Following His Lead
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. - (Proverbs 16:9)
When I first started out preaching, I wanted to be an evangelist more than anything else. I went to a Billy Graham Crusade and said, “Man, that is what I want to be when I grow up!” I never dreamed that I would preach in large stadiums, but I just felt that God had called me to bring the Good News to people. I didn’t feel called to be a Bible teacher; I just wanted to share the gospel.
For a couple of years, I traveled around with Christian bands and shared the gospel. And then this little Bible study opened up in Riverside, California, which no one else wanted to lead anymore. So it was passed around from various pastors, friends that I knew at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. Then they said, “Well, Greg, why don’t you do it?”
So I did. The Lord blessed that Bible study, and it started to grow. So I thought, I have to get someone to take over this Bible study, because I am called to be an evangelist. But it kept growing, and people started calling me Pastor Greg. I thought, I am not your pastor. I am 21 years old. I don’t think you really want me as your pastor.
Then I began to realize that God was calling me to be a pastor. But here was the problem. This church was in Riverside, and I lived in Orange County. I was born and raised in Orange County. I did not want to go to Riverside. That was inland. I wanted to stay at the beach. But the Lord was directing me, and so I went, and I continued to teach. The Bible study grew and grew and grew. Fast-forward a number of years, and it is a church of 15,000 people.
Sometimes God leads us in a different direction than where we want to go. But we must trust Him because He knows the way.
Copyright © 2012 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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