Not Victims, But Victors!

We thought we heard from Jesus to make a significant ministry shift in 2017, but doubts flooded our minds when those we trusted stabbed us in the back.

It was a pivotal year for our ministry. Everything Joe and I had established over the past 20 years was gradually eroding, creating a lot of uncertainty in our hearts for the future. But we were equally excited for the new things Jesus was leading us to accomplish, which ultimately required us to sell our 15-acre ministry campus.

As property negotiations got underway, it seemed “too good to be true” when the buyer made significant promises to us. But after thorough conversations about his guarantees and his willingness to include them in the contract, we prayerfully conceded.

After we sold the campus, the buyer fulfilled most of his contractual promises on schedule. However, he reneged when it came to him honoring the most significant written guarantee—the one that ultimately convinced us to sell. Not only that, but he did the exact opposite of what he promised in writing.

To say we were dumbfounded, outraged, and felt deeply betrayed is an understatement. But after months of negotiations with us fighting this blatant contractual breach, the buyer refused to budge.

It took a while to recover from the buyer’s deceit and the multiple strikes perpetrated by his affiliates. But, in the end, Jesus used it to fulfill what He planted in us long before we considered a sale. So, we praise God for it.

Betrayal is never easy to overcome in ministry, especially when those who claim to have faith cause it. But it is also a powerful incentive to trust Jesus through it and allow Him to demonstrate His faithfulness in ways we never anticipate.

What about you? What helped you regain trust and move past your pain to keep serving Jesus? Let me know in the comments.