God Is Waiting Don’t Delay | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: God Is Waiting Don’t Delay | Previous Challenge Entry
By Art Fahy
12/02/21
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I accepted Jesus when I was thirty-three years old. Unfortunately, it took twenty years before I began to develop a relationship with Him. I worked in the casino industry working odd hours. I drifted away from the church but more importantly I drifted away from Jesus. When I could get to church, I would dance around it and not go.

After my divorce, it didn’t take long for me to drift back to my old habits. The secular world offered me more appealing opportunities. It seemed I was always chasing after immediate gratification I bought into the world’s advertising. Buy this suit, and attract the perfect mate. Drive this car, and be a step above everybody else. I was always looking outside of me for a better me. The old attitude of I can do this on my own returned. The more I attempted to do things independently of God chaos followed. It wasn’t long and I fell back into my addiction. I found myself behind in my bills and missing visit dates with my children. I started to follow a philosophy that said everything is perfect. No matter what you said or did it was perfect.

I hit rock bottom. I was broke and in a relationship that was unhealthy for both of us. I cried out to God for direction. I woke up on November 11th 1987 terminated the relationship and found a room to rent. I returned to my twelve step program that day and have been clean and sober ever since.

In 1990 I remarried. My wife and I drifted around to various churches for awhile and didn’t find a church either one of us thought was a good fit. We terminated our search and handed it over to God. My wife had a doctor’s appointment and when she arrived at the office, she was informed that the doctor was not in. She could see the physician’s assistant if she desired. My wife said yes. Entering the PA’s office on the wall was a plaque with Jeremiah 29:11. The PA saw my wife looking at it. “One of my favorite verses,” the PA said.

“Do you attend a church?” My wife, Frankie, asked.

Bonnie smiled. “Yes Shadow Hills. I’m in the church choir. Do you have a church home?”

Frankie shook her head.

“Shadow Hills is bible based church and if you like to sing join us on Wednesday nights for choir rehearsal.”

Frankie returned home with a spring in her walk. She told me about her visit. Frankie went to choir rehearsal that Wednesday evening and church on Sunday. I worked on Sundays and promised I would go to church with her the first Sunday I could get off.

I finally had a Sunday off and forgot about my promise to attend church. Frankie didn’t and off we went. The pastor’s message was “God is patient but don’t delay.” He had my attention. I felt that he was talking just to me as if I was the only one in the sanctuary.

The Holy Spirit convicted me. After the service, Frankie and I were in a back room with a deacon signing up to attend classes to learn about the church and become members. I wondered how getting to church was going to work with my odd hours. God intervened and I was transferred to a work schedule so I could attend bible classes on Wednesday nights and make the last service on Sunday mornings. I became passionate about learning scripture and developing a relationship with Jesus. It was twenty years since I felt this much enthusiasm for the Lord. I became very involved in the church Christmas and Easter productions. The biggest compliment was the day I was asked if I would be interested in becoming a deacon. I said yes. That lead to being an alternate facilitator for bible study on Sunday mornings.

For twenty years I roamed aimlessly in life. I would get down on myself thinking about the time I wasted which I could have spent in developing a relationship with the Lord. Then I recall Frankie telling me about the plaque on her physician assistant’s wall. Jeremiah 29:11 NASB “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

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