At the end of every year, I commit myself to a time of prayer to discern a word from the Lord to focus on in the coming year. I find that word can sustain and act as a guiding light for me as an individual, Kim and I as a couple, and even for OneHope.
Last year, my word was accelerate. As a visionary, I was looking forward to another energizing word like that. Instead, the Lord surprised me as He began to impress the word remember on my heart. Soon, I began to notice the word everywhere – in meetings, devotions, emails, conversations. At first, remember seemed out of place, especially considering the season we’re in at OneHope. Right now the ministry is experiencing a season of amazing change, innovation, and growth. However, God confirmed this word through Scripture, one of the verses being Psalm 77:11: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” (NIV)
God knows in the midst of incredible opportunities, there’s a tendency for people to forget who they are and what’s important. For any organization, there is always the danger of mission drift, forgetting the values, mission, or vision that God has set before you. We see the tragedy mission drift can cause in any structure, especially within the Church. It seems more and more that I’m being called to advise and counsel a church that has fallen apart due to conflict, pride, or a failure in the leadership. For the most part, these troubles have roots in them losing their way as an institution, as a ministry, as an individual. What it comes down to is they have forgotten their mission, God’s mission.
Now it feels like on an hourly basis God is asking me to remember. Just last week, one of my spiritual fathers, George O. Wood went to be with the Lord. I remember how nearly 40 years ago he was my pastor, and how God used this incredible mentor to prophecy over me when I was considering moving away from full-time ministry. Upon my reflection today, the prophecy he prayed over me is still unfolding.
I remember words of the Lord that have helped me stay on God’s righteous path, words that reminded me of what God requires of us as His people. I remember the day my dad called me weeping and told me of the vision he had. He saw children and youth lost, the enemy using weapons against the next generation. I remember how that phone call changed his life’s direction and mine. God told Dad to take His Word to children through leaders, and the Lord made a way, leading to the foundation of OneHope. Remembering these stories never gets old to me, because they are newer in my heart today than they’ve ever been. These stories are the mile markers of God’s faithfulness. As OneHope expands and we become more specialized in what we do, these are the stories that allow us to remember and never lose perspective.
The problem with remembering is that many times people begin to glorify the past, to make shrines of it. That’s not what God calls us to do. We’re each on a mission. He wants us to move forward, and always remember that initial dream He placed in our hearts.
Let us never forget that it is not our own strength, intelligence, or provision that brought us to where we are today, but God who carried us through and continues to do so.
In a time of great disruption, success, and change it is more imperative than ever to remember. This remembering, I’ve found, is critical for two reasons. First, which I’ve just presented is to ground us historically and missionaly, to remind us of who we are. However, the second is to remind us of who He is.
To remember is to rehearse the greatness of our God, that produces an unwavering faith for the mighty tests, challenges, and opportunities that lie before us. There will be kairos moments where God is going to ask us to risk everything and go all in. Rehearsing what God has done for you in those critical times in your history builds faith for those ‘All in Moments’. These all in moments take great faith that will produce great fruit.
Abraham was all in to go to a land where he’d never been. Isaac was all in to win Rebekah. Jacob was all in to become Israel. Joseph was all in to financially prepare Egypt to save his people. Moses was all in at the Red Sea, but not at the Jordan. Joshua and Caleb were all in for the Promised land. His people were all in at Gilgal, Bethel, Jordan and Jericho. David was all in at Ziklag. Danial was all in at Babylon. Ezra and Nehemiah were all in at Jerusalem. Jesus was all in at the cross.
REMEMBER the stories of triumph always have the All In Moments. It’s where faith and victory are born.
Friends, I encourage you to take time to remember. How did the Lord bring you to where you are today?
4 thoughts on “Remember”
hallow pastor ,how are you today? about two weeks i have i have been so sick, however iam getting well. pastor do always pray for me?
Thank you Rob for reminding me again to remember the miraculous work of God’s Amazing Grace to save me and in turn to save my siblings, parents, many friends, and now many children and youths. The Lord has done great things for us. Your message strengthen me to remember God’s great power in my life and others, and move forward to do His will even in the most challenging situation. I will always remember His presence with me. God bless you and OneHope!
Thanks be to God, Sir, for this word. It is certainly a word of the hour: “Remember.’ There is this song that says; When I remember what the Lord has done I will never go back any more. Indeed, when we remember what the Lord has seen us through, our faith is strengthen to face any immediate challenge confronting us with courage and assurance of victory. David said to King Saul: ‘The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.’ And God did! I heard Jim Rohn of blessed memory say that we should not make our past experience, especially failure, a club house but rather a classroom. In other words, we should draw lessons from our past experience to make better decisions for the future. Again, the phrase ” all in moments” is vital and crucial, I believe. Why? Because the Lord has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5). We must dare to believe and act without fear nor particularly. He is able to package our mistakes, failures, weakness, and all our shortcomings and turn it good (Roman 8:28), if only we would act because of our love forHim. Glory be to God! Also, we can not do His work or assignment any how for Him and with Him. He will not tolerate lukewarmness (Revelation 3:16). He would spue us out of His mouth. The Lord help us to keep up the faith to attain all the victory to the glory of God.1 (1 John 5:4). Thanks always and Shalom, Sir!!
Happy new year Pastor, thanks for your stories of triumph moments. It has already reminded me of the heroes of faith. I have not seen any of the above mentioned men of faith in your stories of triumph moments sitting down for the prayers and fasting waiting for the miracle as a result of prayers by faith alone,neither did they achieve any victory through the roads of joy nor did they achieve it by preparing a great banquets. That’s not the case, but their personal efforts, struggling, wailing and pouring out the tears of sorrow. They were also offering their sacrifices to accompany their prayers and supplications. Let us see some of the heroes of faith”They were stoned, they were sawn in two, Were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (Hebrews 11:37)”etc. This story also is reminding us of ” Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. (Psam 126:5_6)”.
hallow pastor ,how are you today?
about two weeks i have i have been so sick, however iam getting well.
pastor do always pray for me?
Thank you Rob for reminding me again to remember the miraculous work of God’s Amazing Grace to save me and in turn to save my siblings, parents, many friends, and now many children and youths. The Lord has done great things for us. Your message strengthen me to remember God’s great power in my life and others, and move forward to do His will even in the most challenging situation. I will always remember His presence with me.
God bless you and OneHope!
Thanks be to God, Sir, for this word. It is certainly a word of the hour: “Remember.’ There is this song that says; When I remember what the Lord has done I will never go back any more. Indeed, when we remember what the Lord has seen us through, our faith is strengthen to face any immediate challenge confronting us with courage and assurance of victory. David said to King Saul: ‘The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.’ And God did!
I heard Jim Rohn of blessed memory say that we should not make our past experience, especially failure, a club house but rather a classroom. In other words, we should draw lessons from our past experience to make better decisions for the future.
Again, the phrase ” all in moments” is vital and crucial, I believe. Why? Because the Lord has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5). We must dare to believe and act without fear nor particularly. He is able to package our mistakes, failures, weakness, and all our shortcomings and turn it good (Roman 8:28), if only we would act because of our love forHim. Glory be to God!
Also, we can not do His work or assignment any how for Him and with Him. He will not tolerate lukewarmness (Revelation 3:16). He would spue us out of His mouth.
The Lord help us to keep up the faith to attain all the victory to the glory of God.1 (1 John 5:4). Thanks always and Shalom, Sir!!
Happy new year Pastor, thanks for your stories of triumph moments. It has already reminded me of the heroes of faith. I have not seen any of the above mentioned men of faith in your stories of triumph moments sitting down for the prayers and fasting waiting for the miracle as a result of prayers by faith alone,neither did they achieve any victory through the roads of joy nor did they achieve it by preparing a great banquets. That’s not the case, but their personal efforts, struggling, wailing and pouring out the tears of sorrow. They were also offering their sacrifices to accompany their prayers and supplications. Let us see some of the heroes of faith”They were stoned, they were sawn in two, Were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (Hebrews 11:37)”etc. This story also is reminding us of ” Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. (Psam 126:5_6)”.