So many times people try to feel or touch God in the realm of the five senses. They try to reach out to God and say, “Lord, I didn’t feel You today. Would You touch me one more time?”
But as you grow in the power and Spirit of the living God, you begin to grow beyond the realm of touch. You begin to grow beyond the realm of the five physical senses.
You begin to grow in the light of God’s Word, and even when you don’t feel God and you’re in the valley of discouragement, thinking, “God, do You know where I am?” Jesus said, “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). He’s with you every minute of your life.
I decided years ago to believe the whole Bible, quit being God’s opponent and walk in the flow of the Holy Spirit. Until then, I never realized God would take a Cajun boy from South Louisiana and call him to preach all over the world.
One time I was preaching and the anointing of God was upon me. In front of 4,000 people, the wind hit my notes and blew my page over. I didn’t notice it and read a point on another message.
It didn’t make any more sense than the man on the moon. I was talking about the love of God and all of a sudden I read, “You must sanctify yourselves.
“I said to myself, “This isn’t making any sense.” I preached the rest of a whole other sermon and never knew it. Over three hundred people got saved that night.
When I got back to the hotel I said, “God, that was trash, nothing seemed to fit.”
God reminded me of the three hundred who’d given their lives to Him that night.
I told Him, “You must have clogged their ears, because what I said didn’t make any sense. Oh no, it was terrible.”
God told me to look at my notes.
I looked at them and said, “I didn’t preach that tonight.”
He said, “The wind blew over the page, and I thought it was the funniest thing.”
I said, “God, You could have told me something.”
He replied, “Tell you what, I enjoyed it.”
So now I take paper clips with me, because I don’t want any more “Oh, no’s.”
Jude 1:21 says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.
Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.
Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”