#NoRigidity!

Like I mentioned before, I am one person who likes planning everything in advance, and knowing ahead of time, what will happen. But then again like I mentioned in my blog ‘God’s got jokes’, God always has a way of disrupting my order, and I still make plans J

In June 2011 I was invited to preach in the English service at the ACK St Peter's Ndumberi Church. I had been informed months in advance, and had been given the sermon topic. The day came and I was adequately prepared. I preached in the English service and was done. After the final prayers in the vestry, I was on my way. When I’d reached the gate, the Vicar asked someone to call me back. I was then asked to preach in the Kikuyu service. I went like “Whuat??????” please note that my Kikuyu (mother tongue) is pathetic. In my head I thought “No way am I going to embarrass myself!” but God nudged me to go ahead, and trust Him - you should have heard the battle I had in my mind. As I walked into church in the procession behind the Choir, I wished the ground would just open and swallow me up. I kept asking God “how could you do this to me?” I even contemplated turning back and running out of church, but the Vicar was in the procession behind me. The Anglican church of Kenya has a systematic way in how they carry out their service, that by the time it was time to call me up, I’d already forgotten about my anxieties. This particular church has two pulpit stands. One that’s high up that you have to go up a flight of steps towering over everyone, and a lower one. I’d preached using the lower one during the first service, but the Vicar ushered me to the high one as the congregation sung the hymn that signified ‘sermon time’. The church was full to capacity (about 600pax or more-according to my dad) and other people were seated outside. I thought I was going to faint!  I’m not sure one is supposed to eat or drink anything in that church apart from communion, but I opened my water bottle and had a gulp of water - I felt like I’d hyperventilate. After the hymn, the congregation remained standing, staring at me. I said a prayer in Swahili and asked them to sit. (Please note I was going to do a direct translation from my English notes in my book). I then requested them to allow me to preach in Swahili, as my Kikuyu wasn’t that good. BUT GOD wouldn’t have it any other way other than His way. The moment I began, I flowed in Kikuyu that it surprised me the ease in which I could translate without hesitation, apart from one or two words that I said in English. God spoke through me and made an impact to the people, in a way I wouldn’t have, with my well polished and prepared sermon on my own.  I still can’t speak proper Kikuyu, but that day, God reminded me that nothing was impossible with Him. God also reminded me that it was all about Him and never about me, and I was humbled at how He had used me.

In August 2012, God did it again, but in a different set up. I was invited to preach at a youth convention in Nakuru. The youth from different churches had come together and I'd been asked to share about the Holy Spirit, so I had prepared all I needed for that topic. I'd also been informed that someone would interpret in Swahili as I preached. During the praise and worship session, I heard God tell me not to preach on the Holy Spirit, but on Purpose, since it was the message they needed. At first I panicked since I didn't have any material on that topic. As I continued praying, God asked me to trust Him. I then informed the person who'd invited me, on the change of topic and he told me to just flow with God. Just before I went up on the podium, the presiding pastor asked me how long I thought I'd take. I told her about 15-20mins since I was certain I'd run out of things to say. I walked up the podium with my notebook (even though I had no notes. Just so I'd look prepared) and opened a blank page and placed it on the pulpit stand. I said a prayer before beginning, and asked God to take over (although I was shaking in my bones, not sure I had anything to say). The hall was quiet, and all eyes were on me. I could hear my heart beating in my throat, I thought I’d choke. Once I begun, the sermon flowed out eloquently as my colleague interpreted. I kept glancing at my blank pages and God would just give me words to say, backing it up with relevant scripture-I even had my finger on one line in my book. I could read in the Spirit, what was physically not there. At one point my colleague couldn't interpret a word, and he looked down on my book to see whether if he read the sentence he'd figure out a way to interpret but to his surprise, there was nothing. I remember him putting his microphone aside and whispering 'where are you reading from?' I put my mic aside and whispered back 'Nowhere, just flow with God'. I ended up preaching for 50mins (which I learnt later from one of my other colleagues I'd gone to Nakuru with). After the sermon my colleagues and I gave a call for specific issues that God told us to address, and people came out for prayer. We saw people get healed from chronic diseases, people get delivered, we gave specific prophetic words to different people; I mean it was amazing and overwhelming what God did in that place. And I was just humbled later when people walked up to me and said that the sermon had been a precise rhema word for them. They didn’t want us to leave, and by the time we were done it was 7:30pm and we were to head back to Nairobi.

This is just a small portion of the many times God has sneaked up on me. And why am I sharing all this? Am saying all this to say that, God has infinite ways of establishing His Kingdom on earth, and to accomplish your God-given purpose, you’ve got to be flexible - be like a glove in God’s hand. Once you allow yourself to bend in the hands of the potter, awesome things always happen, and you get to experience God on a higher level. Many people are stuck in one way of doing things that they miss out on the phenomenal thing that God is doing in that moment. When you remain too rigid to change, God will use someone else who’s willing to be flexible and obedient. Funny how we ask God to do a new thing through us, but expect Him to do it in the same old way.

Eric B Johnson in his sermon ‘Recognizing the anointing’ says “We need to learn to partner with God even when it doesn’t make sense. Learn to recognize what God is doing now and move with the flow-pour yourself in it. Sometimes we miss out because the move is unfamiliar with regards to what we’re used to. If you’re pursuing God’s kingdom, be ready to see unnatural moves”

In John 14:12 Jesus says that anyone who believes in him will do greater work than He did when He was on earth. Remaining in an intimate relationship with God is the key to knowing what the heart and mind of God is. And allowing yourself to be flexible is the key to experiencing God in newer and higher dimensions - the key to growth (the key to the greater works that He spoke of). Don’t be rigid, Loosen up!