“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV)
I often thought that I would never fall away. The Lord had strengthened me many times, and I was at peace. I loved to preach and witness to people. God had used me to lead many others to Christ. One day the missionary went on a four-month furlough and left me in charge. We had church planning meetings, and a decision was made to turn the direction of the seats. (We had been seated so that when someone came in late, we could all see who it was.) We voted to put our backs to the door.
When the missionary came back, he set up the chairs the old way. I mentioned that we had voted to change the seating. He got upset. Later, I stopped by his house to clear the air. The missionary was a good man, but always liked to be in charge. I felt I could not go back to the way it was. It all caused such problems that I left the church.
I started searching for another church. I went to many different ones, trying to find a loving church. (I sometimes even dressed weird
to check peoples’ reactions!) I found a church where the presence of God was very real, but my wife was unable to enjoy it, so we stopped attending church altogether.
I wandered aimlessly for many years. Previous to all this, I had heard stories of people leaving churches over silly reasons, such as the
color of the carpet. Even in our churches, there will be people and issues that will make our lives difficult. We must not let those situations keep us from following Christ daily, from worship and fellowship, and ministering to others. I eventually found a church where I felt loved and encouraged, and I began preaching and evangelizing again.
Lord, help us keep our focus on the things that are most important. Many stumbling blocks may get put in our path, but help us keep our eyes on You.
— Richard Knott
Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.
Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org