Joshua 1:5b “I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

The PLUS ministry has been an interesting journey of faith for me.  Probably like most ministries, it is difficult to tell if it is making a difference and impossible to determine if the time invested is paying proportional dividends.  Yet, in ministry we are not responsible for the results, just for the faithfulness.  The input is ours, and the output is Gods.  Fortunately, the outcome is left up to a God who will not fail us nor forsake us.

You may be wondering if your daily, faithful and fervent prayers for our country are making a difference.  I cannot give you an honest answer other than ‘I don’t know.’  Yet, I can tell you that God is far more interested in a humble believer who turns over the results of faithfulness to Him than He is in proud self-sufficiency.  I can also tell you stories of the power of encouragement that have impacted me in the last ten days:

  • My Pastor’s daughter shared with me a story of her distant friend who was encouraging others to PLUS
  • I received a book in the mail from a friend who thought it would provide material to use in a future PLUS post
  • I received an email from another friend who had just spent some time in prayer for our country
  • I ran into a strong Christian influence from my past who fully supported the concepts of PLUS that I shared with him on that day
  • I spent some time with a Pastor from a past assignment who had been challenged by PLUS posts
  • I received a phone call from a friend from another past assignment who had used PLUS posts as part of a devotional series he was teaching

These stories, and many others from the last six months, have encouraged me greatly in exactly the right way and at exactly the right time.   They have also demonstrated the Lord’s promise to never fail us nor forsake us.  While I don’t know where the PLUS concept will lead, I do know that I have been directed to minister in this way and so I will continue.

This journey has also helped me to better understand the challenges of potential discouragement for the pastors, missionaries, and evangelists among us.  PLEASE PRAY THAT YOU CAN PROPERLY ENCOURAGE LEADERS IN CHRIST-HONORING MINISTRIES.  Their ability to endure is vital to the cause of Christ in America.  While the Lord has promised to never fail them nor forsake them, He may intend to use you to put encouragement into action.