Diane Epling

Evolving

Choices Come with Consequences

I once dreamed that I was traveling down this road to get to a bridge. This was a familiar bridge to me—the Old New River Gorge Bridge close to my home in West Virginia. In my dream, as I got ready to cross the bridge, I looked down at the water and felt uneasy. I knew that I shouldn’t cross the bridge at that time. So, I returned to my car and traveled back up the road.

Since God frequently speaks to me in my dreams, upon awakening, I began to pray and ask God for clarity. The Lord told me I needed to physically walk the bridge, so that’s what I did. I drove to the bridge, got out of my car, and started to walk across. Again, the Lord spoke to me, saying, “I want you to look to your right. Do you see how rough the waters are? Now, look toward the left. Do you notice how calm the waters are? You are at a place of freedom, but there are consequences to your choices. Your destiny is your choice. If you go to the right, your life will be pure chaos. You can have it, but there will be no peace. If you make the decision to go to the left, it will be completely calm. You’ll have peace throughout your life.”

Just when I thought I had completed God’s instruction to walk the bridge, He had me walk the bridge one more time. In obedience, I began to repeat my walk across when God stopped me halfway. He said, “Stop. You cannot go any farther without your husband.” He had brought me to this point in my life, all the way to talk to me about Destiny Ministries. I had already launched a vision of it when God said, “You cannot go any farther without your husband,” and He would not let me continue to walk the bridge a second time.

It was then that I realized that destiny was not a predetermined course of events beyond my control. Instead, my destiny was my choice. Just like when God sent His Son to die on the cross for us, we choose whether or not to accept God’s gift. It is never God’s will for any of us to perish but to repent and have everlasting life. Because we were born into sin doesn’t mean we must die in sin. We can be reborn and live beyond the cross. Sometimes a path is put before us as a distraction. It seems like a great idea; however, when we are one with God, when He has our whole heart, God’s Spirit acts on our behalf to help us make the right choice. When we walk with God, when we choose the peaceful waters, God protects us and creates peace and harmony as we take that bridge to the other side.

- Diane

Choices Come with Consequences

I once dreamed that I was traveling down this road to get to a bridge. This was a familiar bridge to me—the Old New River Gorge Bridge close to my home in West Virginia. In my dream, as I got ready to cross the bridge, I looked down at the water and felt uneasy. I knew that I shouldn’t cross the bridge at that time. So, I returned to my car and traveled back up the road.

Since God frequently speaks to me in my dreams, upon awakening, I began to pray and ask God for clarity. The Lord told me I needed to physically walk the bridge, so that’s what I did. I drove to the bridge, got out of my car, and started to walk across. Again, the Lord spoke to me, saying, “I want you to look to your right. Do you see how rough the waters are? Now, look toward the left. Do you notice how calm the waters are? You are at a place of freedom, but there are consequences to your choices. Your destiny is your choice. If you go to the right, your life will be pure chaos. You can have it, but there will be no peace. If you make the decision to go to the left, it will be completely calm. You’ll have peace throughout your life.”

Just when I thought I had completed God’s instruction to walk the bridge, He had me walk the bridge one more time. In obedience, I began to repeat my walk across when God stopped me halfway. He said, “Stop. You cannot go any farther without your husband.” He had brought me to this point in my life, all the way to talk to me about Destiny Ministries. I had already launched a vision of it when God said, “You cannot go any farther without your husband,” and He would not let me continue to walk the bridge a second time.

It was then that I realized that destiny was not a predetermined course of events beyond my control. Instead, my destiny was my choice. Just like when God sent His Son to die on the cross for us, we choose whether or not to accept God’s gift. It is never God’s will for any of us to perish but to repent and have everlasting life. Because we were born into sin doesn’t mean we must die in sin. We can be reborn and live beyond the cross. Sometimes a path is put before us as a distraction. It seems like a great idea; however, when we are one with God, when He has our whole heart, God’s Spirit acts on our behalf to help us make the right choice. When we walk with God, when we choose the peaceful waters, God protects us and creates peace and harmony as we take that bridge to the other side.

- Diane