Archive for the 'Leadership' Category
When God Opens Surprising Doors
Each day in my time with God, I pray these words,
“Only You open doors of opportunity that no one can shut and only You shut doors no one else can open; therefore, I ask You to open doors that no one else can open nor keep shut to me so I can be maximized for You. Please shut doors of opportunity that are not Your will for my life. I stand on…
Revelation 3:7-8, “The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the Key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says: I know your works. Because you…have not denied My name, look, I have placed before you an open door that no one else is able to close.” Oh Jesus, open doors for me, my family, and my church to advance Your name and Gospel globally!”
Again, I pray this daily and deliberately, trusting God in everything.
Thursday was no different
In the early morning on Thursday, I called out to God many requests, with the one above in the flow of the others I lay before God daily. It had been an exhausting week. After an extended study and prayer time, I was getting ready to lead the Summit luncheon at our Pinnacle Hills location when I received a call. The call was from Dr. Mac Brunson, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dr. Brunson stated that Jim Cymbala from Brooklyn Tabernacle was to be their keynote speaker for Friday night, but had to cancel due to illness, and he asked if I would come to Jacksonville to preach. I thanked Mac and told him I would need to look at my schedule. If he would give me a few hours, I would let him know for sure.
As I sat in the Summit luncheon and had my assistant check flights and evaluate my schedule, I arrived with a calm confidence that God was in this. I knew He wanted me in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday night, pinch hitting for one of America’s greatest preachers, Jim Cymbala. God had opened one of those surprising doors that no one could close.
Friday, God confirmed
On Friday, I boarded a mid-morning flight, leaving single-digit temperatures in Northwest Arkansas, and found myself in Jacksonville, Florida by mid-afternoon. I had planned to think, pray, and work during the entire flight, preparing the message for Friday night. However, the seating conditions were very tight, which made it impossible to write or work on my computer. Therefore, I just prayed the entire way and asked God to speak to me.
When I arrived at the hotel, I checked into my room about 3:30 p.m., and immediately began praying, and begged God to confirm the direction I sensed He was leading. I asked the Spirit of God to speak to me His Word for the evening.
Within moments, my fingers were racing across the keys of my computer, and all through the Word of God, pages were being turned. I knew the direction, sensed His specificity and Word to me, and wrote feverishly, praying all along the way. By 6:30 p.m. I was headed to the church, participated in the worship service, heard a brother in the Lord preach, enjoyed worship, having my heart prepared to preach, and then stood to preach about 8:25 p.m. I preached on a subject I had never spoken on before. The subject was on, “Extraordinary Prayer.”
God moved greatly. We ended with 2,500-3,000 people on their knees, many on their faces before God, crying out to God for revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America, all through extraordinary prayer. God had confirmed that in my weakness, He was strong. He had confirmed His Word I prayed that morning and other mornings before, that He would open doors to advance His cause and gospel globally.
By Saturday morning at 6:15, I was departing on my flight back home, arriving around 10:00 a.m. What a whirlwind, but what a blessing! God is faithful.
I am so thankful for the Oceans of God’s grace
On Sunday morning, while listening and worshipping with my church through the song, Oceans, I was moved to gratitude for that door opening. Why? The lyrics of the bridge of the song, Oceans, says,
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters,
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior1
Today, pray for the open doors in your life
Pray for the open doors in your life. Ask God to help you go beyond where you are comfortable in your life. He will be faithful to protect you. And if you ever need encouragement along the way, listen to this song sung by Bethany Whitfield in our worship service yesterday at our Springdale Campus. Focus on the lyrics and watch the graphics, letting God speak to your life today.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
1 Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Matt Crocker, Joel Houston, Salomon Lighthelm
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
What I Sense from Pastors Today
As many of you know, several of my colleagues and I have recently called and conducted two national prayer meetings for pastors. Together, we have issued the call and prayed with hundreds of pastors.
Each of these prayer gatherings have resulted in pastors leaving their churches, boarding a plane, and giving two days for the purpose of prayer. You could easily offer pastors a great Bible teacher or a controversy to talk through, and response would be great. However, this has not been the call of these prayer gatherings.
We have extended the call for pastors from across America to gather together for the purpose of praying for revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America. These times have consisted of personal evaluation and repentance, personal restitution, praying together for each other, for churches, for our nation and its leaders, and for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. By the hundreds, pastors have come from all over these United States.
Why have pastors come to pray? I want to note a few things I sense from pastors today.
1. Pastors are burdened for a great move of God. Without exception, I have sensed these men are burdened for God to do something great in their lives, ministries, and our nation. This burden is real, something they cannot just get rid of or act as though it does not exist.
2. Pastors are aware they are limited and their church is in need. Pastors are increasingly aware that we are in need in our great land, and we cannot get this done on our own, or even together. They are aware we need God more than ever before. These pastors know even though their church may be experiencing some special days, at our best, we are still far behind in making a major difference. We are all increasingly aware of our great need for a fresh move of God.
3. Pastors are concerned beyond words for our nation. Pastors are growing more burdened daily for the disastrous steps our nation is making away from God. They are aware that without a great spiritual awakening, our nation is heading for spiritual disaster.
4. Pastors believe the Great Commission can be fulfilled in their generation. Therefore, they are very committed to praying this through and discovering their part in seeing it completed. In this technologically fast-paced culture, this could be a reality. Every pastor I know wants to be a part of seeing this done. We believe the time is short, Jesus could come; therefore, now is the time to get the job done.
5. Pastors know we need to work together now more than ever before. This is not a time for each man and his church to be on their own; it greatly limits influence. Pastors know we need each other. We know our churches must cooperate and partner together to get the job done.
Finally…
Be encouraged.
These are great days to be a pastor.
These are great days to work together in our churches.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.