“Have I Got A Story For You”

“Have I Got A Story For You”
Kennard Friends Church
March 4, 2012

Acts 26: 12-18

The apostle Paul was in front of a large group of government officials because the leaders of the Jews were falsely accusing him. But Paul turned this negative situation into something positive. He used his platform of being “on trial” to share his testimony of his experience with Jesus Christ. Let’s read in the Book of Acts exactly what he said…

Acts 26:
12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[d] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.[e]’
15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.
“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

Last Wednesday evening at Prayer Meeting/Bible Study, we actually covered the chapter that included these verses. At the end of our reading and discussion, we spent time sharing our own personal testimony of our experience with coming to Jesus. While we were few in number, the spirit of the meeting grew large.

But that got me to thinking about all of us that know Jesus. We all have a testimony, or a story to tell, about our experience with Jesus. Don’t worry, I am not going to ask anyone to share that this morning… although you are welcome to share that at any time.

And why have a testimony anyway? Why did Paul share his salvation experience with all those non-believers in the room? One reason. So that others may have their own personal experience with Jesus Christ. It’s recorded in Acts that after Paul share his Damascus road story, he concluded by saying “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am [a Christ follower] (v. 29)

So do you have a story? Do you have a testimony? If you have been saved, born-again, redeemed… then you do. And it is through your story being shared with others that they may come to know the Lord. I would encourage you to share it, even write it down, so you can be prepared to witness to someone along your road.

But your story, my story, need not stop with our salvation in Christ. Once we have been saved, once we have become a child of God, we should have lots of stories to tell about our walk with Christ.

I have spoken about my salvation experience, my early walk with the Lord, and how I have been “working out my salvation” as the Bible says. However, today I want to share a story that is my “Red Sea”, my “Abraham and Isaac on the mountain”, my Daniel in the lion’s den story. It’s was an event that showed me God in action in my life like never before!

Now as I tell the story about me, please watch for God’s hand of protection, provision and direction. There came a time in 1996 that I had to choose between two directions. I immediately went to God for help. He did. But unfortunately I didn’t take his advice… at least not until I nearly died!


The calendar said it was Good Friday in April of 1996, but it turned out to be a ‘bad Friday’ for me. The company I had worked at for nearly sixteen years was eliminating my department as part of a corporate realignment. The job I had succeeded at, and thoroughly enjoyed for the past ten years, was sixty days from elimination. I was given two months notice of my termination. However, the company did offer one alternative. They would allow me to transfer to a new department and a new job. The only catch was that it was a demotion in status and a deduction in pay… just over $14,000 less a year! Whoa! No way!

Even though hundreds of fellow employees had been losing their jobs or taking demotions over the prior months, I never thought I would be in the same situation. And even though I had read dozens of articles about people being downsized, I never thought it would happen to me.

As I lumbered back to my cubicle, I felt numbed by the news. What was I going to do? Could I find another job like this one? Could I afford to take a loss of pay of more than $1,000 a month? Only knowing how to predict the future could answer my questions. I didn’t know how to predict the future, but I knew a Man who could. That’s it! I could pray for God to show me which decision, which direction, would be the right one for me.

Having been a Christian for several years, I knew how to pray when I needed something. In fact, I really didn’t talk to God that much until there was a need in my life. This time it was a BIG need and I needed an answer quickly. So I prayed and I prayed and I prayed. I cried out to God for direction. And as I prayed, I did two things. First, I wrote and re-wrote my resume in case He would tell me to leave the company. Secondly, I worked with my wife to review our finances to see if we could live on less, in case He would have me take the demotion. After several calculations, though, it did not seem likely we could take the pay cut. We did not really live beyond our means, but we did spend nearly everything we made. I continued to pray for direction.

One day I was studying the Bible for an upcoming Sunday school lesson I was to teach. Our class had been working through the Book of Acts. We were ready for chapter 8 that following Sunday. As I read the text I came to verse 26, which struck me like lightening. The verse said an angel came to Phillip with a message from God to go “south” to Gaza. Oh my! I have been praying for days about getting a direction from God. Now I come across a scripture with a very specific direction. SOUTH! Hello sunny Florida, I thought. I’m probably going to get a new job right on the ocean. No more cold and snowy winters.

So I hurriedly read the rest of the verse. I read the surrounding verses. I didn’t seem to find much of an answer to my prayer from the word “south”. So I went back to verse 26 and checked the corresponding commentary in my Life Application Bible. It said that “Phillip was having a successful preaching ministry in Samaria”. Well, I was having success in my current job as a quality consultant/trainer at an insurance company. The commentary/life application went on to say that we need to “follow God’s leading even if it seems like a demotion”. My eyes pierced through the word ‘demotion’. It went on to say “At first we may not understand his plans, but the results will prove that God’s way is right”.

Looking at the verse like a puzzle, I began to mentally put the pieces together. One of the options from the company was to take a demotion. Strangely, the department I would be demoted to started with a ‘G’, like Gaza. And then I realized that this department was located directly south of where my cubicle was currently located.

As I stared at those words my eyes began to well up with tears. Soon I was crying. On one hand, I cried because I knew God had heard my pleas and answered my prayer. On the other hand, it was definitely not the answer I wanted to hear. For a little while I just continued to sob, marking the page with my tears. My wife noticed my swollen, red eyes and asked what was wrong. I shared with her the scripture verses and we both began to cry a bit.

The following Sunday, I shared this with the class. Even though from the depths of my soul, I knew God was telling me to take the demotion, I was reluctant to listen. I proceeded to jokingly share with the class all the ironies of the verse and commentary, and how it kind of seemed as if it “might” be my answer. We all agreed that the Bible is a significant tool God uses to talk to us. We praised God for answers to prayer.

However, maybe God was not clear on the effect this demotion would have on my checkbook. I mean… $14,000! Was His celestial calculator not working? How could I possibly make all the ends meet? Why would a good Father in Heaven expect me to take less? I was faithful to attend church. I taught Sunday school. I sang in a Gospel group. I helped out in church with many things. Why was God punishing me this way?

So with my prayer answered, I proceeded to follow my own wisdom. I told my employer that I would take the severance check instead of the demotion.

I immediately began sending out resumes. Within a short period of time, I had submitted myself “on paper” to over 120 companies. From those contacts, I received only three or four interviews. From those interviews I received no job offers. What was the problem? I had good qualifications, education, and experience. My resume was excellent and I did well in the interviews. Why wasn’t another job with a comparable salary landing in my lap? There was only one thing to do. So I began to pray. I prayed to God for direction. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed.

I became very restless and depressed. I felt worthless as a person. It reflected on my role as a husband and father. Well, if I can’t find a job at a corporation, then I’ll just find work at the local Lowe’s home improvement or Wal-Mart stores. They are always hiring and I could at least work there part-time, while continuing my job search. Unbelievably, I never so much as got an interview.

Lastly, I thought that if nobody would hire me I’d just pick up some odd jobs around home. At least I’ll feel like I’m accomplishing something and bringing in a little income. I was quickly able to find some yards to mow. However, my trusty mower broke down and I had to purchase a new one. That sure wasn’t profitable! Later, an older couple from the church had a large fence row on their farm for me to clear. I “thought” the job would pay about a $100. Eagerly I woke up early, put on my work clothes and set off feeling good about what I was about to accomplish. After five hot, humid days of trimming trees, pulling weeds, and hauling the mess off in a borrowed pickup truck, I was rewarded with a sore back, scratches and cuts, ticks, mosquito bites, torn jeans and gloves, and a broken watch. When I was finished with the job, I was asked to name my price, to which I reluctantly said, “Oh, whatever you think it was worth”. The $35 reward for my labor went for gas in the truck, bug spray, and a new watch. Once again, this was not a very profitable venture.

I continued to pray to God to please give me an answer about my work situation.

I felt very desperate. I tried to keep this whole thing in perspective. I mean it was just a job I had lost. It could have been worse. I know friends and family who had lost a spouse, a child, a marriage, a house, their health, even their own life. I should have been thankful it was only a job. But I wasn’t even doing a very good job of that.

After failing at everything I attempted, I came across an advertisement in the newspaper that was right up my alley. It wasn’t a job, but it did pay a few bucks. A research company was looking for men who were going bald. And with all the stress I was under, my hair was receding at an even faster rate than normal. This was the ticket. At least for a few weeks I’d have a place to go, and get paid in the process. I called for an appointment, arrived early, and sat patiently in the chair as my bald spot was measured for the program. When the examination was finished, they thanked me for coming, but said I was too bald for their study!

I was at my lowest point. So I prayed to God, pleading for another answer… another direction.

An opportunity came my way. The parent company of the one I’d just been downsized from had an opening for a project leader on a training team they were assembling. A previous manager I’d worked for was an executive for the company and gave me the lead. The only problem was that the job was ninety miles and two hours away from my home. After speaking to the interviewing manager, it looked like there was a possibility of telecommuting. It was worth a shot. I interviewed and was offered the job with no cut in pay from my previous salary. However, I would have to commute to the office 3 days a week. I took it!

Boy was I happy! I had a good job. I was making the good money. And even though I hadn’t followed God’s direction, everything had worked out fine… so I thought.

From my first day on the job, things began to deteriorate. The manager I was to report to, broke her ankle in such a way that she had to be on short term, so I immediately had to take on more responsibility than planned, with no time to be trained. The two-hour, one-way commute, which was to be three days a week, eventually became four days a week, then five. As summer passed into fall, the days got shorter and the commute got darker, leaving home at 4:30 a.m. and arriving home after six o’clock each evening. I was also experiencing some troubles on the road.

One morning, on my way to work, I was driving on the interstate and ran over something in the road, which I never saw, and my tire was cut and went flat. Now I was going to be late, out the money for a new tire, and under growing stress of this new job. A few weeks later, on my way to work, the car began to do some unusual things and I had to pull into a rest park along the interstate. The car would not restart and I had to call for a tow truck. A few hours later I had a bill for a new alternator, fan belt, and a tow. I was going to be late again, out substantially more money, and still under growing stress of the nearly new job.

All during this time I continued to pray that God would help me and give me some direction about my work. I searched for, and found, Christian radio to help find comfort. I sang songs about faith and praise as I drove to work. I quoted scripture to try and bring a peace to my soul. Why were all these bad things happening to me? Why, during my sixteen years of commuting nearly twenty thousand miles a year to work in Indianapolis, did I not have even ONE problem with my car? And now, after only four months I find myself having had two things happen on my way to work in Fort Wayne?

Well, I began to doubt the decision I had made. I remembered the verse in Acts 8:26. I thought maybe I should have stayed and taken the demotion. But, it was probably too late by now.

Another month or so passed by and nothing improved. Even worse, my normally healthy body began to have problems. I was having pain in my chest and down my left arm. The doctors ran many tests, which all revealed no heart problems. Maybe it was just stress.

Then early one morning, with the sky as black as coal, I was singing a gospel song to try and cheer me up, when all of a sudden out of nowhere, as if it were dropped from the heavens, I hit a large deer. One minute I’m looking at a clear road, then a split-second later, the deer fills my headlights and a loud thump stopped the car. I immediately looked around for the animal, but never saw it again. The car’s front end was badly damaged, but I could still drive it. I was going to be late to work again, and this time the repair bill would be in the hundreds of dollars. Once again, this happened to me on my way to work.

These things kept happening to me as I attempted to go in a direction that was against God’s will. It wasn’t until this latest event happened that I came to my senses and realized I would have to see if I could get back on the path that God had provided a few months before.

I called the company I had left and asked if they still had that opening. I asked if I could return and take the demotion after all. The good news is that they did have the position for me. The bad news is that the salary cap was lower than when I left, so I would have to take a $17,000 pay cut instead of $14,000. I guess even when we come back after going against God’s will, we may face some consequences from our disobedience.

Anyway, my wife worked out the budget. By now she had a new job, having to leave a part-time position for one that was full-time. So with her earning a little more and me earning much less, we could make it. However, when she figured the budget this time, she included something which had been lacking during our marriage. She included us giving a tithe. At first I was a little upset that she had done this, as I didn’t think we could make thousands of dollars less and give any of it away… not even to God. But, my emotional, physical and mental state was so broken, that I thought if we can make it work I was willing to do anything.

The rest of the story is a miracle. Some how (I know how), we were not only able to “make it”, we were able to prosper. For the first time in our lives we were obeying God by giving Him his portion first. Also, I was back in His will as I followed the direction of taking the demotion. That demotion has led to a couple of promotions in a very short time. The amount of salary I lost is quickly being replaced by unexpected increases. My health problems have all gone away. I did nothing complicated. I simply did what God told me to do, and then He did the rest.

Things at work are not settled or very secure. Maybe they never will be in today’s society. Our company has recently been purchased by another and my work life is in for more big changes. But, even though I cannot change what happens to me, I can change my reaction. No longer will I put my trust in the position I hold at a company, or a salary I can make. I will put my trust in the Lord God Almighty, who knows the direction I should travel. All I have to do is follow it.

I still occasionally find myself getting anxious about the future of my work life. It’s then that God reminds me of the story I just shared. It’s then I remember that He provides the way. I keep trying to look way down the road. God tells me to walk life’s roadway just one step at a time. I am realizing that trusting in God is like walking on a path in a dark cave with a flashlight. That is, even though the path throughout the cave is there, only the small portion of the path covered by the flashlight can be seen. So the safest way down the path is to walk in, and concentrate on, the lighted area. As His children, God will shine the light on our life’s pathway. His light may only reveal a little bit of what’s ahead. But, if we walk in, and concentrate on, the Light we will be safe.

The next time I ask God which way to go, I know He will tell me. I know I will go.


What about you? Are you at a crossroads in life? Do you have choices to make and you don’t know which one to pick? Well, pick up the Bible. Use the Holy Scriptures, use the power of the Holy Spirit, and begin looking and listening for the answer.

When the answer comes, and you know it is from God… just go.