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I know sometimes our desire is to stay in a place where we feel comfortable and everything is going great and we're having success. God never changes, but He may move us and cause us to do different things. My desire was to stay in Cleveland and finish my career, but we prayed and the doors didn't open there. We just had to trust God. I had no idea where he was going to send me, but I felt the work I'd done in Cleveland was finished.
This is my 14th year, but I think we all have a season when God elevates us in the eye of the world. I think the last five years God has really had his hand personally on my life and has been building me up for this very time. When I was a setup guy, I always wanted to be a closer, but God knew that even though I was a Christian, my heart wasn't ready for that, because in that role you have to be able to handle yourself in a right way. My heart was not lined up according to His word, so I wasn't ready.
I understand now that my heart wanted to get the fame, the accolades, the money that comes with being a closer. Once I got past that and said to God, 'It is all for your glory,' then I saw different things come about. He knew I wasn't going out there to pump up Mike Jackson. I had to be willing to humble myself before Him wholeheartedly.
In life we go through a lot of things, and a lot of times we ask God for something, and then we ask, 'Why is God not answering?' First, look within yourself to see what you are doing to stop God from answering your prayers. He may not move until we line ourselves up with the Word of God. When I lined up, He opened the doors. Now I understand why I'm in this role of closer, and why I'm in Philadelphia -- to be an ambassador of God.
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