Rhino Skin????

Before we left for California to attend the "Fit for the Field" church planting course, someone gave me some weird advise, that has only recently become prophetic in our lives.  Just before we pulled out of the parking lot of the church, I was pulled aside and told that I would come back with the skin of a rhino.  I had no idea what that meant, or how it would apply to my life, ministry, and desire to plant a church. 

One of the main points throughout the course, was nailing down our call.  Make sure of the calling, to the point that if we do not go, it is sin.  I wrote on the front of my notebook "home with the skin of a rhino."  Often, vision from God, is met with initial favor from man.  When I first knew that I was called to leave and plant a church, we had a lot of favor and encouragement from man.  As we draw closer to our departure day, D-day, there are so many people that, love us, and seek to help, by showing how hard, and nearly impossible this really is. 

I see a few roads that I can take.  First, I could choose to look at all of the hurdles in front of us, and not run the race.  I could bow out, and call the whole thing off.  While all of the hurdles are real, and some are high hurdles and some seem like jumping a ten foot, barb wire fence, they are real.  Trials await us, pain will be expected.  I must say, that there are times that I look forward and have great discouragement because of all the things that have to happen, to ensure that we can leave.

Another road is to become bitter, withdrawn, and spiteful.  I could take an attitude of spite, wanting to show how wrong everyone else is.  But, looking down that road, there is only destruction.  This will lead me away from God, away from His plan, and resting on my own anger and spite to fulfill my own ambition, not His.

The road, by the grace of God, that I seek is to step out on faith.  Yes there are trials, yes there is hurt, and no I am not prepared for everything.  I am not qualified, I don't have all the knowledge that maybe I should have, but I am called.  Not everything that comes our way is for benefit, but much is.  So, what should I do.  Take those things to prayer.  The Spirit will lead us into all truth and conviction.  We cannot safeguard against all things.  We know the enemies objectives are to distract and discourage.  I can say with conviction, that I am nothing, and Christ is everything.  So, no matter what, I pray, we will do the will of the Lord.  Not look left, right, or behind, but ahead to those things that God would have for us.

There was a time that I would not have this conviction.  There was a time that I would have become bitter, and spiteful.  God, has blessed us with faith.  Not to boast, but to glorify Him.  He has blessed the skin of a rhino upon this time.  While this time may be hard and seem impossible, the Lord has a plan that we need to walk in. 

Blogs can often be clarifying, and therapeutic for the writer, but sting others.  This is not the point.  I pray that this is an encouragement.  I welcome questions, clarifications, even those that come is harsh ways.  I welcome them because through them vision is refined, rhino skin is toughened, and dependence of the Lord is deepened.  God wants to make us holy, more than happy.   There are three types of spiritual storms that come the Christian's way. 

First there are perfecting storms.  Storms of life the God allows to perfect us, to make us more like Jesus, to strengthen our faith.  Job went through this type of storm.  God allowed terrible disaster in Job's life, to conform him to the will of the Father.  The second is a correcting storm.  These come about because of our sin.  Jonah experienced this type of storm.  As he fled the will of God to preach repentance to Nineveh.  Jonah left in the opposite direction to escape the will of God, and brought about a literal storm on the sea.  The third is a protecting storm.  Sent His disciples away on a ship by themselves, to protect them from the crowds that would seek to force Jesus to be king.  Jesus protected them not only from the mob, but from the result of what the crowd's wanted to do.  If Jesus were to be crowned king, they would become powerful men.  They were already bickering, the whole thing could have ended in disaster. 

While in the midst of the storm, I usually do not have joy in them, this outlook pushes me toward Jesus in the eye of the storm, and not be thrashed in the wind and waves.  Sometimes I need to have some waves crash into me before I turn to God, but He is there, waiting, for me to turn to Him.  In storms, my rhino skin is tested, and sometimes torn off, so that I am humbled for Him.  As I have heard Driscoll say, "you are either humble or humiliated," as I need to be humbled, I have often been humiliated for the glory of God. 

Rhine skin is necessary for me to fulfill the calling of God.  Rhino skin will get me through storms.  The thing is, you cannot get rhino skin without getting skinned.  You can't get it by everyone being nice to you, you have to get cut.  You have to heal, and be cut again. Rhino Skin, just sayin.