By Brad McKoy
A few days before Christmas, I was meeting with one of my mentors. I was asking his advice concerning some challenges that we as a ministry team were facing. I am not sure what kind of council I was expecting, but my heart was very encouraged by what he said.

He looked across the table at me and said, “Now is not the time to give up.  This is the year that the vision works.”  He went on to explain that what he had been hearing from people who have really been pressing into the Lord about 2007 was that this was the year that vision would be fulfilled…

I am sure that I know what some of you are thinking.  Doesn’t someone say that every year is “the year”?  Yes, I am sure that you can always find someone who will tell you that today is the day, or that this is the season for breakthrough.  But as I heard the content that flowed from the mouth of this spiritual father, my heart was quickened (a good King James word that means “made alive”) that now is no time to give up.

I will be honest with you.  In some ways, it seems like there are certain parts of the vision that we are pursuing as a mission team that are not working.  What are we going to do?  We could evaluate all that we are doing and try to do things better.  We could come up with a long list of reasons why things aren’t working and then try to figure out how to deal with these obstacles.  We could ask ourselves, “Did we miss it?  Were we even supposed to be doing…?”  We could examine issues such as timing, and follow through.  There is nothing wrong with any of these things, and in fact I am/ we are in the process of doing several of these things right now, but what we must first do is seek the Lord with confidence and faith.  We need to know his heart in the matter.

One of my favorite times of the week is what we call “Breakfast All-Stars”.  Several of us get together on Wednesday mornings at a local diner and share a meal and coffee.  There is no agenda or format other than eating together and sharing what is going on in our lives.  Sometimes we study the Word, sometimes we pray for each other, but mostly we just talk and listen to each other.  Sometimes it’s about what is happening in our families.  Sometimes is swapping semi-humorous jokes.  Often we update each other on our own journeys.  What have we learned?  Where have we struggled and/ or celebrated?  It is just real people being together without a script.  I love it.  I said all of that to say this.  Last week, one of my friends (I have this weird urge to use a British accent and call him “one of me best mates”, but since I can use an accent on-line…) was talking to me about walking through adversity.  In a strong anointing that usually comes after four cups of coffee, he exhorted (another King James word that means “encourage with an attitude”.  SYNONYMS include “challenge” and “urge”) me to do whatever I did in faith.  When he first said that, I thought “that me be the most generic exhort I have ever received.”  But then my friend, Sam, took it further.  He told me, “Whether you choose “A” or “B”, do it in faith.  Do it in confidence.”

We have been talking about the ways of royalty.  As God’s kids, we really need to walk in the confidence of knowing who we are and who our Father is.  So what does this all have to do with how we handle apparent failure?  First of all, when we walk by faith and not by sight, we are not forced to evaluate our “failure” based exclusively on external indicators.  Let me be clear that I am not saying that we ignore signs of trouble, but if we are really going to walk in the faith realm, that must come from a place of supreme confidence in the Lord.

How many of our favorite Sunday School stories deal with scenarios of minimal struggle and easy odds.  If smooth sailing where the criteria for the move of God, that would mean that we count out Daniel and his three friends.  David going up against the giant fails the easy test, as does the stories of Esther, Gideon, Joshua and almost every other story of God’s greatness.

Our ability to connect vision (the invisible possibilities shared between our hearts and God’s heart) and mission (the manifestation of the vision being carried out) must be anchored in a faith that is bigger and more sure than the circumstances that we face.  Trusting in Him is of primary importance, and can only be authentically produced through intimacy in action.  Hear the call from the heart of God.

“Come in to the secret place.  Be transformed in my presence.  From, glory to glory, as you gaze on me, I will change you.”

We learn to love and trust Him more and more as we become like Him in the intimate place.  But this is no place to stop, for there is another cry from His heart to ours.

“Go.  Re-present me to mankind and make disciples of all the nations.  Be the expression of heaven in the earth today.  Call in my bride, manifest my wisdom.  Fill the earth with my glory.”

We exercise that love and trust by carrying out what God has been imparting in us… (more to come, I promise to try to up the loose ends real soon.)