Today's blog is more on a personal note to show you how God works so I apologize for it being longer than normal. This should encourage you to do what God tells you to do and not worry about what people may think.

In our Sunday PM service, I preached a message that I never had preached before. It was a warning of how problems can rise up in the church and how the enemy will use those on the inside to cause it to happen.

The first message of this small series dealt with those people who deal with their problems by running away from them. It happens in the world with divorce, quitting jobs, leaving home, etc... people are just accustomed to running away from the situation. That also carries over into the church. When something comes up that looks like a problem, they run! So the message was simply a warning to turn in your running shoes because if people are getting saved and God is blessing the church - you are going to be in a battle with the enemy. Satan does not like those churches that are moving forward toward God.

The Personal Note:
So I went home with a heavy pastor's heart. I was hoping and praying that people could really see that I was preaching this message as a warning and as a way to get people strapped in and ready to stand for the church no matter what comes our way.

I was concerned that some might have taken the message out of context and took it more as a personal attack or a hidden agenda. So I prayed. I was feeling confused wandering if I had made a mistake by preaching the message. So I prayed. I asked God to confirm for me that I did what I was suppose to do under His leadership.

Then I read my personal devotion today from one of my daily books that I read. Here's what it said.

Agabus...Acts 21:10 from the One Year Life Lessons from the Bible

Agabus holds the distinction of being one of the few prophets of New Testament times to have his name recorded in Scripture. We have two of his prophecies on record; He predicted a severe famine that would affect Judea, and he foretold of Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem. But Abagus' prophecies were not intended as declarations of doom. Rather, they offered knowledge that could be used to prepare the right response.

In his first instance, his prophecy stirred the church into a relief action for the believers in Judea. In the second, Paul's companions panicked while Paul rightly took the news as advance notice of God's plan for him; he declared his devotion to Christ and got ready to go. Everyone learned from that.

Should Abagus have held his tongue because of "what people might think"? Of course not! He delivered God's words because that was his God-given job. God gave him a prophecy; he had to hand it off.

Don't be timid about serving God with the gifts he's given you just because you see some natural barrier. Many people around you need your word of encouragement, act of hospitality, or whatever other gift you may have.

God works among his people through his people.