I admit up front that doing the right thing is not always easy to do. In our humanity, we want to trust God, but waiting on Him can be so hard.
When I think of trusting God and doing the right thing, I picture my father. A few years after he planted Thomas Road Baptist Church, God laid it on his heart to launch a college that would become a major training ground for young Christians. He didn’t think this was a crazy notion. He simply launched out in faith because God had placed a calling on his heart.
Soon after, dad began to get a burden for a local mountain: Candler’s Mountain. He began taking his Bible out to that mountain, reading it aloud and praying as he traipsed through the fallen leaves, believing that God would miraculously provide that mountain.
“I Want That Mountain” became our theme song and we all believed that God would give it to us. We sang that old song together with our hearts trusting Him!
Many amazing things occurred over the next months and that mountain eventually became our home. Today, with buildings everywhere, it stands as a testament to what God can do when we faithfully do the right thing and stand on His promises.
Today, Thomas Road Worldwide, Liberty University and many other ministries are located on that beautiful mountain that we prayed for. We literally minister in the midst of a Miracle Mountain.
My father’s heart’s desire was to please God. Dad sought to live by doing things the right way for Christ, even when the path was difficult and challenging.
What is your heart’s desire today? Whatever it is, I know one thing: God wants you to achieve your desires by honoring Him in all you do — by doing things the right way.
Let’s look at a wonderful biblical character who had a deep burden. This woman went to God with utter faith that He would provide. And she went to God with a firm purpose to return to Him what He would give her. She did things the right way.
Hannah desired a child, but she could not bear one.
In I Samuel 1:10-20, we see that she went to the temple to plead with God to bless her with a child. She told God that if He would honor her request, she would dedicate her child to Him for all his days.
Her solemn prayer was honored and God gave her a son who would play a great role in LIVING LETTER allowing the Lord to call Israel into a special relationship with Himself.
That son was Samuel.
We see that the faithfulness of Samuel reflects the faithfulness of his mother. Let’s look at Five Keys to Hannah’s Life that made this prayerful mother such a great example for us:
1. Hannah’s desire corresponded to God’s desire.
2. Hannah’s prayer came from a heart of complete belief.
3. Hannah’s prayer was focused on God — not herself.
4. Hannah’s longing was that her child would serve God.
5. Hannah’s legacy of prayer carried on long after her life was over.
Hannah lived the right way. When faced with a great burden of her soul, she remained true to God and trusted Him to provide. And, as always, God did His part.
We all need to be living the right way. But I’ll warn you — when we are, Satan will put us in his crosshairs. In John 10:10, Jesus said Satan is like a “thief” whose purpose is to steal, kill and destroy those who love Christ. Satan doesn’t want us to live the right way; he wants us to fall and remain grounded, out of the battle.
But God will do His part and help you live for Him.
I recently read about a teenager named Vita Tonga, a Texas high school football player who tore up his knee in a game. After surgery, he attended a game in a wheelchair, his leg heavily bandaged. As the National Anthem was played, Vita stood with his teammates and placed his hand over his heart to show his support for his friends and this land he loves. These days, it’s all the rage to dishonor America at football games, but this boy did the right thing.
This a picture of how we need to be doing things the right way, my friends. The world has totally different standards than God does. But we must rise up and take a stand for Christ. We must awaken from our idleness and do things the right way for Christ. We must launch out in faith when God places burdens on our hearts.
Our communities need God’s people to live the right way. When we are living God’s way, our testimonies will be powerful instruments for the Gospel. If we want to see revival in America, it literally starts with you and me living the right way for Him.
Your friend in Christ,
Jonathan Falwell