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Seven years in ministerial limbo taught Pastor Terrence one thing: you cannot contain what God has revealed in a human heart.
For seven years, Pastor Terrence watched others pass him by. He had done everything required of him for ordination. The board of examiners said he was ready. He had the education, the character, the calling. But the system said: not until you do things our way, on our timeline, under our control.
What looked like church politics was something deeper. It was perceived truth — institutional truth — trying to override revealed truth. It was a system trying to position itself between a man and the God who had already called him.
“Every system that wants to control your future will try to position itself between you and God.” — Pastor Terrence Sims
And that’s not just a church story. That’s a human story. It’s the story of Pharaoh and the Israelites. It’s the story of the Pharisees and the people of God. It’s the story of every institution — religious, corporate, cultural — that tells you your calling has to pass through their approval process before it counts.
But here’s what no system can account for: you cannot contain what God has revealed of Himself in a human heart. That heart will change once God is revealed. You can delay it. You can deny it. You can punish the person who carries it. But you cannot stop what heaven has already spoken into a soul.
The seven years were dark. But they were also preparation. God had to let Pastor Terrence be in the lion’s den long enough to know how to navigate the danger — and be in a place of sweet peace because God keeps him.
When God finally said “it’s time,” there was no business plan. No strategy. No perfect moment. There was just a relationship built on trust — the kind where you know that if God is before you, it doesn’t matter who’s against you.
That’s why Eyes Wide Open Christian Church exists. Not because the plan was perfect. Because the relationship was real. And that’s the only foundation worth building on.
If you’ve been sitting on a gift because you’re waiting for a system to validate what God already placed in you — this message is for you. Your gifts are not for you to control. They are for the edifying of the body. And God is not going to let you be comfortable holding them back forever.
Reflect on This
What is God calling you toward that a system, a person, or even your own fear has been trying to block? What would it look like to trust the voice of God over the voice of the institution?
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