{"id":4034,"date":"2011-12-12T14:27:28","date_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=4034"},"modified":"2011-12-12T23:18:49","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T23:18:49","slug":"and-the-light-broke-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/?p=4034","title":{"rendered":"And “The Light” broke through……."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Yesterday afternoon and last evening I had the pleasure of sharing with some photographers and the evening service at Morrison Hill Christian Church in Kingston, Tennessee. \u00a0The church has a photography group and we were joined by people from several other clubs for an afternoon mini-workshop. \u00a0We had a great time and then I stayed and shared in the Sunday evening service. \u00a0Things went fantastic, as they always do. \u00a0Now, let me take a moment to explain, because that sounded extremely, self congratulatory!!! \u00a0 Trust me it wasn’t. \u00a0This is the back story. \u00a0Just before I taught the workshop I went out into the lobby to pray. \u00a0Anytime I give an address, teach a class, or share with any group, anywhere, I get alone and ask God to take over and to lead through His Holy Spirit. \u00a0He always does. \u00a0Yesterday when I went into the lobby area I looked up and \u00a0saw the image above. \u00a0I knew it was God’s promise that He<\/span> – would “break through” to those assembled. \u00a0When I go out to share, I never expect that “I” will be “successful” in sharing, I expect that “His Holy Spirit will be successful.”<\/p>\n

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Let me explain. \u00a0Many, many years ago when I was a very young, very on fire, (still am!) Christian, \u00a0just filled with the spirit, I went out to share at Sunday night service in a little church up in Harlan County, where I was born and reared. \u00a0I couldn’t wait to get up and share my faith, and because I’ve always been relaxed and at ease in front of crowds, I just knew that God was going to use my talent<\/span> in a powerful way, heck I might be the next Billy Graham! \u00a0God in His wisdom taught me the most powerful lesson I might have ever learned. \u00a0Just before I was to speak, He patted me on the back and said, “good luck, I’ll let you handle this one on your own….” and left the room….. \u00a0It was a spiritual train wreck. \u00a0I could not think of anything to say, I couldn’t string any thoughts together into any kind of coherent message! \u00a0It was awful. \u00a0The people were kind, but I know they must have wondered what insane asylum this poor young man had escaped from! \u00a0I remember going out to my car and putting my head on the steering wheel and weeping profusely. \u00a0I had so wanted to do something good for God and I had blown it! \u00a0In my spirit this is what I heard my Heavenly Father say to me in a loving voice, “I’m sorry I had to do that to you, but you’ve got this service thing all wrong, I don’t want your talent, I want you to serve me through my strength, not your own. \u00a0You are nothing apart from me, if you trust me, and let me lead, good will come from everything you do in service to me. \u00a0I love you, and this was for your good….. \u00a0Trust in Me!”<\/p>\n

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God had made a very important point, very clear, it’s not me, it’s Him. \u00a0It’s not about me, It’s about Him. Why is that important? \u00a0Because if He allowed us to have great success in our own strength it wouldn’t be long before we attributed it all to ourselves, and that would eventually destroy us. \u00a0If we know it is Him, and Him alone, we will rely on Him and trust in Him. \u00a0That is the first, and most important step, in following, \u00a0after we have accepted Him.<\/p>\n

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So when I’m asked to go out and share my faith, I make a very loose plan, kind of a outline to hang my image shows on, I know I will share my testimony, but other than that I leave the vast majority of the time open for His leading. \u00a0The wonderful thing is that He has never failed to give me just the right words, at the perfect moment, to make the point, He wants to be made. \u00a0I don’t know who is there or what their needs are, or what they are going through, but He does, and he ministers to His children. \u00a0All I have to do is show up and trust Him. \u00a099.9% of the time it goes fantastic! \u00a0I can say that because I’m not bragging on myself, I’m praising His Holy Spirit, His majesty, His love and wonderfulness!!!!<\/p>\n

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My biggest responsibility after ever talk is to get in the car, bow my head praise and thank Him and then forget all the nice things people say. \u00a0When they stood up at the end of the service last night with a prolonged standing ovation, I just looked to the heavens and diverted all to where it was deserved. \u00a0I truly am just a servant. \u00a0I don’t want to ever believe again that it is me, it carries to much pressure, because if it were me I would have to do it again the next time out, and I know that’s not possible. \u00a0You see, I’ve never forgotten that little church in Harlan County!<\/p>\n

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May all the parise and honor, always go to Him,<\/p>\n

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the pilgrim<\/p>\n

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P.S. Thank you Dennis for allowing me to come and be with your great folks, they were as warm and inviting as I hoped they would be……..<\/p>\n

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    Yesterday afternoon and last evening I had the pleasure of sharing with some photographers and the evening service at Morrison Hill Christian Church in Kingston, Tennessee. \u00a0The church has a photography group and we were joined by people from several other clubs for an afternoon mini-workshop. \u00a0We had a great time and then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chronicles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4034"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4043,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034\/revisions\/4043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billfortney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}