Focus. and perception!!

HHH Knives

Super Moderator
Hello guys and gals, This one is from one of my favorite teachers, Jesse Duplantis. And was forwarded to me the other day..

It was a great and needed reminder.



The Speeding Sheriff
By Jesse Duplantis

Several years ago, the Lord used a speeding sheriff to teach me the importance of perception. The airline on which I flew, arrived late—really late. I was scheduled to preach, and as I looked at my watch, I could visualize the people crowding into the church.

I knew the pastor would be pacing in his office, wondering when my flight would get in. The people would be singing for at least an hour before I could get there. I imagine that the pastor would begin feeling pretty desperate, not wanting his congregation to suffer from the common worship service dilemma—too much clapping.

And I believe that is why he sent the fastest-driving member of his congregation to the airport to pick me up—the one person who could sail through traffic at record—breaking speed without fear of death or a ticket. That's right, he sent the sheriff. And man, when I tell you that this guy could drive, I mean, this guy could drive!

The first words out of his mouth were, "Reverend Duplantis, are you afraid of speed?"

"No, sir," I said.

"Well, my pastor told me to get you to the church in a hurry, and the only man who can do that is me. Pastor said they're going to sing until you get there. So hold on!"

He turned the red and blue lights on, and we began to move! The siren was screaming, and he was competing with it. Both of them were belting out a shrill "Get out of the way!" the whole ride there.

I dug my nails, what little I had, into the vinyl and watched the speedometer climb: 75 - 92 - 101 - 110 - 120 m.p.h. When he hit 130 m.p.h. I just about ripped out a handful of vinyl and foam. I kept switching my hands back and forth from the seat to the seat beats. I was grabbing just about anything that looked like it would hold and praying in tongues under my breath! He looked over at me and said, "Should I bow my head?"

I said, "No, no! You keep your eyes open—don't worry about me!"

I ain't going to lie! I had huge goosebumps of fear scratching at my pant legs!

He was flying up on cars left and right. It seemed like he'd get so close to their bumpers that we were going to crash right into them. Then he'd just swerve over into the other lane and pass them, almost knocking the side-view mirror off when he did.

I said, "Sir, sir-!" I kept thinking, This guy is going to plow into the back of these cars! Please, Lord, don't let the sheriff kill me on the way to the meeting!

The sheriff must have read my mind, because right after I thought that he tried to comfort me.

"Don't worry," he said. "I'm not going to hit this car."

"Suppose they tap their brakes?" I asked boldly.

He grinned and shook his head. "I'm looking at the person ahead of me. A good policeman will never look at the car he's chasing; he'll look ahead of it. He is already envisioning what the car ahead of that one is going to do."

I relaxed just a little. And I began to think about what he'd said. I'd just watched him pass three cars at record speed. The whole time my eyes were on bumpers and side mirrors. His eyes, as he said, were on the road ahead of us. He was looking farther out. Sure he could see the cars directly in front of us, but his attention lay beyond them. While I was staring at the present dangers, he was already envisioning what lay ahead.

The Lord spoke to me as I thought of what the sheriff had said. And thank God He did, because I sure needed some help! Through that sheriff's words, God showed me that one of the problems with believers is that we always seem to stare at the back of the "car" we're chasing. Fixed on what is going on in the present, we seldom give thought to the soon-coming future.

Now that doesn't mean we need to be in la-la land, pretending never to see what is going on around us at the time. No way! That should never happen! Just like that policeman, we should be aware of what is around us at all times. But our eyes shouldn't be so focused on what is going on right this second that we forget to look ahead to the destiny God has planned for our lives.

As a believer, you should look at the present. You should recognize it and deal with it as it comes along. But it alone shouldn't monopolize your attention. If you want to be successful in this life, if you want to be known for having an excellent spirit and you want to experience all the blessing it brings, practice giving attention to what is further down the road.

Your life is a journey. And on the road from your birth to death, God has planned a destiny for you that is as rewarding as it is fulfilling. If you will develop a spirit of excellence, the Lord will guide you towards that destiny. With excellence of spirit working in your life, you enable Him to help you live your destiny in peace and joy.

Only Jesus can help us to see what is ahead with clarity. Only Jesus can give us the perception we need in order to move towards our destiny without getting off course and losing our peace. How do we gain that perception? Through developing an excellent spirit. And how do we develop an excellent spirit? By living a life of purpose and prayer.

So you may ask, "What exactly is perception?" Well, in practical terms, it's the ability to know what is really going on in the spirit realm. People who have perception are submitted to God, and it's evident in everything they do and say. Because they are submitted to God and His Word, they can be trusted with certain spiritual attributes.

When you have spiritual perception, you will be very sensitive to God's prompting. You'll have a keen insight into the spirit realm and have clear vision when confronted with a crisis in life.

Think of it like that sheriff who was trained to see beyond the car in front of him and to anticipate the situations that would soon arise. Spiritual perception can be like that. The Holy Spirit may impress you to say something that someone else needs to hear.

He may give you a vision or a dream of things to come. He may simply give you insight to a critical situation. In any case, He shows us how to look out ahead of us and anticipate the destiny God has planned for each of our lives.


God Bless
Randy
 
Calvin, I like it too!! Jesse is one of my all time favorite TV preachers/teachers.. Hes real.. and because of that, he is so funny and fun to listen to!!
 
I'm sorry....although the message is clear, and quite right, I got all tangled up in the whole "using the sheriffs office to otherwise break the law in the name of Christ" thingy.
I'm just sayin'.
 
I agree with both sides. :) Confused?

The way I see it God speaks through events that are less than perfect, because thats is all he has to work with. Let me try to explain, when God decided to speak through Moses. Moses pleaded with God to find someone else. God knew Moses was the best person for him to use despite his short comings. God is stuck using less than perfect situations because we are less than perfect. God even spoke through Balaam's ass, so there is hope for me yet:).

I will agree that speeding for the sake of getting a pastor to a church is not something I want to endorse. God none the less could and did use it to give someone more wisdom. I for one won't sit here and tell you I have never broken the speed limit, and for far more trivial things. Two wrongs don't make a right however.

I hope that makes sense
 
Well guys, Jesse is a Story teller. And to hear him "tell" this story rather then reading it, You would not only laugh and be entertained, You would learn something, Speeding or not I never even thought about as I read the tale. To me, It was not a relevant part of the story. It was more to set the scene. and give the reader a understanding and build up to the real POINT of the message he was trying to share. "Spiritual perception" Ill leave it at that..

Glad to see some of you Dogs are reading this one. I cant say it enough Jesse is one of if not the best evangelist I have ever had the pleasure of learning from, Check out his Face Book page, or Look at a few You Tube Vids. I learn well from some teachers, and not so much from others. Jesses style and message hits me between the eyes most times. And leaves me with something positive. God Bless him and his ministry!

Randy
 
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