Several years ago, the Lord used a speeding sheriff to teach me the importance of perception. The airline on which I flew, arrived late—really late. I was scheduled to preach, and as I looked at my watch, I could visualize the people crowding into the church.
I knew the pastor would be pacing in his office, wondering when my flight would get in. The people would be singing for at least an hour before I could get there. I imagine that the pastor would begin feeling pretty desperate, not wanting his congregation to suffer from the common worship service dilemma—too much clapping.
And I believe that is why he sent the fastest-driving member of his congregation to the airport to pick me up—the one person who could sail through traffic at record—breaking speed without fear of death or a ticket. That’s right, he sent the sheriff. And man, when I tell you that this guy could drive, I mean, this guy could drive!
The first words out of his mouth were, “Reverend Duplantis, are you afraid of speed?”
“No, sir,” I said.
“Well, my pastor told me to get you to the church in a hurry, and the only man who can do that is me. Pastor said they’re going to sing until you get there. So hold on!”
He turned the red and blue lights on, and we began to move! The siren was screaming, and he was competing with it. Both of them were belting out a shrill “Get out of the way!” the whole ride there.
I dug my nails, what little I had, into the vinyl and watched the speedometer climb: 75 – 92 – 101 – 110 – 120 m.p.h. When he hit 130 m.p.h. I just about ripped out a handful of vinyl and foam. I kept switching my hands back and forth from the seat to the seat beats. I was grabbing just about anything that looked like it would hold and praying in tongues under my breath! He looked over at me and said, “Should I bow my head?”
I said, “No, no! You keep your eyes open—don’t worry about me!”
I ain’t going to lie! I had huge goosebumps of fear scratching at my pant legs!
He was flying up on cars left and right. It seemed like he’d get so close to their bumpers that we were going to crash right into them. Then he’d just swerve over into the other lane and pass them, almost knocking the side-view mirror off when he did.
I said, “Sir, sir-!” I kept thinking, This guy is going to plow into the back of these cars! Please, Lord, don’t let the sheriff kill me on the way to the meeting!
The sheriff must have read my mind, because right after I thought that he tried to comfort me.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to hit this car.”
“Suppose they tap their brakes?” I asked boldly.
He grinned and shook his head. “I’m looking at the person ahead of me. A good policeman will never look at the car he’s chasing; he’ll look ahead of it. He is already envisioning what the car ahead of that one is going to do.”
I relaxed just a little. And I began to think about what he’d said. I’d just watched him pass three cars at record speed. The whole time my eyes were on bumpers and side mirrors. His eyes, as he said, were on the road ahead of us. He was looking farther out. Sure he could see the cars directly in front of us, but his attention lay beyond them. While I was staring at the present dangers, he was already envisioning what lay ahead.
The Lord spoke to me as I thought of what the sheriff had said. And thank God He did, because I sure needed some help! Through that sheriff’s words, God showed me that one of the problems with believers is that we always seem to stare at the back of the “car” we’re chasing. Fixed on what is going on in the present, we seldom give thought to the soon-coming future.
Now that doesn’t mean we need to be in la-la land, pretending never to see what is going on around us at the time. No way! That should never happen! Just like that policeman, we should be aware of what is around us at all times. But our eyes shouldn’t be so focused on what is going on right this second that we forget to look ahead to the destiny God has planned for our lives.
As a believer, you should look at the present. You should recognize it and deal with it as it comes along. But it alone shouldn’t monopolize your attention. If you want to be successful in this life, if you want to be known for having an excellent spirit and you want to experience all the blessing it brings, practice giving attention to what is further down the road.
Your life is a journey. And on the road from your birth to death, God has planned a destiny for you that is as rewarding as it is fulfilling. If you will develop a spirit of excellence, the Lord will guide you towards that destiny. With excellence of spirit working in your life, you enable Him to help you live your destiny in peace and joy.
Only Jesus can help us to see what is ahead with clarity. Only Jesus can give us the perception we need in order to move towards our destiny without getting off course and losing our peace. How do we gain that perception? Through developing an excellent spirit. And how do we develop an excellent spirit? By living a life of purpose and prayer.
So you may ask, “What exactly is perception?” Well, in practical terms, it’s the ability to know what is really going on in the spirit realm. People who have perception are submitted to God, and it’s evident in everything they do and say. Because they are submitted to God and His Word, they can be trusted with certain spiritual attributes.
When you have spiritual perception, you will be very sensitive to God’s prompting. You’ll have a keen insight into the spirit realm and have clear vision when confronted with a crisis in life.
Think of it like that sheriff who was trained to see beyond the car in front of him and to anticipate the situations that would soon arise. Spiritual perception can be like that. The Holy Spirit may impress you to say something that someone else needs to hear.
He may give you a vision or a dream of things to come. He may simply give you insight to a critical situation. In any case, He shows us how to look out ahead of us and anticipate the destiny God has planned for each of our lives.
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.”