When I first realized I was called to the ministry, I became a youth minister at a powerful church in southern California. I knew then I was called to travel like I do today, but I had to be faithful to do what was at hand.
One day a well-respected man in the church gave me some fatherly advice. He said, “Dennis, we don’t need any more preachers. What God needs is businessmen who will give great sums of money into the work of the kingdom.”
I knew he was right, we do need many who will give finances into the ministry, but I also knew that God had called me into ministry.
The counsel was sincere, but is was sincerely wrong. Ungodly counsel does not necessarily come from ungodly people. This man loved me and wanted me to be as successful as he was.
From his point of view, to be a success I needed to do what he had done. But had I taken that counsel, I would have missed the mark. God could not have blessed my efforts because I would have been aiming at second best.
Delight in Him
When you delight in God’s Word and in His counsel, you keep His plan in your heart. With His plan in your heart, His Word is evident in your mind and conversation.
As Psalm 1 said, you will be planted – with the roots of your life reaching deep into His resources – keeping you firmly established in His will. Let the Holy Spirit open your heart to see if you are tolerating a barrier in your life.
Disobedience can be a barrier. Disharmony is another barrier. If you give Satan an opportunity, he will take it and use it against you. Allow the Holy Spirit to change your attitude, then begin to sow the seed that will create God’s best.
Sow Your Seed for a Result
In the kingdom of God, the law of sowing and reaping reaches into all aspects of life. In order to destroy the barriers that withhold your increase, you must sow seed that will create the harvest you desire.
Anything you have can be a seed – your time, your love, your work, your money – anything can be sown into the field of God’s kingdom.
Whatever seed you sow, when sown in faith, will crush the barriers of the enemy and set your increase in motion. Times of increase and harvest begin as you heed godly counsel and break the barriers that most consider impossible.
Excerpt permission granted by Dennis Burke Publications
Since 1979, Dennis Burke has led multitudes of believers into the biblical principles of faith, healing, love, prosperity, and righteousness. Through the Insights: the Way to a New Life magazine, books, eBooks, CDs, and mp3 resources, Dennis has brought revelation knowledge on the truths of God's Word. He has taught Christians everywhere to know God more deeply and overcome the challenges life brings through faith in God's Word.
Dennis and his wife, Vikki, travel the globe throughout the year preaching and teaching in seminars, conventions and churches, sharing the Word of God and the keys to victorious Christian living. Together they are co-founders of Dennis Burke Ministries in Arlington, Texas. They have one married daughter, Jessica Shook.
In 2003, Dennis earned his Doctorate in Theology from Life Christian University, Tampa, Florida.