diary, ‘God called me to serve Him’ and thereafter she set aside 7th of every month for self examination and deep prayer. This is what you call as renewing the mind! Constant self examination is a must in order to discern the evil thoughts and annihilate it completely. Setting aside a day of fasting and prayer during the week is a healthy practice that would keep you close to God. It is not enough that you throw away the bad stuff, it should be replaced with good stuff! Are you hearing me?
It should come as no surprise that law enforcement officials tell us that over 95% of convicted rapists were heavily involved in pornography. If what goes in is bad, dirty, unhealthy, then our actions would reflect them. If, on the other hand, we feed our mind with good and right things, then the output would also be clean and pure. Friend, just take a stock of the T.V shows you watch, books and magazines you read, movies you attend, song lyrics you listen to, etc., conversations with close people you move with and overall evaluate the input into your mind. Your thoughts and words would say it all!
• Paul said Romans 8: 5 ‘For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
The best illustration that I can take is from the life-cycle of the butterfly; the metamorphosis of the butterfly consists of the following stages:
• Egg
• Caterpillar
• Pupa
• Butterfly.
We all got to shed away our old habits and life just like the way the caterpillar sheds its skin in order to evolve into a stunning and astounding, beautiful butterfly! Apostle Paul said:
Ephesians 4:22 “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Did you notice the words ‘put on’ and ‘put off?’
There are many people who throw away idols and embrace Christianity. Good, but we got to further do something more as well, we got to fill our mind and life with the ‘Word of God’. Many stop with just conversion and water baptism, no wonder they do not taste the ‘abundance’ promised by Jesus.
We got to throw away bitterness and
Apostle Paul said:
Romans 13:13 “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Observe the words ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ!’
Let me explain the life cycle of the butterfly so that you understand the message clearly:
The first Stage: Egg: Butterfly eggs are usually laid on the leaves of plants and they are the size of sesame seeds.
The Second Stage: Caterpillar
When the egg finally hatches, the caterpillar emerges and their primary work is to
eat and eat and eat. When they start eating, they instantly start growing and expanding. They grow by “molting” (shedding the outgrown skin) several times while it grows.
While meditating upon this caterpillar, God gave me many revelations. During our ‘Abide in Christ’ – fire camp meetings, we normally serve lunch after the completion of the message and that would be around 4 pm in the evening. Though they huffed and puffed over this issue; yet we stayed firm, if not people would go away for a siesta after lunch dumping the message. Anybody listening? Many Christians refuse to promote to the butterfly stage and love to hang on to the caterpillar stage, as they eat and eat and eat. Let us shed the skin of the caterpillar and get on to the next stage!
The Third Stage: Pupa
When the caterpillar is full grown and stops eating, it becomes a pupa.
Depending on the species, the pupa may be suspended under a branch, hidden in leaves or buried underground. The pupa is protected inside a coccoon of silk, it may look like nothing is going on but big changes are happening inside. Special cells that were present in the larva are now growing rapidly. They will become the legs, wings, eyes and other parts of the adult butterfly. Many of the original larva cells will provide energy for these growing adult cells. This stage can last from a few weeks, a month or even longer. Some species have a pupa stage that lasts for two years.
I am speaking to someone who is going through a long period of waiting or silence in their life; may be you are in the ‘pupa stage.’ God is working on the inside! Be still and wait for God to bring you out, we see something more as well in this stage; the pupa stays hidden. Are you there? The Bible says:
1 Peter 5:6’Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’
Stay hidden until God brings exalts you!
The fourth stage: BUTTERFLY:
Finally after the adult butterfly is fully formed, the butterfly emerges out of the pupa. When the butterfly first emerges from the pupa, both of the wings are soft and folded against its body. This is because the butterfly had to fit all its new parts inside of the pupa, slowly it starts flapping and flying. It is said that a butterfly visits a flower 400 times to gather a spoon full of honey. The gorgeous butterflies flapping their wings and sitting over the flowers for honey are a lovely sight to behold! Likewise, we should all get transformed from being ‘greedy caterpillars’ to ‘gorgeous butterflies!’ Amen.
CHAPTER TWO
Metamorphosis of a shepherd boy David to king of Israel and Judah!
1 Chronicles 28:1”Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel: the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king, the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of valor. “
I have been very fascinated by David and the way he managed to capture the heart of God; despite myriads of weaknesses in him. God calls him, ‘man after my own heart!’ Boy, this is awesome! The history of David is spread across in the two books of Samuel, as well as two books of Kings and Chronicles. We have heaps of information about David from the book of psalm penned by him. So fascinated with David, years back, I prayed, ‘Lord, scoop it all up for me into a single bowl, so I can drink of it !’ The Lord did help me! I have preached many sermons on this great man of God and today I just want to take you to the end of his life from where we will catch glimpses of this lovable character who touched the heart of the Messiah.
In the above scripture, we see king David stand in the assembly of no ordinary men: but leaders of Israel, officers, captains, officials, valiant men and mighty men of valor; they were all his own people. He had a huge regiment of officers now! God picked him up as a shepherd boy and had made him a king with a strong troop now. Is there anything impossible for the Lord? I am speaking to someone reading this message right now, if you are going through period of draught in your ministry, business or life, let this message pick you up! The Bible says, “He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory.” (1 Samuel 2:8) Hallelujah!
"In a boot camp, a recruit begins his metamorphosis into an effective soldier!" Basic Training – often called boot camp – prepares recruits for all elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. The purpose of this training isn’t to “break” recruits but to make them sturdy, steely and strong to perform their respective roles to perfection without buckling down to pressure. Every Christian needs this; without which we would be like wobbly, shaky, unsteady reeds!
David did not arrive to the present status as king without pain, God had to take him through many mountains and valleys in the interim period before David arrived to this stage! Apostle Paul said: “…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”(Romans 5:3, 4) Like gold is refined in fire, fine character is formed through severe afflictions! There was a period when David stood alone with none by his side! When David had to finally part with his friend Jonathan, that was the last straw that David could bear. He wept miserably; read this: 1 Chronicles 20:41”David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so.” Separation is necessary for consecration! Do you hear me? 1 Samuel 21: 1”Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? “ There was no man with David! When everybody else leaves you, God walks into your life! Glory to Him! If you today you stand rejected, ignored, ostracized by your own beloved family, fear not, may be God has got a greater purpose in your life!
As I look back over a decade of walk with my God, He sure has humbled me through plethora of disappointments, failures and delays; all these have not broken me but built me into a strong person today. Glory to Jesus! Friend, if we do not yield to God, He knows pretty well to handle us and bring us to shape! Beware! I aggressively pursued in releasing my ‘devotional books’ and spent considerable time at the printer’s office and had mega plans for the distribution and sales. God had different plans though. After the printing of the first set of books, which were gorgeous, we as a group went to a mega church and had our sales counter there. In the sweltering heat, we stood their anxiously but not a single soul turned to look at my colorful books. Not even a glance. I was shattered! Subsequent prints were also shelved and I sobbed at His feet, ‘Lord, did I not proceed into this project according to your Word, then why do I have to go through this humiliation?’ It took me three years to understand that He had a different channel to publish my ‘Daily Delight devotions’ and that was through the internet. Amen. Patience! Without which we would go bonkers! Today, orchestrated by God Himself, my devotions reach the ‘inbox’ of thousands of readers around the globe! A platform that came through many tears and pain! The best method is to calmly and humbly follow Him.
Isaiah 55:8" For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.”
HUMILITY:
Look at the man’s demeanor then and now! This was David’s farewell speech to the people of Israel and he was not the ruddy, handsome, valiant, smart, young man anymore; instead here we meet an old king, who had to leave his bed and come to his people to bid farewell. Age, infirmities, betrayal, death of his son and much more has mellowed him and humbled him extremely! 1 Chronicles 28:2 says, “King David rose to his feet and said, ‘Hear me, my brethren and my people..’” He addressed them as his brethren! Let me take you back to a time, when David boisterously and arrogantly commanded Joab his commander to count the army, for which Joab answered: (1 Chronicles 21 :3) ”May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?" Joab referred to the army as David’s servants and now David called them his brethren! A sure change in attitude!
Apostle Paul said: “ I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love..” (Ephesians 4: 1,2) Today, we see none of these godly traits in the church, instead we have hot arguments over who is to lead the worship or do the opening prayer, bureaucracy and jostling for power. Oh yes, I am not talking about the parliament house, I am talking about the Lord’s House! Our conscience is not pricked because we are in a delicious languor - NONE read the Bible! People have their favorite website to pick up promise words, blessing messages and they live in a dreamland of comfort. None point ‘hell’ to them. For fear that harsh preaching might potentially jeopardize the relationship with the people, many preachers pour honey into the ears of the people. That is spineless, unjust and unloving leadership!
PATIENCE:
Let me quote from the book of James here:
• James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
• 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Forbearance and patience are the virtues that we all need to develop!
After the death of king Saul, David did not hurry to usurp the throne, but as a seasoned leader, we see his patience and wisdom as he walks in the way of the Lord. David did not depend upon his acute brain or experience, but he knelt down and went to the Lord to show the way, read: 2 Samuel 2:1”And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. “ This is an awesome incident in the life of David which teaches each one of us to go to the Lord when we are at cross roads and not run to the phone. Do you hear me? Be sure of an answer from the Lord; if not are Christianity is of no value. No fun in wearing big cross around your neck! Expect God to speak with you! Are you listening? Confidently he wrote: “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:3) Christians would not be in police stations seeking for help, if they trusted their Lord for protection!
Coming back to the subject, David obeyed the voice of the Lord and stayed in Hebron and here we see the people of Judah come to David and anoint him king over Judah. Anointing follows obedience!
Verse 4 “And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.”
Patiently David waits for God’s timing to anoint him king over Israel and Judah.
WISDOM OF DAVID:
Without brashly grabbing the throne, tactfully, patiently and wisely, David handles the situation. The Bible says: (Proverbs 16:20) “He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. “ He sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead and said: “Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.” ( 2 Samuel 2:7) Wicked Abner plots subtly and makes Ishbosheth the son of Saul, king over Israel. Still David waited patiently! Such unique qualities exudes the presence of God!
(2 Samuel 2:11) “And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.” Finally, at the appointed time, “all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.“(2 Samuel 5:3, 4) A grand finale indeed!
FEAR OF GOD : Having experienced God not only as his loving Savior but he also knew Him as a ‘Consuming Fire’ and thereby strictly David instructs his son Solomon to obey the commandments of God:
Never take God’s grace and love for granted! I am speaking to someone out there! Observe the words of David closely:
• 1 Chronicles 28:8”Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.”
• And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. ;
As David commands his Solomon, we got to also ‘know our God!’ What does He expect of us? 1 John 5:3” For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”
PASSION OF DAVID FOR HIS GOD:
David exhibited his passion, affection for God with his deeds! Our faith would be dead without works! David said: 1 Chronicles 29:1”….the temple is not for man but for the LORD God…. because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver..”
I would like to wind up this article with this last point which is close to my heart than all the above:
OBEDIENCE & THEN ASSIGNMENT:
1 Chronicles 29:19” And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision. “
Observe the prayer of David, he pleaded God to give his Solomon:
• a perfect and obedient heart
• to keep His commandments
• do all the above things
• and then only build the palace.
Many of us want to build palace without fulfilling the imperatives stated by God!
CHAPTER THREE
Metamorphosis of Saul to Apostle Paul!
Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
This statement kind of brings you to a halt and makes you deeply meditate! It does for me, though. It is no longer I who live! Ah! What a profound statement! This epistle is written by Paul to the Galatians, and I want you to read the opening scripture of the first chapter of this book which opens with a bang:
“Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia.” (Galatians 1:1)
Paul, an apostle! What a transformation! Only God can do this! This title was bestowed upon Paul by Jesus Christ Himself! Finally the book of Galatians winds up with the following words of apostle Paul:
Galatians 6: 15”For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.” New Creation! Paul very categorically points out that his calling as an ‘apostle’ was divine and not self made; however, God had to take Paul through severe persecutions and trials in order to transform him to be his apostle.
Acts 9:1’Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest.’
The above scripture is the dramatic entrance of the Apostle Paul in the Bible! Well, the mere mention of his name is enough to draw gasps of admiration, stirs your passion for God and shoves you to go the extra mile for God, the book of Acts is filled with thrilling episodes of this great man of God. He is a powerful character like lightning trapped in a bottle! He is introduced as a rebellious, proud, aggressive, snobbish, murderous, fanatic man; however, God intervened in the life of this man and transformed him wonderfully.
While reading about the famous ghazal singer Jagjit Singh who had passed away recently in India, one particular statement of his, mentioned by his friend touched me; when his friend had praised him for his voice and fame, Jagjit had modestly replied: ‘every dog has his day.’ Not many can handle success, being humble at the peak of one’s career sure needs grace and character! John the Baptist at the peek of his ministry, while he had kings as audience and people were flocking to hear his word, he turned around to the crowd and told them: Acts 13: 25 'Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.' John said: ‘who do you think I am’ and went about decreasing himself; but today’s generation use it differently, though. A highly qualified, well-paid Chief Executive of a company flexed his muscles and told his wife, ‘who do you think I am?’ This attitude is the cause of the downfall of many marriages and relationships. We see many marriages breaking due to colossal ego hassles; the more the salary, the more the pride……..this is a dangerous trend like the tsunami wave threatening the society. Beware! The Bible says:
Proverbs 21:4 ‘A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.’
Proverbs 21:24 ’A proud and haughty man --- "Scoffer" is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.’
Paul was near Damascus, almost at his journey's end, ready to enter the city, the chief city of Syria, when he had a powerful encounter with the ‘LIGHT.’ Paul had an encounter with the ‘Light’ Jesus Christ, before he could confront the dark forces! Let me put this in Paul’s own words to King Agrippa: Acts 26:13 “at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.” The light shone around him, there was no escape and it was so bright that he could not see. Such experiences don’t fade away! God opened the eyes of prophet Ezekeil to see visions of heaven before he could go on a mission of prophesying to a rebellious nation. Before mission we need vision!
Read Ezekiel 1: 28”Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.”
Apostle Paul said: I die daily!
1 Corinthians 15:31 ‘I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.’
Having rocked the world for Jesus and preached the Word for 70 years victoriously, when Rev.Billy Graham was interviewed on his 92nd birthday and asked about George W Bush comments in his recent new book that Rev. Graham had helped him change his life, Graham humbly replied: ‘I tried to answer all his questions as best I could, I’m grateful that the Lord worked.’ And to a question about the profound impact he had on the people, he replied, ‘I have not been carrying anointing in my briefcase, it was the work of the Holy Spirit and the hard work of the whole team.’
Apostle Paul said, ‘ I have been crucified,’ can we say that today? He also mentions, “I die daily.” When I talk about this, I remember the statement of Christ that should revolutionize one’s life: “Carry the cross and come behind me daily.” Let me tell you something, if the Words of Christ found in mount sermon does not hit us like missiles then it just means one thing - it has not touched us. The mount sermon should instill fear and terror in our hearts! It did for me, though. The words of Jesus, ‘I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart’, should permeate deep into our heart. As the Word goes deep into the roots of our life, then fruits of the Holy Spirit shows up on the outside. After reading His Word, how could one continue to watch secular movies and many other programs on TV that is nothing but subtle porn stuff? Can we say like David in Psalm 119:104”Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.”
How can we be crucified? This can be achieved only through a painful process of failure, disappointments, betrayals, criticism and excruciating pain. Apostle Paul talks about this in: Acts 20:19 ‘serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials.’
Romans 5: 3,4’…..we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.’
Top cover of a music album titled ‘Crucified with Jesus’, would have the giant size picture of the singer/composer and a tiny cross in the bottom; nothing on the inside – the songs nor the music – or the outside would have any relevance to the title of the album: Crucified with Jesus! Christian world today is puffed up with pride, self ambition and greed. Be it Christian ministry or church, we see this attitude everywhere. There are few others who choose to stay hidden and never expose themselves; but wait a minute, the very fact of staying behind the scene becomes a point of pride. Have you watched people with the badge, ‘look how humble I am?’ Paul says: Colossians 2:18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility..’ A burning passion to be like Jesus should be the true goal of every Christian!
All desires, self-gratification, selfish-ambitions, would just wither away like petals as Christ begins to possess and seize you. When His presence and love spreads all over your life, then you no longer live but Jesus Christ starts taking control of you! I’m excited as I write this!
A certain man….
Acts 25:4’When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying: "There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix..’
Before coming to be known as ‘someone great’, we need to go through the stage of being called ‘a certain man’ – a stage of obscurity and insecurity! Here, Festus the Governor does not even mention the name of Paul, but refers to him as ‘a certain man’ and a ‘prisoner.’ God had an uncanny way of making me read this passage at a time when I felt down and depleted. The above scripture brought resurrection in my life, it would empower you too! Waves and caves don’t affect people who are deeply carved in the palm of His Hand!
Some people in ministry are very particular about being referred as ‘pastor’, ‘Rev’, ‘Doctor’ and ‘bishop’; instead of being an aroma for Christ, we find the aroma of peacock among the Christian circle. Pride! There is also an intense desire, especially among the young people, to be in some way connected with the service of the Lord, which is good; nevertheless, please note, it is no cake-walk, we do not have a straight route and a blue print of where God wants to takes us; it is a faith-walk with God. Are you ready to go where He wants you to go? Paul remained ‘a certain man’ and ‘a prisoner’ before he came to be known as ‘Apostle Paul’; but today people work for their own hallows with a shallow and hollow vision. Seriously, there is a severe dearth of crucified people in the ministry!
Paul was thrown into the prison and abandoned for many days before he finally saw some movements in his life. Well, it was here in the prison, in the furnace of affliction and abandonment that he wrote some of his wonderful epistles drenched with his tears, that has found place in the Bible and has been a blessing for scores of people for several decades around the globe. From the Roman prison, he wrote four letters that has found place in the New Testament of the Bible, they are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. The one to the Philippians became a message of joy, the word joy occurs 16 times in its various forms in the letter. Writer Sir Walter Scott penned some of his haunting verses in a beautiful hilly place in Scotland and it was told that his horses were so used to stopping at one particular spot, that during his funeral procession, they automatically halted there! But men of God don’t need beautiful hills and flowers, their inspiration is GOD and none others! Amen. Some of my best articles have been birthed from my prayer room in the midst of pain and tears. Now, we are able to understand the meaning behind Paul’s statement, ‘I die daily!’ Friend, without death there is no resurrection!
After one year of relocating to Hyderabad, we were instructed by the Lord to move our residence to another area; much around that time, our bank balance came to ZERO. It was a scary period in a new city, where we were yet to start our ministry; we had none to offer even a cup of coffee. The devil did not fail to attack our faith and giggle at our situation. The landlord asked for a specific date for shifting the place; what do we answer? The situation did not reverse immediately, neither did we find a house to stay instantly; it was a long, long wait and we had seen around 100 houses before we finally got the finances and the right place. God is never in a hurry!
Rev Billy Graham said: “Living for Christ, walking in His way, will not be an easy path. The way of the cross is not an easy one, but He never said it would be easy. “
