Every New Year’s Day, Cathy and I get up and go into our dining room, which is the finest room in our home. There, among the candles and flowers, we take Holy Communion and tell the Lord, “We will sail past the landmarks that marked the past year.”
We mark every new year by committing to God for the impossible. You see, a whole new world opens up for you when you sail on past your old landmarks, when you go beyond where you’ve gone before. There’s a human trait that yearns to sail into the comfort of a known landmark. But if you only sail in known territory, you’ll never explore new depths of God’s goodness. It takes extra faith to sail right on past to unexplored territory. That’s the only way to launch into the deep.
For some of you, a known landmark is giving a certain amount per year. Every time you near that point of giving, you think, “That’s enough!” But have you ever thought of passing that landmark? Have you wanted to do something that seems impossible? You’ve got to remember that Satan isn’t a faith devil, so he isn’t going out into the deep.
If you really want to get rid of the devil, go where he can’t go. Faith is the substance that will beam you up to higher places in Christ. That means your faith has got to keep growing. You see, conviction about faith is more than guarding the deposit, it’s multiplying it. The good news is that if God started something in you, He’ll finish it! But it won’t be finished in shallow water. He’ll take you past all your known landmarks and on to where no man has ever gone.
The main reason so many Christians never launch out into the deep is because they’re all at the foot of the cross. “Brother Jesse,” you might ask, “isn’t the cross where we’re supposed to be?” Yes, the foot of the cross is where you got saved. That’s where the blood of Jesus dropped off His brow and washed your sins away. But Jesus didn’t stay there. Why should you?
“What should we do, Brother Jesse?” Climb the cross. Go high enough to see what Jesus sees—and you’ll sail past all those old landmarks. Why? Because you’re looking through His eyes. You’re the people who God wants to launch out into the deep.
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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.”