In the Beginning...

In the Beginning... 

I said the prayer… now what? Why don't I feel different? These were my thoughts the morning after surrendering my heart to Jesus. Where do I start?

If you read my last blog post, you remember how I mentioned that after giving my heart to Jesus, I left for the military three months later at eighteen years old. My first stop was Illinois for boot camp and medical assisting school. There, the Lord began to place people in my life who truly loved Him. I began to realize that not only had my life changed on the inside, but He had given me a family in Christ that would help me live out this new life in Him. 

In 2009 I was assigned to Sicily, Italy, for eighteen months. I had no idea that the Lord had a tribe of people who loved Him deeply there as well! During my time in Italy, I learned about the love and grace of the Lord. My pastors at the time were Ralph and Patricia Brundage and were God sent! The Lord partnered with them to love me deeply and uniquely, and they were very instrumental in my growth in the Lord—and still are to this day! It was not long before I began to meet other military people who loved the Lord and were learning how to live for Him. 

On my first birthday in Italy, a few friends and I boarded a plane to go to Rome for four days. It was a moment that marked my life. Though I did not know it at the time, I was in a land filled with Christian history! A place where many Christians lost their lives because of their faith but the Word of God was spread throughout the land. Who would have thought that the Lord would have brought me there? 

As I became more settled in my military job, I realized that I had a passion to become a dentist, working with some of the best Navy dentists and assistants ever! I had decided in my heart that I was going to go to dental school, and that I would spend the next twenty years in the Navy doing what I loved as a dentist. 

And Then. . .

We had visiting missionaries Robinson and Margaret Matende from Kenya at our church. While at a Bible study, Robinson shared with me that he was impressed by the Holy Spirit to give me this word from the Lord. He said, “I sense that the Lord is going to use you to preach and teach His Word all over the world to bring glory to God.” I looked into his eyes and said, “I think you have the wrong person.” I began to name all the others that this word could be for because I was going to be a dentist. He looked at me and said, “I am just the messenger, but the Lord will reveal the rest to you.” 

And sure enough, about a year later my heart softened to God’s plan for my life above my own, and three years into a five-year commitment to the military I began to prepare for my departure.

The Holy Spirit did not have to, but he encouraged me to take the next step. I remember being at a dental clinic at Camp Lejeune, where I had just started an advanced course in dentistry. I was finishing up a Marine's dental care when I heard these words deep in my soul: "THERE IS MORE." Pondering those words, I realized dentistry was my hobby, not my calling. After that appointment, I made up my mind that I was going to take God at His word.

I applied to Bible school and was accepted two years before I ever stepped foot on campus. Meanwhile, there were many people asking questions that I did not have the answers to,  perplexed that I was leaving guaranteed security to travel into the unknown to live for a God I could not see. Though nervous and fearful at times, I had an unexplainable peace after a dream. In this dream, my supervisor, who was an unbeliever at the time, found an essay I had written for school and wanted to talk to me about it but could not find me in the clinic. Moments after he had become restless in his search, I turned the corner, and we stood face to face. He looked me in the eyes as he held on to the essay and said, "Wilcox, if you do not go and do what God is telling you to do, then no one in the military will benefit from you." I woke up from that dream with the courage to leave it all behind in order to pursue God's will for my life.

In October of 2013, I transitioned out of active duty, and in January of 2014, I became a full-time student at Northpoint Bible College in Haverhill, Massachusetts and with God's help earned a Bachelors degree in biblical studies with a second major in Intercultural ministries. That was a season of my life that I will never forget!

Heavenly Perspective

We can make our plans, but it is the Lord who orders our steps. Following Christ is a lifelong journey, and we will never live out our faith perfectly, but we can live it out intentionally with God's help. God is not looking for people who have it all together, He is looking for people who will choose to depend on Him! Maybe you are new to the faith and are searching for friends who are serious about their faith too. I want to encourage you to find a church home and God will lead the way. Maybe you are at a place in your life where you are searching for God’s will for your life. Keep on praying and serving Him, and He will reveal His will to you with clarity. Remember God wants His best for you!