Why I left everything behind and you should too

I decided to follow God with all of my heart soul and mind at the age of 26. I had been a christian and was saved at the age of 19 when I encountered Jesus in a vision, but I wasn't sold out to God. In those seven years leading up to me giving up everything I had, there was some breakthrough, but I was still privately struggling with sin in my life and didn’t know how I could experience any real freedom. If I am honest all I really cared about was myself, and getting as much money as I could in order to feel comfortable. I was just focused on my life and didn't care about others around me. Sure I went to church, I preached every so often, but I wasn’t sold out.

This frustration got to its peak at the age of 26 . I was stuck, a business venture I tried to accomplish fell apart, and God began to speak. That there was something more than what I had been experiencing so far.

I think I always wanted something bigger for my life, and I always knew I was made for something greater than pursuing the “American Dream” but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Until one day I was watching Youtube and I heard a Man of God T.B Joshua speaking, and I actually saw the miracles and works of God happening before my eyes, and I knew at that moment that I wanted whatever that man had. 

This opened me up to finally listening to God and obeying Him. I made a decision that whatever He told me to do, going forward in my life that I would listen and do it regardless of what that would cost me.

A lot of people don't understand how you can personally hear from God, but it's really simply, we do all the time, but we just over complicate the matter. I heard God speaking to me when I read the bible, and also in my life, through other people. And sometimes it’s an inner knowing that you have to do something.

I knew He wanted me to leave my business venture that had failed and do anything He told me to do. The first thing He told me to do was to serve the poor, which I applied for a job, working with the Homeless community overnights and then moved up in several job successions in span of two years. After that God began working on my and Sofiya's heart to move to California. 

From the time of working with the homeless community and moving to another state, I had many encounters with the Lord. Things I’m sure I will speak about another day. He also was working diligently on my character as I would be placed in high stress situations, learning to pray and trust Him through it all.

When God was speaking to us to move we didn't know exactly how the move would turn out but we knew we're supposed to go to Cali. The only thing we had assurance of was that God made it clear that it was a time of preparation for the both of us. I would keep having reoccurring dreams, about a ministry God wanted us to be at. And it seemed that everyone we spoke to happen to talk about California or live in the same area that God was leading us to move too. So with faith and about 10 months of preparation we left all we had, friends, family, church and anything that felt comfortable to us. I grew up in the state of Washington so it was a big decision.

We left home, with only about $3,000 in savings, with no jobs lined up, only an airbnb we had booked for 3 weeks. Most people think thats crazy, but when you have a why backing you up, and you know God has told you to do something, it no longer depends on you to provide the finances or to see something come to pass.

I told God before we left to California "God, if we're not supposed to be here have the money dry up and send us back home" I can say with gratitude that God has provided for us, and we have been in California for almost two years.

In the two years that we have been here the Lord had me step away from preaching for a year and a half (which was hard) and worked a lot on me and Sofiya. Looking back I don’t regret one second that we moved here. I have become much closer to God then I thought I could, I’ve grown in great measures and learned many valuable lessons along the way, and I have seen first hand that God is faithful to take care of you when he tells you to do something that doesn’t always make sense.

Now, you maybe saying “couldn’t you have learned that at home”? Maybe, but what I find often in the Bible is that God always separates us from what is comfortable and familiar in order to grow us and equip us for our futures. I will bring to your remembrance Abraham, Moses and Joseph. Often when God calls you, He will separate you. I think we often forget how much the people around us effect our walk with God (good or bad), sometimes He will ask you to let go of something close to you, so that He can reward you with far better.

You see, what often holds people back from going all out for God, is fear. Many people have the wrong understandings of Jesus teachings, and they think that When God tells you to do something it always involves you suffering and being broke, or homeless. This happens because people have little revelation of what Jesus actually said when he told us to leave everything and follow His plans, lets read about the rich young ruler.

“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." Mark 10:17-27

The first thing that Jesus pointed out was that this man’s real God was His money. You see many people won’t make decisions without first knowing that they’re guaranteed of being taken care of, we often place our security on our bank accounts, connections and background. But what happens when Jesus asks of you something that might be dear to you? If we finish here, the conclusion that many people come to believe is that God just wants to take from us, and that if we’re to follow God it means to be poor and have nothing, because having anything means it’s ungodly. But let’s keep reading....

"Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” Mark 10:28-29

Peter himself came from a lucrative business catching fish, we even found in earlier Gospels that he caught so much fish that his boat was unable to handle the catch. But in this scripture it is revealed to Peter, that his decision to leave even his business to follow what God had told him to do, would lead to a much richer reward he could ever imagine. 

Let’s look at Jesus response to Peter leaving everything, and what Jesus was attempting to give the rich young ruler the opportunity to have...

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s,  who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. mark 10:29-30

Wow! Here Jesus makes it plain as day, when He call’s us to do something, no matter how absurd it maybe to our natural way of thinking, it always comes with a reward. Jesus was attempting to have the rich young ruler to not only be saved but to also receive a HUNDRED fold return in his own life time... I don't know if you know anything about stocks, but a return of investment of 100x of where you put your money is a really good deal.

This scripture helped me to have the revelation that when God tells us to obey, no matter how difficult it might be, no matter how illogical to common sense it is, He is always doing for our best interest. When God had Abraham leave his family He promised him descendants as many as the stars, and that kings would come from his lineage!

Not only that, but when Jesus calls us to Himself he always requires us to be willing to leave everything behind to follow Him, so that we would get the most exceptional reward, which is the salvation of our souls. Jesus said himself

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” Matthew 16:26

To purse this world, and the lusts that this world promises will only cause you to lose your salvation and become enemies with God. Whatever God asks of us, we have to be willing to give, regardless of the cost...

Does that mean that money and wealth are to be avoided? No, but they can never be priority. I often find in the Bible that God never allows someone to prosper, until first their entire hearts are dedicated to following Him, so that they don’t lose their salvation.

So remember, the next time that God asks you to give up something or do something that might cause friction in your life or for you to be uncomfortable, don’t hesitate! He has something much better in store than you can imagine! God bless

Dealing with Regrets and Mistakes

Is it to late for me to be blessed?

Has my life missed the mark?

Am I too far gone that I can't make it back to my purpose?

Are all these questions or concerns that sound familiar to you that you may have been wrestling with? Are you daunted with the reality of your actions, and now you feel like you can't move forward?

We all remember or reflect on moments of times in our lives where we feel like we have blown it. Regret can often come knocking at the door of our conscience, reminding us of how we have hurt others, how we would be in a different place had we made different decision, and how it’s our fault what we’re facing today. This battle happens in our minds, and we begin to retract and push others away from the crisis that we may be experiencing in our own souls. 

In this season that I and my wife have been going through, which I have called this blog post "reflections in the desert", I have had to wrestle with this very same thought. Am I going through this because God isn't pleased with me? Have I personally missed the mark and not realized it? Through all of this God has pointed me to this scripture which has been the foundation of me continuing in hope, regardless of what it may feel like.

 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

You see, we often think that God only uses our moments of success. Or he is only the God of our breakthrough, but it’s clear in the Bible that he is also the God of our shortcomings, failures, disappointments, heartache and regrets. It says in Romans 8:28, that he works ALL things together for our good. 

So what does this mean, that even though you have made mistakes you regret, even though you failed, even though you blew it, He is able to use that to turn it into our good. You maybe asking yourself, Svet how could me hurting someone else turn for my good, how could my divorce be turned around for good?

What we don’t often see is what God is doing behind the scenes. You see without that pain, you wouldn’t have wanted to change. Without that setback you would have never given up and asked God for help. Without that failure you would have never been directed into your purpose. And without your flaws you would have never known how much you’re truly loved by God.

Jesus himself asked a Pharisee a similar question about who would love God more.

"And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 

Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”' Luke 7:40-47

Isn’t this story amazing? This woman who had sinned much of her life, was able to experience the love of God that someone could have never experienced without the failures and mistakes she had experienced in her own life. The pain and regrets of her past led to her encountering the love of God which we see later in the text saved her, and left her with peace. 

So the question is this, can we rewrite our past? Can we somehow go back in time and undo them? The answer is obviously no, but God can turn what we have done wrong, into our future peace. What does that mean practically in our own lives?

That divorce you went through, was never Gods intention for you, but he wants to show you the love he has for you. That heart break, that almost ruined you, God wants to show you His love through it, that addiction that seems like it won’t leave you alone, God wants to reveal himself as the lover of your soul so that it would lead to your freedom. 

What many people don't realize and also something I've had to wrestle through, is that continuing to punish ourselves and beating ourselves up only leads to us repeating the same behaviors, and keeps us stuck, rather than moving past it. The only way we can move on, is to realize that God has forgiven us, that He loves us, and wants us to move forward in our lives. When we deliberately rehash our mistakes, we make ourselves a prisoner, to what God has already forgotten and forgiven in our lives.  

I want to leave you with this, spend sometime with God today, or even as you're going about your day, and ask the Lord, what are something's that I still am holding against myself? And then ask Him what is the truth about the situation and what does He say about it? You may be surprised at what you hear. God bless!