the other side of faith

This weekend we gathered for our Leadership Retreat at The Lodge...

Early Saturday Morning we took a prayer walk around the property as a team. As we were finishing up our prayer-walk we stopped at the entrance and I gathered our team to show them this writing in a Black Sharpie, at the bottom of one of the post. The writing says this "Grace Lodge So Be It!"

This was a defining moment in my faith journey for this property and I will never forget it. Let me explain... 

The Bible says that our faith impacts our lives, our prayers, our future, and well, everything. James 1:6 reads; Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you are going to get anything from the Master that way, drift at sea, keeping all your options open.

We had prayed for the purchase of this property for almost 5 years. I had personally prayer-walked it many times believing that God wanted us to own this property. There was never a time that God ever took that desire from my heart. I just patiently waited, prayed, and believed.

There was a moment in this journey that I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to pray with greater faith, so I did. My son, Isaiah had a golf match one evening at Maxwelton, and during that night as I walked the course, God whispered in my heart to do a couple of things, concerning the purchase of this property. One of the things he whispered was go to the entrances and pray on your knees. So this is what I did...

My son, Josh and I drove over after the match and got on our hands and knees at both entrances, and took a black sharpie pen and I wrote this on the post, "so be it and Grace Lodge." Tears ran down my face as I prayed this prayer from Isaiah 22:22 and Rev. 3:7 "any door that the Lord opens can not be shut, and any door he closes no one can open!" 

I knew in my heart that the LORD had opened this door, and I would not doubt or waver in my faith. We asked the LORD to send his strongest angels to stand and guard the way. I also hung a photo, I had taken at a Fight Club graduation, in my office, with these hand-written words on it "Grace Lodge, So Be it!"

I will never forget this night with my son as it was a great faith moment for us. 

So this weekend, as we gathered together at The Lodge, I was in tears seeing the fruition of God's gift to us, and the other side of faith. 

I take James 1:6 seriously, and I never want to be the person, who because of their unbelief, loses what God longed to give.

We stood at the water's edge and prayed over the future of this property, that God would use it to reach 1000's for Jesus. I'll admit this was a very special weekend for me, as I was able to stand on the other side of faith and reap the benefits of God and faith! Thank You, Jesus its all because of you!