Everyone has what I refer to as "point of no return" moments in their lives where things can never really be the same again. Of course in the natural there are times such as weddings, the births of our children and grandchildren, and sadly the deaths of people we love. But right now I'm thinking more along the lines of times or events that shape our spiritual lives. For example, a couple of mine:
October 1980:
I was sitting on the front row in Market Square Arena in Indianapolis to hear Black Sabbath. While they were singing and playing songs about war, the devil, and burning in Hell, the Holy Spirit began dealing with my heart in a way that I couldn't deny. The presence and conviction of God that I was feeling in that moment let me know that my time of running from God was just about over. That following January I gave my life to Jesus Christ. (Proving that nothing - not even heavy metal at full concert volume - can drown out His Word when He decides to speak.)
April 2014:
I have a friend named Jay Covert who heads up a ministry called Urban Outreach. This group ministers in the darkest, roughest neighborhoods in America. I went out on the streets of East St. Louis with him and Eddie Witt one day to get an idea of what their ministry does. The homelessness and desperate situations I saw that day have stuck with me ever since. I drove home that night knowing that I could never be quite the same again.
The reason I'm talking about this is that I had another one of those moments this past week. My wife and I, along with our son and his wife and the Pastoral staff of the church my wife and I attend, went to a conference in Illinois called "The Road to Glory." Normally church conferences are enjoyable, but this one was different - it went far beyond "enjoyable." I was simultaneously blessed by the presence of God and challenged to go deeper in my relationship with Jesus. I received confirmation on some things that God had been stirring in my heart, and the expectation I have for the future is beyond words. I believe we are about to see God move in ways that our finite minds can't begin to imagine - and I want to be right in the middle of it.
It was definitely another "point of no return" moment for me. The thing is, I don't want to return. "Church as usual" isn't going to cut it for me anymore. People who don't know Christ need an undeniable encounter with Him, and the church needs to be stirred new and afresh by the Spirit of God. I believe "church as usual" is a huge reason this nation is in the condition it is presently in, and I believe that God is about to change things. I'm believing God for another Great Awakening to hit this land.
Welcome to the point of no return.
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