Chapter 1
A FAITH THAT FORTIFIES
Once, while I was speaking at a conference in Singapore, a young man approached me. I could tell that he wanted to talk. After introducing himself, he told me this sad story that is all too common:
“I really feel like I can make a difference in this city. I’ve watched you in New York, I’ve read the books, I’ve watched you on television, and I’ve seen all the videos. The last time when you were here, I felt that I needed to sell out and be completely dedicated to what I’m doing for God. When I got home, I was very excited, but my family looked at me and said, ‘Oh, no! You can’t do that! We have other plans for your life.’”
Several years later in the United States, I was speaking at another conference. One of the people in attendance at that conference, a leader in his church, went back all excited about soul winning and reaching his city for God. He enthusiastically submitted a proposal at one of his church board meetings—a plan that included reaching out to the lost kids in his town. At the end of his presentation, the board members promptly shot down his proposal. The horrified board members declared, “Oh, no. We’re not going to have those kinds of kids in our church.”
While speaking at a convention on missions, I met another young man who had felt the call of God on his life. He told me that he sensed the need to go to the mission field. He felt confident that his life was going to move in that direction. When he went back home and excitedly shared his vision with his wife, she forcefully protested, “Oh, no. We’re not moving to the mission field—not me, not our two kids, and not you.”
Confronting the Enemy of “Oh no”
Three people, three stories—peopl
