The Final Chapter of the Testimony | Following God's Lead

Well... today's the day we've been expecting and as usual it's right on time! Before I share what God has just done, let's recap for a moment...

Last summer we began feeling like God was calling us to Florida. We tested the waters by putting our house on the market and it sold for near asking price in 3 weeks. While preparing to move we put a contract on a home in Florida. Three days went by with no response and we assumed it was rejected. As I sat on the bedroom floor sorting through the books I wanted keep and those I was giving away, I cried out to God in genuine surrender... all I wanted was His will. I let Him know that we needed direction. If He didn't want us to go to Florida, I'd never mention it again, but we needed to hear clearly. One thing I've learned over the years is that our plans can seem amazing, but they are absolutely miserable if they aren't in line with God's will. We just wanted to be where He wanted us. As I'm asking Him to reveal His will concerning Florida, I noticed a piece of paper in a book called, Lord, I Need A Miracle. I opened the book to clean it out and I was amazed at what I saw... the page that the paper was placed in said, "YOU'RE GOING TO FLORIDA!" At that moment I knew this was God! I showed it to my husband and we both believed that we were going to get that house against all odds, and the next day the agent called and we worked out a deal. 

We didn't know what to do with the house at the time. It needed some work and we'd need new furniture. Some friend's of our daughter had sold their home and business in Iowa and they needed a temporary place to live. They signed a 6 month lease and it was exactly the amount we needed to do what was necessary for the house. 

One year has gone by and we've been living in an apartment in

Arnold, Missouri, as we've been going back and forth, decorating and preparing our Florida home. We still had no idea what God had planned. We had to let the office of the apartment complex know what our plans were by 5pm on the last day of September. Our lease would be up on October 31st, they needed a month notice... would we extend it or move out? We honestly had absolutely no idea... at 4:15 on September 30th... 45 minutes before we had to give notice, a company called my husband and described his dream job. They interviewed him on the spot, he would still need a second interview. By 4:45, not knowing if he had the job, we had total peace that we needed to tell the apartment complex we were not renewing the lease.

On October 12th, I felt I needed to give my notice at my job of 36 years... that wasn't easy! I kept hesitating throughout the day. My husband emailed me and said, "Just do it!" Finally at 1:45 I told my boss, "I'm just going to do it, I'm giving you my 3 week notice!" On my way home from work I received a message from a church member who had no idea what I was dealing with. He said that at 1:30 God told him to tell me, "JUST DO IT!" He got busy and wasn't able to give me the message at the time, but it was confirmation!

So, tonight (Thursday) I'm ministering at a women's meeting. I've been planning to share this testimony and share about following God's lead. I asked God last night to give us the fulfillment of the testimony before this meeting. Though I've been so excited about all the ways He's been leading us throughout this year and we have total peace that He's in control and working it all out... telling people that I've quit my job and moving to Florida... with no income or benefits, just may not sound too wise or encouraging to anyone else. So...God once again answered a prayer at the perfect moment!

At 9:53 this morning (Thursday) Rick was offered that dream job. Working from home, with good benefits and decent pay, and the best part is... he never even applied for it! So, as of October 30th, I'm moving to our home in Florida and as of November 20th my sweet husband will follow. They are allowing him to finish up some projects at church and continue working at Boeing while they pay him for training. I don't know about you, but God always blows my mind!!

So, I titled this THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE TESTIMONY... but the truth is, it's only the beginning. We have yet to know what God's plan is in all of this, but I do know it's always an adventure FOLLOWING HIS LEAD! 

A life of total surrender may sound like a drag to you, but it closes the doors that need to be closed and opens doors you never even dreamed could be opened! Trust Him with your life and live close enough to hear His voice...He will lead YOU into your own personal adventure!

Acts 17:26 (NLV) He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.

Isaiah 30:21 (NLT) Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

Psalm 37:4-5 (TPT) Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you.