Jeri and I have moved 30 times in the last 35 years of our ministry. That may seem too unnerving for some to consider. We have no regrets. Each and every move was part of this great adventure we have been on as we journey through this world on our way to the next.
More than once we have packed up and left behind beautiful homes in the U.S. to move into a shack on the mission field. When we left Florida for Argentina, we sold everything down to the walls and started fresh amongst the impoverished of Neuquén. Four years and several homes later, we sold everything once again, gave the money to the church and headed to Spain to do it all over again.
We were getting situated in Russia when the revival broke out in Pensacola in 1995. That year we moved nine times alone. As the revival continued, we thought we were ready to settle down. We built Jeri’s dream home. She had lived in so many homes, she knew exactly what she wanted and designed the perfect home for our family. It served us well for seven months, before we left it to move to Texas. Just recently we moved from Texas back to Alabama.
The Lord knows I love change. I thrive on the unknown. I enjoy the uncertainties of life. I’m uncomfortable when everything is predictable. I strive to live life unsettled.
There is an advantage to living your life this way. As we have kept moving, we constantly find ourselves prioritizing the things we carry along for the journey. You are forced to become a master of letting go.
Countless times we’ve laid our hands on an item to pack it up once again. It hasn’t been used since the last move and it hasn’t been missed. You ask yourself, “Why am I dragging this thing along with us?” It is left behind as we move on.
Then there are times you are pleasantly surprised to discover priceless items you forgot you had. There is nothing like finding these hidden treasures that had been buried by time. This last move, Jeri found tiny footprints of our children she had made when they were infants. She thought they had been lost. Moving forward brought these hidden gems back from the past.
One morning during my devotion time with the Lord, I heard him clearly say, “Live unsettled!”
He continued, “Live unsettled. Don’t sink too deep into the soil of this earth. Keep your head up and your feet moving. Stay alert and be sober. I am coming. The day of My return is at hand. Loose yourself of anything that hinders. If you don’t loose yourself, I’ll help loose you.”
Friends, it’s time to start moving once again! Every one of us is called to live life here on this planet as nomads. We are nothing more than pilgrims passing through. This world is not your home. Live life unsettled!
Get rid of the excess baggage that hinders your walk with the Lord. Allow the Holy Spirit to take a personal inventory of your life. Follow David’s example and pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24).
Whatever He puts his finger on, shed it immediately! Become a master of letting go. Lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles so that you can keep moving forward.
As you begin to move, you’ll likely discover those hidden treasures the Lord has laid up for you—gifts you didn’t know you had or haven’t accessed in some time. These spiritual gifts flourish as you get moving.
Alongside these gifts, you’ll uncover words He has sown into you that you have long forgotten. Those precious promises may have passed from your mind, but not His. He is not a man that He should lie. What He has spoken to you, you can be assured He will deliver.
Living unsettled has played a large part of the success we’ve seen over the past 30 years. Our feet are always moving, our eyes fixed ahead, and our ears always attentive to the Lord’s command. Time is short; there is no time to waste. Let go; start moving. Live unsettled.
Evangelist Steve Hill preached the Brownsville Revival for five years, is pastor emeritus of Heartland World Ministries Church and has authored 13 books, including Spiritual Avalanche.
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