We don’t always understand why certain things happen to us. Maybe a
friend you thought would be with you for years, somebody you counted
on, suddenly moved away. Now you’re having to find new friends. Or at
work, you had all this favor, things were going great, but now there’s
conflict, everything is uphill, and you don’t enjoy it. A friend of mine had
been the sales manager at a large car dealership that was consistently
breaking sales records, but not long ago the dealership was sold to a
national company. His new supervisor didn’t like him and treated him
unfairly. My friend said, “After all these years, I never dreamed I would
have to be looking for another job.”
Sometimes God will let us be uncomfortable for a dark, difficult
period so He can bless us later on. He’ll close a door, which we don’t like
and don’t understand, but later on He’ll open a bigger door. He’ll take us
to a new level of our destiny. God is not as concerned about our comfort
as He is about our purpose. There are times when He will shake things up
—a friend will do you wrong, the business will slow, you’ll lose a loved
one. God will use persecution, rejection, and loss to force us to change.
His goal is not to make our life miserable; He’s pushing us into our
purpose.
Not every closed door is a bad thing. Not every time a person walks
away from us is a tragedy. God knows we won’t move forward without a
push. When everything is going well, we’re comfortable.
We don’t want to stretch, or to find a new friend, or to develop new
skills. To step out into the unknown can be scary. What if it doesn’t work
out? We may not like it, but if God had not shut that door, we would have
been satisfied to stay where we were. God loves you too much to let you
miss your destiny. You have too much potential, too much talent, too
much in you for you to get stuck where you are. He’ll put you in
situations that make you stretch, make you grow, make you spread your
wings.
None of the difficulties you’ve gone through, none of the bad breaks
you’ve experienced, and none of the times when someone hurt you were
meant to stop you. They were meant to push you, to stretch you, to
mature you, to make you stronger. They deposited something inside you.
It’s made you into who you are today. You wouldn’t be prepared for the
new levels if you had not been through what you’ve been through. Don’t
complain about the person who did you wrong, the loved one you lost, or
the job that didn’t work out. That was all a part of God’s plan. When you
face a difficulty, something you don’t understand, instead of being
discouraged, instead of complaining, have a new perspective. This is not
here to defeat me; it’s here to promote me. I may not like it, and I may be
uncomfortable, but I know that God is using it to push me to a new level,
to push me to greater influence, to push me into my purpose.
A Closed Door Means a New Door Will Open
When I look back over my life, I can see the pivotal moments when I
really grew, the times when I stepped up to a new level. The common
denominator was that I was pushed. At the time I didn’t like it, and I was
uncomfortable. I wanted to stay where I was. I wouldn’t have done it on
my own. God had to shut the doors and force me to take steps of faith. He
pushed me into my purpose.
When I was nineteen years old, I came back from college to start a
television ministry for my father at Lakewood. That was always my
passion—television production, editing, cameras, etc. I was young and
had a lot of enthusiasm, but I didn’t have much training. We hired a
seasoned television producer who was in his sixties. He had produced the
Today show for years, then gone on to production work with Major
League Baseball. He was not only very talented, but he was also very
friendly. He and I hit it off. For one year I was with him night and day,
and I was excited to be learning so much. I watched him during the
services as he directed the cameras, and he taught me what the right
angles were, what good lighting looked like, and how to edit. As I
watched him make all those decisions, I would think, How in the world
does he know how to do all that? I was amazed by him and so glad that
we had him.
One morning about a year after he started, he came in and said, “Joel,
I’m going to move back to California. I’ve done everything I need to do.
You can take it from here.” I almost passed out. I said, “You have to be
kidding. You can’t leave us. What are we going to do? Who’s going to
direct the program? Who’s going to edit it?” He said, “You are. You can
do everything I’m doing. I’ve trained you for a year.” I told him that there
was no way. I didn’t know how to do it. We offered him more money and
more time off. I said, “You can live in California and just come in twice a
month.” I tried my best, but he said, “No, my time here is done.” I was so
disappointed. I thought that was the worst thing in the world that could
happen. I prayed night and day, “God, please change his mind. Please
don’t let him go. God, You know this television ministry is going to fall
apart.”
Sometimes we’re praying against the very thing that God has
ordained, against what He set into motion. The enemy doesn’t close every
door. Sometimes God closes the door. He moves people out of our life
because He knows they will become a crutch and keep us from our
potential. God will cause a situation to dry up, so we’ll be forced to
change. My friend left and went back to California. I had to get out of my
comfort zone, stretch, and start doing things I’d never thought I could do.
As I stepped out, I discovered it wasn’t as hard as I’d thought. The first
month went by and I thought, I’m not too bad at this. Six months went by
and I thought, I’m pretty good at this. A year went by and I thought, What
did we ever need him for?
His leaving was a turning point in my life. God used that to push me
into my destiny. Even though I was uncomfortable, it was the best thing
that could have happened to me. If he had stayed, it would have stunted
my growth. I wouldn’t be who I am today if God had answered my
prayer. Quit being sad over somebody who walked away. If they left you,
their time was up. Step into the new season. If the door closed and you
went through a disappointment, don’t go around complaining. The closed
door means you’re about to be pushed into your purpose—you’re about
to see new growth, new talents, new opportunities.
Out of Your Comfort Zone
The prophet Samuel had spent years mentoring King Saul as a young
man and loved him like a son. But Saul wouldn’t do what was right as the
king, and God told Samuel that He was going to take the throne away
from Saul. Samuel was discouraged and felt as though he had wasted all
that time. God said to Samuel, “Quit weeping over what I’ve rejected.”
God is saying to us, “Quit being depressed over who left your life. Quit
being sour over what didn’t work out.” If they were supposed to be there,
they would still be there. God told Samuel, “I’ve found a new man. His
name is David, and I want you to go anoint him as the next king.” Notice
the principle: if you’ll quit being discouraged over who left, the right
people will show up. But that won’t happen if you keep complaining
about the Sauls in your life and what didn’t work out. If I had said, “The
veteran television producer left me here, and I can’t do this production on
my own,” that would have caused me to get stuck. When you accept what
has happened and move forward, not only is that going to push you to a
new level, but the Davids are going to show up. The people you need will
be there for each season of your life.
For seventeen years I did the television production. I thought that was
how I would spend the rest of my life. I loved doing it. I was content. But
in 1999 my father went to be with the Lord, and again I was forced to
change. God shut another door in my life. In the Old Testament, Job said,
“I thought I would die in my nest.” He was saying that he’d had his nest
all fixed up, had his house just as he wanted it, and had a successful
business. Things were going great. He was finally comfortable, but what
happened? God stirred up his nest. God doesn’t bring the trouble, but He
will allow difficulties to push us into our destiny. Job went through all
kinds of challenges. Almost overnight he lost his health, his children, and
his business. If the story stopped there, it would be a sad ending. But Job
understood this principle. In spite of all the difficulty, he said, “I know
my Redeemer lives.” He was saying, “I know God is still on the throne,
and He has the final say. This trouble is not going to defeat me; it’s going
to push me.” In the end Job came out with twice what he’d had before.
When you get comfortable and think you have your life figured out, as
Job did and as I did, don’t be surprised if God comes along and stirs
things up. It’s not to harm you; it’s to push you. God has new levels in
your destiny, more influence and more resources for you. His dream for
your life is greater than you imagine.
I knew that I was supposed to pastor the church. But just as with the
production, I didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t have the training or the
experience. My father had tried to get me up in front for years, but I was
comfortable behind the scenes. I didn’t have to stretch anymore; I could
do the production in my sleep. Like Job, I thought I would die in my nest,
but when my father went to be with the Lord, it was as though the whole
process started over. That loss pushed me out of my comfort zone,
pushed me to discover new talents, pushed me into greater influence.
Every time I’ve seen major growth in my life, every time I’ve stepped up
to a new level, it happened because I was pushed. It involved adversity,
loss, and disappointment. You may be in a situation where you could
easily be discouraged—you lost a loved one, you went through a breakup,
your business didn’t work out. The enemy may have meant that for harm,
but God is going to use that to your advantage. God wouldn’t have
allowed it if it were going to stop you. He allowed it so it can push you.
Just as with Job, He’s going to bring you out increased, promoted,
stronger, wiser, and better than you were before. That sickness is going to
push you into your purpose. That bad break is going to push you into
something greater. That betrayal is going to push you into new happiness.
The pain is a sign that you’re about to birth something new. The
greater the difficulty, the closer you are to the birth. It’s easy to think that
a loss is the end, but you’ll discover that it’s going to birth you into a new
level of your destiny, just as loss did for me. The disappointment, the
persecution, or the betrayal may be painful, and you may not like it, but if
you’ll stay in faith, it’s going to promote you. I wouldn’t be where I am
today if God had not taken that man away and pushed me when I was
twenty years old. I wouldn’t be leading the church today if He hadn’t
pushed me when my father died in 1999. That was difficult, but God
doesn’t waste the pain. The pain is a sign of new birth.
The Nest Will Be Stirred Up
Steve Jobs was one of the most brilliant minds of our generation. At
twenty-one years old, he cofounded Apple Computer with Steve
Wozniak. By the time he was twenty-three, he was incredibly successful
and known around the world. But at thirty years old, after creating this
global brand and developing so many great products, he clashed with his
board of directors and eventually was forced out of the company he’d
started. He told his friends how betrayed he felt and how wrong it was.
But he didn’t sit around in self-pity, thinking about what hadn’t worked
out. He went out and started another company and learned new skills.
This new company created something that Apple needed. It was so
successful that Apple bought it and brought him back as Apple’s CEO,
and he is credited with revitalizing the company. He said, “Getting fired
from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.… It
freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”
That betrayal wasn’t sent to stop you; it was sent to push you. Don’t
complain about who did you wrong and how unfair it was. If it were
going to keep you from your destiny, God would not have permitted it.
Shake off the self-pity and get ready for new doors to open, for new
opportunities, new skills, new friendships. Moses said, “As an eagle stirs
up its nest, so God will stir up His children.” When things are stirring in
your life, when things are uncomfortable and you don’t get your way—a
door closes, a friend betrays you—don’t think, Well, that’s just my luck. I
never get any good breaks. Turn it around and say, “God, I know You’re
in control and You’re stirring up things because You’re about to open up
new doors, You’re about to take me to a higher level, You’re about to
push me into my purpose.”
I was in the hospital room when Victoria was giving birth to both of
our children. I was right by the bed, and she had ahold of my arm. When
she had a contraction, it was very painful for both of us. She would
squeeze my arm very tightly, then she would finally give a scream, and I
would scream. The greater the pain, the closer she was to giving birth. At
one point the doctor told her, “When you have a contraction, I want you
to push.” He didn’t have her push until the birth canal was open and the
baby was ready to come. In the same way, when you’re being pushed,
that means the door is open. Something new is coming—new levels, new
influence, new growth. God wouldn’t be pushing if the door were closed
and nothing good were in store. Doctors don’t tell women who are in
labor, “Just push whenever you feel like it.” That doesn’t do any good.
They have to wait for the right time. When you’re being pushed, don’t be
discouraged. Rather be encouraged; it’s the right time. Get ready, for
something good is coming your way.
Consider that while a little baby is in the womb for nine months,
everything is great. He’s comfortable. He doesn’t have to do anything. He
gets his food from his mother, gets carried around all day, and sleeps
whenever he wants. He’s calm and peaceful. Life is good. For a season
that’s healthy. He’s growing and developing. That’s where he’s supposed
to be. But if he stays in the womb too long, instead of the womb being a
blessing, it will be a burden. At a certain point it’s too small and will keep
him from his destiny and limit his potential. He has to get out. When he
comes through the birth canal, it’s tight, uncomfortable, and traumatic.
All he’s known up to this point is peace, lying around, having everything
done for him. Suddenly it’s as though all hell breaks loose. He thinks,
What in the world is Mama doing? Has she lost her mind? Doesn’t she
love me? He’s being pushed, squeezed, pressured, then more pushing,
more pushing, and finally he comes out and is born. He breathes new life
and enters a new level.
It’s the same principle with us: when things get tight, when we’re
uncomfortable and feel pressure, it’s easy to think, What’s happening? It
was so peaceful. I want to go back to how it was. But if you stay in the
womb, that protected place, too long, it won’t be a blessing; it will be a
curse. It will keep you from becoming what you were created to be. God
controls the universe. He knows what’s best for you. If you’re being
pushed, it’s because a door is open. God has something greater in your
future, and you’re about to step into a new level. You’re about to tap into
gifts and talents that you didn’t know you had. It may be uncomfortable,
but don’t complain. God is stretching you, He’s enlarging you. You’re
about to see new growth, new talents, new opportunities.
A Push Down Is a Push Up
I mentioned in chapter seven that my father pastored a denominational
church for many years. At one point he started telling his congregation
that God wanted them to live a victorious, overcoming life. This new
message didn’t fit into their tradition. Some of his longtime friends,
people my parents had known for thirty years, turned on them and started
stirring up trouble and said that he needed to leave. My father was
devastated. He thought, I’ve given my life to these people. God, why is
this happening? But the fact is, God was the one stirring it up. God knew
my father would never reach his full potential in that limited
environment. It felt like a huge disappointment, but behind the scenes
God was orchestrating it all. God wouldn’t push you if he didn’t have
another door open.
My father resigned from that church feeling rejected and betrayed.
But he didn’t sink into self-pity or go around talking about how bad life
was. He understood this principle: he was being pushed into his purpose.
He realized the same God who opens doors closes doors. He went out and
started Lakewood Church with ninety people in 1959, and here we are
today still going strong. Had those people never been against him, he
would never have reached his highest potential. Don’t get upset with the
people who do you wrong, betray you, or leave you out. God uses people
to push you to where you’re supposed to be. Without them you couldn’t
fulfill your destiny. They may think they’re pushing you down, but what
they don’t realize is that they’re pushing you up.
The Scripture says, “Persecution arose in Jerusalem… so Philip went
down to the city of Samaria.” It doesn’t say that Philip prayed about it
and decided that he was going to Samaria. He didn’t have a choice. The
persecution forced him out of his hometown of Jerusalem. He was pushed
out of his comfort zone. What’s interesting is that previously in
Jerusalem, God had poured out His Spirit upon the believers in the upper
room. The same God who showed them that great sign could have taken
care of the persecution. God could have stopped the opposition. He
closed the mouths of hungry lions for Daniel. It would have been no big
deal, but the persecution was for a purpose. The opposition was a part of
God’s plan to push them into their destiny. It was in Samaria that Philip
saw the greatest days of his ministry. If he had stayed in Jerusalem, he
would never have reached his full potential. Maybe you’ve been pushed
out of Jerusalem, so to speak, through a bad break, a disappointment, a
betrayal. Don’t be discouraged. Jerusalem may have closed, but Samaria
is about to open. God wouldn’t be pushing you if He didn’t already have
a door open.
A friend of mine was working at a job, but he wasn’t fulfilled. He
knew he had outgrown what he could do there. He had much more in
him, but he was afraid to take a step of faith. This man is one of the nicest
people you’ll ever meet, very kind, easygoing. He’s a model employee,
always fifteen minutes early, and never breaks the rules. He called me
one day and said, “Joel, you’ll never believe what just happened.” I said,
“What?” He said, “I just got fired.” I said, “You got fired!” It was like
saying, “Mother Teresa just robbed a bank!” It was so hard to believe.
But God loved him too much to let him stay in mediocrity. God knows
how to get you out of your comfort zone. He opened the door; He can
close the door. If we don’t take the hint, He’ll push us. Today that man is
a vice president at a major company. He continues to rise higher. Don’t
complain about the closed doors. That’s God pushing you. Don’t be
discouraged by the bad break. If it weren’t going to work for your good,
God wouldn’t have allowed it.
Go through the Process
In the Scripture, God told the apostle Paul that he was going to stand
before Caesar. He was on a boat headed toward Rome when they
encountered a huge storm. The winds were so strong that they finally
drove the ship aground. The boat was broken up by the violent waves,
and all who were aboard the ship had to swim to a small island called
Malta. It looked as though Paul’s plans hadn’t worked out. It was a bad
break, a disappointment, but that storm didn’t stop God’s plan; it was a
part of God’s plan. It blew Paul into his purpose. On that island the chief
official’s father was very sick. Paul prayed for him, and the man was
healed. They brought other sick people, and they too were healed. Paul
ended up sharing his faith with the people on that whole island, and many
came to know the Lord.
What am I saying? God will use the winds that were meant to harm
you to push you into your destiny. You may not understand, it may be
uncomfortable, but keep the right attitude. That storm is not going to
defeat you; it’s going to promote you. The storm blew my father from a
limited environment to a church that touched the world. It blew my friend
from a job where he wasn’t using his gifts to the vice presidency of a
large company. It blew me from being behind the scenes into the position
I’m in now. You’re being pushed for a reason. There’s something bigger,
something better, something more rewarding up in front of you.
You have to be willing to go through the process. When you feel
pressured, when it’s tight and you’re being squeezed, that’s because
you’re about to see a birth. Where you are is too small. The womb was
good for a time and served its purpose, but now you’re coming into a
season of new growth, new opportunity, and new talents. Have the right
perspective. Say, “This sickness is not going to stop me; it’s pushing me,
and I’m coming out better.” “This trouble at work is not going to hold me
back; it’s pushing me.” “The people who did me wrong can’t stop my
destiny. They meant it for harm, but they don’t realize that God is using it
for good. It’s pushing me.”
Every storm you went through, every bad break, and every dark,
lonely season deposited something on the inside. It pushed you to mature,
pushed you to trust God in a greater way, pushed you to be more resilient
and determined. Don’t get discouraged by the process. Perhaps you are
being pushed right now—you’re being squeezed, pressured, and it feels
uncomfortable. You need to get ready, you’re about to see new birth. If
you’ll keep the right attitude, God is about to push you to a new level.
He’s going to push you into greater influence, greater strength, greater
resources. You’re coming into a new season of health, favor, abundance,
promotion, and victory. Those winds that were meant to stop you are
going to push you into your purpose.
BLESSED IN THE DARKNESS 