WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.439 Welcome back to Pomoja Podcast, a ministry of 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:06.660 life of Christ International Ministries. Pomoja 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:09.519 means together, and that's exactly what this 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:12.400 space is about, the place where stronger lives 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.919 are built. Faith is strengthened, hearts are 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:19.219 encouraged, and Christ -centered homes are shaped 00:00:19.219 --> 00:00:23.579 through ordinary conversations that become extraordinary 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:27.179 encounters with God's truth. One conversation, 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:32.679 one story. One revelation at a time. Thank you 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:36.320 for joining me for another powerful conversation. 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:42.060 During our last conversation, we stood inside 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:45.500 the house. We felt its heat. We discovered the 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:48.939 mysterious door. We looked at the sealed windows 00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:52.320 and we left with more questions than answers. 00:00:52.820 --> 00:00:56.060 Originally, I thought this conversation would 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:59.920 begin explaining those mysteries. But as I continued 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:04.480 praying, meditating, and reflecting on my father's 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:09.040 story, the Holy Spirit gently redirected my attention. 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:13.879 He brought me back, not inside the house, but 00:01:13.879 --> 00:01:17.819 outside, back into the forest. Because there 00:01:17.819 --> 00:01:20.640 was something I had overlooked for nearly 20 00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:24.579 years, something my father included in the story 00:01:24.579 --> 00:01:29.209 that I had never stopped to consider. The man 00:01:29.209 --> 00:01:31.989 didn't suddenly appear in front of the house. 00:01:32.390 --> 00:01:35.849 He walked. And the more I reflected on that simple 00:01:35.849 --> 00:01:39.769 detail, the more I realized it wasn't simply 00:01:39.769 --> 00:01:43.170 part of the story. It was part of the revelation. 00:01:44.269 --> 00:01:48.430 Sometimes the details we read too quickly are 00:01:48.430 --> 00:01:51.629 the very places where God has hidden his greatest 00:01:51.629 --> 00:01:55.129 truths. That is one of the beautiful things about 00:01:55.129 --> 00:01:58.989 walking with God. His word is living. His wisdom 00:01:58.989 --> 00:02:02.450 is living. The Holy Spirit doesn't change the 00:02:02.450 --> 00:02:06.290 truth. He deepens our understanding of it. The 00:02:06.290 --> 00:02:09.810 story hasn't changed. The revelation has grown. 00:02:10.530 --> 00:02:13.509 So before we begin talking about life inside 00:02:13.509 --> 00:02:17.449 the house, I believe we first need to understand 00:02:17.449 --> 00:02:21.689 the journey that brought the man there. Because 00:02:21.689 --> 00:02:26.469 in God's kingdom, preparation always comes. before 00:02:26.469 --> 00:02:30.509 responsibility, formation, before assignment, 00:02:31.050 --> 00:02:36.030 character, before covenant. The man was walking. 00:02:36.750 --> 00:02:39.729 He didn't know that, hidden somewhere in that 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:43.189 forest, there was a house waiting to be discovered. 00:02:43.710 --> 00:02:48.530 He simply kept walking, step after step, until 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:52.590 one day, he saw something that changed the direction 00:02:52.590 --> 00:02:56.159 of his life. I don't believe the forest is there 00:02:56.159 --> 00:03:00.080 by accident. Throughout scripture, the journey 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:02.800 often matters just as much as the destination. 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:06.599 God rarely works in a hurry. He works deeply. 00:03:07.099 --> 00:03:11.300 We often ask, Lord, when will I arrive? While 00:03:11.300 --> 00:03:14.719 God quietly asks, who are you becoming while 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:18.819 you walk? The forest is where God forms us. The 00:03:18.819 --> 00:03:21.719 forest is where pride is confronted. Character 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:25.530 is refined. Faith is tested. Patience grows. 00:03:26.110 --> 00:03:29.409 The forest is where God prepares people before 00:03:29.409 --> 00:03:35.050 He entrusts them with greater things. God's pattern 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:38.469 has never changed. Look throughout the Bible. 00:03:39.330 --> 00:03:41.710 God almost never entrusted someone with a great 00:03:41.710 --> 00:03:44.590 assignment without first taking them on a journey. 00:03:45.530 --> 00:03:48.810 Consider Noah. God asked him to build an ark 00:03:48.810 --> 00:03:52.430 before a single drop of rain had fallen. Imagine 00:03:52.430 --> 00:03:56.430 the ridicule. Imagine the questions. Imagine 00:03:56.430 --> 00:03:59.169 spending years building something the world could 00:03:59.169 --> 00:04:02.729 not understand. But Noah wasn't simply building 00:04:02.729 --> 00:04:07.849 an ark. God was building Noah. Faith often begins 00:04:07.849 --> 00:04:11.789 long before visible evidence appears. Abraham 00:04:11.789 --> 00:04:15.849 received a promise, but waited 25 years before 00:04:15.849 --> 00:04:20.290 Isaac was born. Why? Was God delaying his promise? 00:04:20.709 --> 00:04:24.040 No. God was preparing the man who would carry 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:28.399 the promise. By the time Isaac arrived, Abraham's 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:31.519 faith had been tested. His dependence on God 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:35.759 had deepened. His heart had matured. Sometimes 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.720 the greatest miracle isn't receiving God's promise. 00:04:39.259 --> 00:04:41.740 It's becoming the kind of person who can carry 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:46.839 it faithfully. Look at Joseph. At 17, God gave 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:50.699 him a dream. If dreams alone were enough, Joseph 00:04:50.699 --> 00:04:52.639 could have gone directly from the field to the 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:57.360 palace. Instead, there was a pit, slavery, false 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:01.439 accusation, prison, years of waiting, years of 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:05.160 injustice, years that seemed wasted. But heaven 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:08.240 never wastes preparation. Every season shaped 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:11.060 Joseph into the leader Egypt would one day need. 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:14.579 The palace wasn't the miracle. The man Joseph 00:05:14.579 --> 00:05:20.779 became was. Think about Moses. raised in Pharaoh's 00:05:20.779 --> 00:05:25.100 palace, educated with the wisdom of Egypt, confident 00:05:25.100 --> 00:05:28.160 in his own strength. Yet after one impulsive 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.500 decision, he spent 40 years in the wilderness. 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:36.459 40 years. That sounds like a delay to us. But 00:05:36.459 --> 00:05:40.560 to God, it was preparation. Before Moses could 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:44.279 lead God's people out of Egypt, God had to remove 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:47.970 Egypt from Moses. Sometimes God separates us 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:50.990 from what wants to find us, so he can prepare 00:05:50.990 --> 00:05:54.329 us for what he has called us to become. Then 00:05:54.329 --> 00:05:57.810 there is David. Long before he wore a crown, 00:05:58.509 --> 00:06:02.250 he cared for sheep. No audience, no applause, 00:06:02.850 --> 00:06:06.269 just faithfulness. He learned courage defending 00:06:06.269 --> 00:06:09.209 sheep from lions and bears before he ever stood 00:06:09.209 --> 00:06:12.819 before Goliath. He learned worship in lonely 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:16.139 fields before he led a nation. He learned dependence 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:19.879 in caves before he ruled from a palace. God entrusted 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:23.139 David with a kingdom, only after teaching him 00:06:23.139 --> 00:06:27.240 how to be faithful in hidden places. Joshua walked 00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:30.800 beside Moses for decades. He learned leadership 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:34.939 by serving. Elisha spent years faithfully serving 00:06:34.939 --> 00:06:39.339 Elijah before receiving a double portion. Ruth 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:42.740 wasn't searching for Boaz, she was faithfully 00:06:42.740 --> 00:06:46.920 caring for Naomi. Purpose often finds those who 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:50.839 remain faithful where God has planted them. Esther 00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:53.399 didn't know that the palace would become the 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:57.480 place where she would save a nation. God prepared 00:06:57.480 --> 00:07:01.579 her quietly before revealing her purpose publicly, 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:06.000 even our Lord Jesus Christ. spent approximately 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:10.240 30 years in quiet preparation before three years 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:14.079 of public ministry. Think about that. The Son 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:18.379 of God, 30 hidden years, three public years. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:22.439 If God chose preparation for His own Son, why 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:25.439 should we be surprised when He chooses preparation 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.019 for us? God's preparation is never punishment. 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:34.699 It is love. Marriage. Follows the same pattern. 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:38.220 Marriage is no different. Many people pray for 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:41.579 a husband. Many pray for a wife. Those are beautiful 00:07:41.579 --> 00:07:44.379 prayers. But perhaps there is an even greater 00:07:44.379 --> 00:07:49.259 prayer. Lord, prepare me. Because before God 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:53.079 gives you a husband, he shapes a man. Before 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:56.560 he entrusts you with a wife, he shapes a woman. 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.839 God is not merely preparing two people to live 00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:04.110 together. He is preparing two disciples to reflect 00:08:04.110 --> 00:08:07.850 Christ together. The wedding is not the destination. 00:08:08.209 --> 00:08:11.470 It is the beginning. A groom becomes a husband. 00:08:11.850 --> 00:08:15.470 A bride becomes a wife. Then in time, perhaps 00:08:15.470 --> 00:08:19.449 a father, perhaps a mother. Each season carries 00:08:19.449 --> 00:08:24.189 new responsibilities, new sacrifices, new opportunities 00:08:24.189 --> 00:08:28.170 to love like Christ. Marriage isn't simply something 00:08:28.170 --> 00:08:33.049 we enter. It is someone we become within. Maybe 00:08:33.049 --> 00:08:36.149 today you feel like you're still walking through 00:08:36.149 --> 00:08:39.590 the forest. You're wondering why God hasn't opened 00:08:39.590 --> 00:08:43.110 the next door. Why the promise seems delayed. 00:08:43.450 --> 00:08:46.669 Why others appear to have arrived before you. 00:08:46.929 --> 00:08:50.409 Don't despise the forest. God often does his 00:08:50.409 --> 00:08:53.679 deepest work there. The forest is not evidence 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:57.059 that God has forgotten you. It is often evidence 00:08:57.059 --> 00:09:00.279 that He is preparing you. Preparation may feel 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:04.080 slow. It may feel hidden. It may even feel lonely. 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:07.840 But when God prepares someone, nothing is wasted. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.240 Not a prayer, not a disappointment, not a delay, 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:15.720 not a tear. He is shaping you for what He already 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:21.200 knows is ahead. As I look back over my own life, 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:25.480 I no longer see delays. I see preparation. I 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:28.740 no longer see random seasons. I see the careful 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:33.100 hand of a father leading me, one step at a time, 00:09:33.419 --> 00:09:36.460 through the forest. Perhaps you're walking through 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:40.840 your own forest today. If you are, keep walking. 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:44.539 Trust him. The journey is not keeping you from 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:48.860 God's purpose. The journey is part of God's purpose. 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:54.620 And one day, You'll look back and realize that 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:59.700 every step was leading you to the house. Next 00:09:59.700 --> 00:10:02.659 time, we'll finally arrive at the front door. 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:05.960 We'll discover why the man was so deeply attracted 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.639 to that house, why he willingly chose to enter, 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:13.080 and what that decision reveals about God's design 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:17.080 for marriage and covenant. Until then, may the 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:20.179 Lord strengthen your faith, guide your steps, 00:10:20.409 --> 00:10:23.669 and remind you that his preparation is always 00:10:23.669 --> 00:10:27.269 an expression of his love. Thank you for joining 00:10:27.269 --> 00:10:31.730 me. Grace and peace. I'll see you in our next 00:10:31.730 --> 00:10:32.490 conversation.