When God says "NO"

How do you handle life when God says "no" to your most cherished plans? Join me, Pastor Will, on this compelling episode of the SoulFuel Podcast as I share personal stories of my own career aspirations, from the challenging auditions in Atlanta to unexpected twists that led me to where I am today. By reflecting on Proverbs 19:21, we uncover the profound lesson that while many are the plans in a person’s heart, it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Balancing ministry and creative passions isn't easy, and I've wrestled with the tension between my duties as an ordained elder and my love for filmmaking. Through honest conversations with my father and insights drawn from the example of Denzel Washington, we delve into the importance of aligning one's career with faith. This episode brings to light the struggle of prioritizing commitments and the journey toward finding a genuine love for your craft, beyond the allure of success and recognition.

Life's seasons can often feel like navigating through a spiritual winter, but it's in these times of introspection and growth that we find true direction. We'll talk about the significance of trusting God's timing, using personal anecdotes to illustrate how divine intervention has guided my path. With references to the book of James and Romans 8:28, this episode emphasizes that embracing God’s “no” can often lead us to our ultimate calling, reinforcing the belief that all things work together for the good of those who love Him.

Chapters

• 0:00 When God says NO
• 14:50 Struggling With Priorities and Commitments
• 24:10 Understanding the Purpose of Challenges
• 31:48 Living Life in Spiritual Seasons
• 38:16 Trusting in God's Plan and Timing
• 50:03 Combatting Rejection

Transcript

It's easy to believe God and hear his voice when it's convenient. So then we hear the Lord saying things that benefit us. What's happening, everybody? Welcome to another episode of the SoulFuel podcast. What's happening, everybody? Welcome to another episode of the SoulFuel podcast.

Will: 0:25

The pit stop for your soul to get gassed up for the journey in this thing we call life. Listen, I'm so excited about this episode because I want to talk to you about this thing, and so many of us have experienced this. Some of us are experiencing this thing now and I think it's important to talk about it. You know, we may pray for this to happen for our careers and we may pray for that to happen for our lives, and we want to be married by a certain time, and some women want to be married because their biological clock is ticking, and some men want to be married because they just want to be married at a certain time. They have these things planned. We've all had things planned out for our lives, but sometimes it's a no, and so that's what I want to talk to you about. Sometimes it's a no, sometimes the Lord is like no, not this time, not this time. It just, it just may not happen for you the way that you think it should happen. And, with that being said, this is the first scripture that I want to drop, real quick Proverbs, chapter 19, verse 21. And it says many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. It is the Lord's purpose that prevails. I think this is so interesting because I found myself getting saved around 2009. 2009, it was New Year's Eve, 2009, going into 2010.

Will: 2:13

And I completely made a shift in my walk and what I was pursuing. I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be the next Will Smith. I mean, we all know that that's probably not a good idea, but, at the end of the day, the man is a very talented actor and that's what I wanted to be. In fact, in high school, everybody called me the next Will Smith and I took you know, I took some pride in that because I, you know, he was good at what he did and I was a fan. For so long I was, I was such a fan and so, that being said, I graduated high school and I immediately went to Barber College.

Will: 2:47

Right, I thought to myself OK, this is my plan. I want to get out of high school and I'm going to go into a field of cutting hair, which I'm not. I'm not too bad, right, like I'm not, I'm not too bad at cutting hair, I can cut hair. I'm not too bad at cutting hair, I can cut hair. I decided that that was the easiest route for me, because everybody that was getting careers, everybody that wanted a job, and I knew that the average nine to five would glue you down and you wouldn't be able to go to. Well, I wouldn't be able to go to auditions like I wanted to or like I would need to, because at the time I had an agent, um, in Atlanta and, uh, at that time I was also traveling back and forth going to different auditions.

Will: 3:31

Uh, I auditioned for Joyful Noise, didn't make it, um, you know, but I remember I traveled. This is a side story. I traveled, I think it was. It was a little. I think it was before christmas. It was like before christmas or after christmas, I, um, I drove and it I drove all the way from nashville, tennessee, to atlanta, which wasn't a bad drive, but it was when you're in a black nissan altima, I think it was a 97 Nissan Altima, um, that didn't have heat, and so I wanted the dream so bad I wanted to be an actor.

Will: 4:15

So bad that I drove all the way again from Nashville, tennessee, to Atlanta, georgia, to for a, a, a audition. So I got there, um, and I was running behind. But I got there and it was crazy because I had to go straight into the audition and I think it was to be in one of the choirs, one of the choirs in the movie Joyful Noise, with uh starring uh, queen Latifah and Dolly Parton. And I get in there and I got to do, I got to sing, I got to dance, I got to do these little dance numbers. And here I am.

Will: 4:52

I doubled up on my jeans because I didn't have any heat in the car. I doubled up on my jeans. I don't know if my wife remembers this. We were engaged at the time and I was just hungry for it. We were engaged at the time and I was just hungry for it. You know, I had graduated at that point. I believe I had graduated Barbara College already, but I was still, you know, chasing the dream of acting.

Will: 5:16

And I'm glad I brought this story up because it has a lot to do with the topic today. You know, sometimes it's a no, sometimes it's a no, sometimes it's a no, sometimes it's a no, sometimes it's a no. And so for that audition, again, like I said, I didn't get it. I came all the way back. I was dependent upon engine heat that was coming through the vents that kept me warm. But other than that, like I said, I doubled up on my jeans and I was in there dancing and all this, and so I finally left.

Will: 5:43

I finally left, got back and then, um, you know, went back to doing what I was doing. I was in church, heavy and um, you know it, just it was what it was, and I was waiting to hear back from him and I and I I kind of gave you the result of it earlier than than than I wanted to, just now. Now, but I was waiting for the email, I was waiting for the phone call from the agent, because the agent is the one that sent it, sent it to me, and I didn't get it. I didn't get it. Obviously, I didn't hear anything back.

Will: 6:14

And so, um, I graduated barber college really fast. I was super focused. I think I did it in like nine months, uh, nine and a half uh months, uh, quicker than a lot of people did it. It was me and this other guy named Richard he, he's a master barber, amazing guy at hair and everything and so I ended up, you know, cutting hair, still trying to act, and I was doing theater around the city in Nashville and I just really wasn't fulfilled and this is also my introduction into filmmaking, because I went at it. I was going at it for about a year, two years, three years, uh, four years, and I I was still doing it, but I was getting up just again. It was a lot of theater, a lot of a lot, a lot of theater. And so, after really chasing that, I started cutting hair right and I started trying to do what it was that I wanted to do and I believe in 2013, I got into my first barbershop.

Will: 7:15

What was in which was in Murfreesboro, tennessee, a very cool shop called Coach's Corner, um, and I then got into filmmaking. I got into making films. I started, I bought a camera, but before I got into filmmaking I was into photography, so it wasn't that I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to do, but I felt so discouraged because everything that I was trying to do wasn't working, and I wish I knew then what I knew now, and I think I did know what I know now then, but I just didn't want to do it because, at the end of the day, at the end of the day, when it comes to being an actor, it takes a lot of work. There's a lot of workshops you got to do a lot of.

Will: 8:01

I didn't mind the classes. I loved acting classes. In fact, I took an acting class in 2020 and I talked about that in, uh, a previous episode, um, uh, wrong friends at the right time. Go listen to it if you haven't already. But I had to understand who I was right. I was claiming to be saved.

Will: 8:22

I think at this point I was, was also a minister of the gospel at my dad's church, my home church, and things just weren't really progressing. And so that's when I got into film filmmaking and I think I stuck with filmmaking more and I identify with filmmaking more because I didn't realize that I was such a visionary filmmaking more because I didn't realize that I was such a visionary I was. My talent was bigger than just being in front of the camera, but my talent was also being behind the camera and putting things together. I was natural at at um editing. I didn't realize how, how natural it was when it came to editing and even uh, um, um, blending in the sound from the different shots. And so I ended up playing for a Baptist church and Baptist church in Lebanon, tennessee, and faced some challenges there. But I met a bass player whose wife was into entertainment and he was also. He was into music, so we automatically hit it off. He played bass, I played keys, I played organ and so as we continued to build our relationship, his wife's sister had wrote, had written a book, and she wanted to turn it into a film.

Will: 9:40

And I didn't know what I was doing, but I knew how to do it right. I didn't really know what I was, but I knew how to do it Right. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I knew how to do it. So when we say make a short film, a short film in my book now is probably two to 15 minutes, and we know that some are longer, but anything over 40 minutes is considered a feature film. So me being so green at it, I ended up writing a 50 page script calling it a short film for this lady and she was. She liked it and I remember charging her like $600 as a as, like, I don't know why, why I did that I it was so stupid to me, but you live and you learn Right. And so these were my plans.

Will: 10:23

This was my first shot at making a short film. It was work for hire, and so a lot of the people that I know now, a lot of people that I know in the city of Nashville, tennessee, such as the Sean Witzels and the Nina Websters, and all of these people that I know and have played a big role both of them were the first actors and actresses, were the first actor and the first actress that I've ever directed in anything, and Sean's a playwright Shout out to him and what he does with Destiny Theater Experience in Nashville. And Nina's such a phenomenal actress who ended up being the lead actress in my first feature film. But I say all of that to say that my first love, which was acting, ended up being a no and I and I don't think that that was a God thing, I don't think that the Lord said no, that I can't be, um, uh, I can't be an actor, right, I don't? I don't think. I don't think, um, I couldn't be an actor.

Will: 11:26

I think that I wasn't really focused enough to put in all of the work that it took to um, took to be an actor, right? Um, 2020 is when I really realized, okay, you need headshots. You got to stay in a class, you got to stay. You got to stay working out. You got to stay working your chops out is what I mean by that. And so I didn't.

Will: 11:51

I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that, because I was a little insecure about my image and my hairline, my hair. Having a bit like having a big head, you know, like some of these things just kind of made it easier for me to just be behind the camera. You know it, just it made it easy for me to be behind the camera. And so, um, I literally just took that as a no for myself and I didn't really follow through with it. Didn't mean that I wasn't good at it, didn't mean that I didn't have it, because I heard it from a lot of people are you good? You're a good actor, you're a great actor. Uh, will Robbins is a great actor, and I heard that here and there, and so I always still have a love for it and I still want to do it and I still do it.

Will: 12:34

Um, but I took that as a no from me and as I progressed and followed through with filmmaking ministry I don't know if you're paying attention to what I'm saying, but ministry kind of took the back seat. I was still doing it. I was still going to church every Sunday, I was still believing God, but I was really just believing him for what I wanted to do. I really didn't. I wasn't looking for him in other places to operate in my life other than finances right, everybody wants him to operate in your finances but I really wasn't looking for him in that aspect. I was looking for him to put me in front of the right people, to get me on right, to get me on to be the next big filmmaker the next best thing, right on, to be the next big filmmaker, the next best thing, right.

Will: 13:25

While I always wanted to go to LA, los Angeles and again the last episode talks about my move to Los Angeles but I found out that it was a no. Why would I think that? Why would I think that the Lord made it a no? Why would I think that the Lord made it a no? I believe that it was a no for me because I neglected the call, I neglected my faith in him and I was more so focused on my dream as being an actor and then focus on my dream as being a filmmaker. And so the no wasn't that I couldn't do it, because I've now. I've been in it 10 years and I've made projects and I've gotten better and better and better each year. And there are people who haven't been doing it as long as me and it seems like they get to, they get to do it, and why are they successful? And I look at their, their path and I'm like, okay, well, maybe I need to take that path. I look at the Ryan Coogler's of the world and he went to USC and he directs Black Panther. He did one big, one short film that went to the American Black Film Festival in that. That's every year in Miami, florida, and I'm like, ok, well, maybe that's my path.

Will: 14:50

So, while I'm in the faith and while I'm believing God and preaching here and there, because I am a minister and now I'm an ordained elder, I was ordained an elder in 2012. Right, I'm an ordained elder, I was ordained an elder in 2012. Right, and so from there I'm going. Because I went to film school. I wanted this so much. I went to film school. I enrolled in, like 2010. I enrolled in 2010, after Barber College, and well, no, it was 2011 when I enrolled, because I was still acting.

Will: 15:21

But then I got into it and what? What you're hearing is a lot of impatience and a lot of unpreparedness, if that's a word. If I can say that I was unprepared, I was not skilling up. I had faith in this thing of acting, but again, that was on me. That's why I say I don't believe that that was the Lord telling me no, but I believe that I was drawn to feel the filmmaking process because I'm good at it and that's where I've achieved the most success to date. Right, I've I've achieved much more success in filmmaking than I have as an actor, right?

Will: 16:05

So, with that being said, when the Lord tells us no, we have to think about what we said yes to. We have to think about what we said yes to, because I said yes to Lord. I love you, lord. I'll preach the word, lord. I'll preach the gospel. I said yes to because I said yes to Lord. I love you, lord. I'll preach the word, lord. I'll preach the gospel. I said yes to the great commission. Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Will: 16:32

I committed to that and then I turned my back on what I committed to, because the dream was better than what I was supposed to be doing. The dream looked better to me, everything looked better to me, and even in ministry. I don't think I tried my best At that time. I don't believe I tried my best. I did enough to get by, but I always did my best. In filmmaking, I always did my best at telling stories because I was good at it.

Will: 17:07

But again, I said yes to preaching the word, and I was rarely preaching. I wasn't preaching that much. I only preached as much as my dad told me that I was preaching and I always loved to preach, but I didn't do it as much. So I didn't really have a joy for it like that, because it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I did it not out of pressure, not because my dad said I needed to be a preacher. He never put that on me. He never said that this is your thing, you're gonna do this.

Will: 17:38

I believe that I was. I was called to preach. I believe that he, he put that in me, me, uh, because, like I said, when I got saved, um, for real, for real, cause you know, when you're a PK, I'm a PK and when you're a PK you get saved. All the time you find yourself at the altar every Sunday. You know, dad, dad, looking at me to be on that altar, uh, you better get get your behind on this altar. And so I was always getting saved. But no, for real, 2009,. I was for real, for real, new Year's Eve into 2010,. I got for real.

Will: 18:13

And so one of my biggest questions was could I be an actor and serve the Lord? Could you be an actor and serve the Lord? And so I talked to my dad about it. My dad was like, why not? I think the Lord understands that acting is a job. I think, from that, it's based on your own morals and what goes against certain roles that will go against the law of God.

Will: 18:36

What is and what is that story? What is that story for? Is it a redemptive? Is it a redemptive character? One thing I respect about one of my favorite actors of all times, and he is the goat um, denzel washington. Right, he said he wrote in training day. He wrote, uh, on top of the script. Um, the wages of sin is death. Because he didn't want to play alonzo in training day without him having some kind of consequence, like he didn't want this bad cop to get away with it, because I think in the original script he was supposed to get away with it and he was like, nah, he gotta die at the end because he's a bad, he's like his character is. Is, I mean like like crazy, right? So it only made sense for him to die. So that's a story of good and evil.

Will: 19:28

One one, one of the greatest movies to ever be made Antoine Fuqua Fuqua, um, one of the great movies, to just a side note. But, um, my yes was to preaching the gospel, but I didn't really want to do it because I thought that making films was better. And can I be all the way honest with you that it was the attention for me. Some of it was attention Like no, I really wanted to do it, but I love the praise that I got from it, right? So everybody's like man. That movie was like.

Will: 20:01

I was humble about receiving it, but behind closed doors I was like man. Yes, this is what I'm going to be. It wasn't really about fame for me, but it was about fame, if that makes sense. It's easy to say that something is not about something, but then it really is. It's just that you don't walk in that because you know that people are going to perceive you differently. They're going to look at you sideways and side eye you because you're in it for fame and you can never make that be known. But I, I really my love for film and and why I do it, has transformed over the years and developed into a love, uh, that surpasses anybody telling me I'm good at it, right, and everybody. You know the people that would say no. When you submit to film festivals and things of this nature and people tell you no, it's like okay, why are they telling me no? It's because of the yes that you made.

Will: 20:58

It's because of the commitment that you made, for scripture tells us, for it is better to have not made a vow than to make a vow and break it. This is Ecclesiastes right. These are the things that we do. We make these vows and we don't keep them, especially when it comes to the Lord. This is what is supposed to fuel your soul today as you're listening to this. Let this fuel your soul. That whatever plans that you thought you had, you always have to submit it to the Lord To this day.

Will: 21:33

This is why my favorite scripture is found in Proverbs, chapter 3, somewhere around verse 4 through 7 would say that lean not to your own understanding. Trust in the Lord, god, with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding in all your ways. Here's the key verse in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path. See, it's easy to acknowledge him and make up what you want him to say. Hear me clearly.

Will: 22:10

There are so many people that are saying that the lord is leading me this way, is leading me north, when really he is leading you west, he's leading you south, he's leading you east, but you're you're pointing north because that's where you want to go. You're pointing north because that's where you want to go. It's funny because people are always. People are always saying what the Lord is leading them to do, but it's always convenient for them. But if we look in scripture, we look in scripture, we see what Abraham wants, we see what Sarah wants. We see that they want a child of their own and the Lord makes a promise to them. But they become impatient.

Will: 22:50

And these are the things that we can see throughout some of my experience and some of the things that I'm sharing with you, and I want you to be able to go back and think about the things in your life, the things that you wanted to do, the things that you plan to do. You know some of the ways that we and some of the plans that we've had set out that we didn't even go by because other things came up. And it's not so much that other things come up all the time, it's because that's not the route that the Lord wants us to take. That's not where he wants us to be at in that in moment, because there are other things that we have to go through and and get to before we can get to that place. We want to go, but we have to understand the purpose. We know what we are. We only know what we're called to when we understand the purpose, and so you know it's easy to believe God and hear his voice when it's convenient. So then we hear the Lord saying things that benefit us Instead of stick to the path. Right, stick to the path, because all I had to do was really stay on the path, stay preaching, stay in the word of God and I probably would have been a lot farther sooner, who knows?

Will: 24:10

But I believe that everything happens for a reason and everything plays out like it does, for one, because of us, our own doing. I say there's two reasons why we go through things in life. For one, because it's a part of life, it's a part of the imperfection of this human experience that we have to go through sickness, we have to go through trial. We get the flu, we get colds, we may get a fever, we may have allergies, these different things we have to go through. This is a part of the trials of life that we got to count our joy because it tests our faith. And the testing of our faith we know James says it it it works patience. So let patience have a perfect work. And so this is one of the key ingredients to us being able to understand when the Lord is saying no.

Will: 24:58

When the Lord is saying no, sometimes you have to learn how to stay right there. Sometimes you have to be able to stay in that same place and believe God from where you are Doesn't mean don't try to move forward. It just means that if you're not getting anywhere, it's almost like when you believe God for something, it's like a I want to say it's like a truck stuck in mud. You know how a truck is stuck in mud, mud. You know how a truck is stuck in mud, how, depending on what drive it is, if it's front wheel drive or or back wheel drive, rear end drive, when you hit the gas, depending on how much moisture there is, how wet the mud is. It's going to be difficult for you to get out of the mud. You need a push, but what's going to push you? What's going push, but what's going to push you? What's going to push you? What's going to push you in faith?

Will: 25:51

Taking that analogy or that metaphor and applying it to faith, saying, when you feel stuck, what is it that pulls you out? Well, it's the higher power, that higher power being Jehovah God, that power being Jehovah Jireh, our provider, the one who is able to pull us out of the mud. Now the thing is, when you get out of the mud, which way are you going to go? Which way are you going to go? He wants to know which way are you going to go. Are you going to go back into it? Because how did you get in the mud in the first place. What about your faith? Put you in the mud Because he said no and you tried to take this faith which is not in him.

Will: 26:38

It was faith in yourself, faith in the desire of the thing that you wanted to push towards that, instead of pushing towards the mark, the high calling, you push toward the dream. And when you push toward the dream, whatever comes with it, even if it's success because guess what? Let me tell you this this is I, this is you. You really got to understand this. When you push toward a dream, it doesn't mean that you won't ever make it. It doesn't mean that you can't reach a certain level of success in your dream without god. Let me rephrase that it's I'm saying that you can reach success with or without God. That's exactly what I wanted to say. Thank you self, thank you Holy Spirit. Thank you, holy Spirit, not self. But yeah, you, you can achieve fame, fortune, all of these things with hard work. All you got to do is put in hard work. Put in hard work, you can get it.

Will: 27:51

Some of the most raggediest people, some of the most untalented people when I say raggedy, I mean just like as far as lifestyle, like mean ugly people like ugly on the inside ugly heart, ugly attitude. Right, these people inside ugly heart, ugly attitude. Right. These people make it all day long, because they have a certain amount of faith in self, to achieve the goal that they're looking to achieve, and it happens for them. I talk about this all the time. And so, for believers, we can do the same thing, we can achieve certain things. But we have to understand that if we do it without God, if we fail to acknowledge him, we will fail to hear the no, because just like the Lord opens doors of opportunities, the devil can do the same thing. But see the devil's blessings always come with sorrow. But see the devil's blessings always come with sorrow. Scripture tells us that the blessings of the lord makes us rich and he adds no sorrow. So if it's of god, then you're not going to struggle to keep the thing that is of god. If your career is of god, it won't be a hard struggle to keep that career up, because it's of God. He's the one that led you to it. If he leads you to it, he got to see you through it.

Will: 29:16

I was on a plane one time and I think I shared this on a TikTok live before, a long time ago, probably like two years ago, when I first walked into pastoring. I was working for an airline and I ended up being able to fly first class and I was sitting beside this lady and I told her that I was a pastor. You know, I don't like to lead with that, I never lead with that, I only say it if it kind of comes up. And so I told her I was a pastor and I just kind of told her, like I wasn't trying to really do this, this wasn't a part of it, but it feels right. I mean it more than feels right. Right Because we don't operate our feelings.

Will: 29:54

But there's just something that you know when the Holy Spirit puts it on you, it's in you and it sits in you and you know that that thing is right, especially when you make the move on. When you move on, what Holy Spirit says, you know that it's right. You know you can't leave that and sometimes it's uncomfortable. You know that feeling, that feeling that I had, you know, I just basically expressed that to her, that feeling that I had, you know, I just basically expressed that to her and she said well, that's the very thing she told me is what I just said a couple minutes ago Is that if he leads you to it, he's got to see you through it. If he leads you to it, he's got to see you through it. And so every step of the way, while I've been creating, I've been accepted. You know, my films have been accepted different places and I still get accolades and that's great.

Will: 30:56

But my focus has changed because when it seemed like I was getting a no, it wasn't for no reason. I want you to that. That's a takeaway today in this episode is that when you get a no, the no is for no reason. It's not for no reason. He's not telling you no for no reason. Oftentimes a no is to protect you. Oftentimes a no is to prevent you from crashing. Oftentimes a no is to prevent you from taking off and taking flight under false pretenses that he's in that or that what he has for you is in that particular thing. You can be good at a thing, but it doesn't mean that that's what's going to be what catapults you into the blessings that he has for you, into the next season of your life.

Will: 31:48

Everybody loves to talk about seasons and I believe that we live as believers. We live life in seasons. Right, our spiritual journey is through seasons. There is summertime. When it gets hot in the summertime, ain't nothing pretty, right? There's a fall. Fall can sometimes fall can be pretty, depending on how you look at it. And when you're really rooted in the word and you're rooted in the Lord, fall is a beautiful time. This means that people will fall off, the scales will fall off, things that you didn't see about, certain things will fall off, and then you have the winter.

Will: 32:21

It gets cold, right, I don't know about you, but I like the winter. Winter is winter is winter is cool in the spirit? Right, winter is cool in the spirit. I don't like winter in the natural Right, because when it's winter in the natural, then I mean there's snow, it's cold outside, it's freezing, ankles super ashy, lips get chapped, face be chapped. I don't know, it's just a lot going on. Hands be hands be so cold where you can't touch nothing. It almost feel like you get frostbite on your hands and then, if you, if you make them hot too fast, they start itching. I don't get it. I don't. I don't understand. I don't like that. I don't like that. I don't work outside for the last two years, um, you know, working at the airport and it's too much.

Will: 33:05

But in the spirit, in the spirit, uh, world in this is spiritual, spiritually, thinking about the winter, spiritually. It's a beautiful time, it's a wonderful time of the year, right, so it, I, I, I like that. And so me understanding this, I know that the nose was to get me to where I am now In our church. I just made a significant shift. This is 2024. We're at the tail end of May and we're making a shift into being more intentional with our approach to outreach and filmmaking.

Will: 33:46

And the Holy Spirit gave me this word a couple years ago when we first started ministry, when we first started Creation Church back in Los Angeles. It was I gave you the gift. You have the gift for a reason, but not to use it out of season and for the longest. And I mentioned this on the lives and I've said it before. But I didn't really understand, if I'm being completely honest, I didn't really understand what that meant. It makes sense. It means that I know he didn't give me this gift of filmmaking, the ability to. That's not a gift of the spirit, by the way, I'm not, that's not what I'm saying. This, this gift of filmmaking, is a skill, it's a talent. Right, I didn't get the talent for no reason, but it wasn't for me to use it out of season.

Will: 34:34

In other words, it wasn't for me to be successful in all the times that I submitted to all of these film festivals, because nine times out of ten, had I got into these film festivals, it would have built relationships and I probably would have been at a diddy party, not saying I would actually win, I probably would have went, but I probably would have. I would definitely would have left at that certain time. Right, uh, uh, uh. Lecrae admitted to going to a diddy party and I understand what he was saying. But, come on, lecrae, um like no, but seriously, I probably not to say I actually did a ditty party, but just in general I'm being funny, but just in in relationships, I probably would have built relationships that could have possibly have taken me out of of the ordered steps of where I am now Going, from Nashville, tennessee, to Los Angeles. I needed that. That had to happen.

Will: 35:28

It was a beautiful time of my life. It's a beautiful time in my family's life where we pick up and we move to. You know about what? Is it 1,500 miles or 1,700 miles from Tennessee over into Los Angeles, and now we're in Dallas and I'm like what in the world am I doing in Dallas, you know? So everything that has shifted is shifted back into the talent.

Will: 35:52

This is the time to use the gift in this season, in this particular time. So I hope this makes sense to you. I pray that this makes so much sense to you that don't be okay with the no. Okay, I want you to be okay with the no. The Lord wants you to be okay with the no. He definitely wants you to be okay with the no. I want to read something that James says in chapter four, verse 13 through 15. He says now listen who, you who say today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money time out, time out, time out.

Will: 36:29

I just did that. I, I did that. I literally said I told my wife you know, when the pandemic hit, we, I moved during the pandemic and then I moved my family down, like eight months after um, within 2020, I think. We, we, we moved into an apartment in North Hollywood in October, october 28th I still got my lease on my computer. I just saw it the other day I was like, oh man, it brings back so many memories because I didn't know. And the Lord made a way right, it wasn't a no, that was a yes. And so I felt like, because I had that place, because I got that place, that he said yes to me being there, and so I believe that it was the will of God for us to be in Los Angeles for the time that we did. But I say I bring that up because I literally said OK in April, or, babe, this is what we're going to do, we're going to LA.

Will: 37:22

When James literally says listen, those of you who say today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money, the audacity that you have to say something like that when you don't know, you don't know If you're going to be successful, you don't know if you even go see them all. Jesus even mentions this. He said don't even worry about tomorrow, tomorrow got problems of its own, you got to live for today. Even the world says YOLO, you only live once. I don't completely disagree. I only disagree because they say live once, you only live once. And then you know they basically give that to you as a license to sin. Well, we say you only live once on this side of the fence because we got to live our life, right. We got to live our life, uh, according to his word and his standards right? That's pleasing in his sight.

Will: 38:16

But James goes on to say why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. He says why do you say these things? Why do you say today or tomorrow to uh, today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. How are you going to say you're going to go from Nashville to to Los Angeles and spend a year there, when you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow? Then he continues to say what is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say if it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. That's what you got to say, and so that's what I said in moving here and watch this.

Will: 39:07

This is a part. This is something that you say when you are acknowledging God according to Proverbs, chapter 3, when you are acknowledging God in everything that you do so that he can delight, so that he can direct your path right and then watch this. There's a Psalm that says delight yourself in the Lord, and then he will give you the desires of your heart. Now y'all gonna hear me talk about this a lot. This, this scripture, might come up a lot, because it is a very practical scripture.

Will: 39:37

To delight in the Lord simply means to greatly please. How do you greatly please? By faith. Not faith in the dream, not faith in the desire, not faith in the thing that you're looking for to take place in your business to be a six figure business, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with making six figures. There's nothing wrong with any of that. There's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with making six figures. There's nothing wrong with any of that. There's nothing wrong with starting a business. There's nothing wrong with it. But it cannot be for flesh sake. It has to be according to his will and for his purpose.

Will: 40:12

So, in order to you know, in wanting more money and wanting more finances, we should want these things so that we can be able to do ministry, whether it's a part of our personal ministry, and even be able to give to the ministries that we are part of or the churches that we are part of, so that we can do, so that your church may be able to do ministry on another level. Right, and so I say that, to say that we don't know what tomorrow holds. We don't know. We want him to direct our paths and to look to him to give us the thing that we want him to say yes to. Again, we must have it in our minds that maybe, when he says no, there is a yes that I made that I'm not sticking to Right, a yes that I made that I'm not sticking to Right. So he says, instead of saying that this is what we're going to do, you should say if it is in the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. If it is in the Lord's will, we will go to Los Angeles and we will live for a year or two and then we will move.

Will: 41:14

I never planned to move to Dallas. I wanted to stay in Los Angeles For a year or two and then we will move. I never planned to move to Dallas. I wanted to stay in Los Angeles, and so from there it was If it's in the Lord's will, we will go to Dallas. But I know that the Holy Spirit Put Dallas in my spirit when I was Praying at the beginning of 2021. Or praying or talking about In the beginning of 2022. It was 2022. And in that August, eight months later, on the 22nd, we were moving into the apartment here in Dallas, and now we're in a different place.

Will: 41:43

Praise God, and he just continues to provide, because when you remember the yes that you made, he will begin to say yes about the things that he said no to in the beginning. We have to be able to submit to what he wants, because his thoughts are not our thoughts, according to Isaiah, chapter 55, verse 8 and 9. Neither are our ways his ways, and this is what the Lord declares. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. So he always knows what's best. Again, it's two things to consider. I said it earlier.

Will: 42:36

Consider the fact that you are doing something that is slowing down the progression and the progression of the traveling that you're doing in your faith walk and the work that you're doing in your skill or your vocation. And the work that you're doing in your skill or your vocation, you are possibly slowing yourself down by getting distracted with things that you shouldn't be distracted with right and then, on the other side of the coin, things happen because it's a part of his plan. But according to Romans 8 and 28, one of my favorite scriptures in the very popular text is that we know that in all things, god works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. It is, is is plain and simple. It's plain and simple, it's plain and simple, and we just have to trust him. As I wrap up this episode, I really want you to take in trusting him. I really want you to take in and I'm going to drive this point home probably on every episode, I don't care what I'm talking about but I want you to take in, trusting him and continuing to get to know him.

Will: 44:07

Don't stop trying to get to know him because he's saying no to you. Sometimes you can keep doing something until it's it's like using a pencil until it goes numb. It's like using a pencil until it breaks and now you need. You need to be sharpened again, but it won't be sharpened because you don't need to write the things that you're trying to write. You don't need to continue to go down the're trying to write. You don't need to continue to go down the path that you're going down if he said yes, and he always knows what's better for you.

Will: 44:44

First, John 5, 14 through 15 says this is the confidence we have an approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him and these things that we know that is in his will, because these are the things that we're supposed to be praying praying the things that we know that is in his will, the things that we know that will carry us from day to day. If we're blessed to see tomorrow. We know that he'll give us wisdom. We know that he'll give us peace, because peace has already been given. We know that he'll give us joy. Joy is something that we're already supposed to have. We know that he'll give us these things that we need Right. So we don't have to worry. All we have to do is be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him and not fret and not be afraid when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Will: 45:44

Scripture tells us don't be jealous of the wicked. You can't afford to look at what Joe Blow is doing on Instagram. You can't afford to compare yourself. You know, we cast down that idea of needing to compare yourself because, can I tell you, I was one to do that when it came to my filmmaking career. Remember, I told you I was trying to be the next ryan coogler. I was trying to. I was, before even I even discovered ryan coogler. I was trying to go to to college for film, thinking that was my way. But everybody's path is different, and everybody's path is only different because of one the difference between them saying yes and the Lord saying no and to what they choose. I hope this makes sense to you.

Will: 46:42

But here is my favorite scripture Again trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him, acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. And we know a very familiar passage in Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, that tells us there's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. And sometimes you have to be okay with knowing not. Sometimes you have to be okay with knowing that it's going to be a no. You have to be okay with knowing that it's going to be a no, because he knows the plans that he has for you. He declares that in Jeremiah, chapter 29.

Will: 47:32

And we know that the proper context of that is that the children of Israel were being talked to by the prophet Jeremiah, by God, because they kept believing false prophets that kept telling them hey, it's your time, it's your time, it's your time, it's your time. You get ready to move, you get ready to leave, and the Lord says no, that wasn't me, they're lying on me. In fact, you're going to stay here 40 more years. So do yourself a favor Stop listening to false words that are not from the Lord, because in the season of no's from the Lord is the time for you to really buckle down and pay attention and remember what you said yes to. All right, y'all, it's been real. I love y'all so much and I want to thank you for listening. I want to thank you so much for listening, for listening, for listening to this episode, and I pray that you take everything to heart.

Will: 48:38

All right, real quick, I just want to introduce this next segment and it's titled they Must Be Stopped. They Must Be Stopped, and they Must Be Stopped is literally just things that are atrocious to society and to life itself. Funny things, right, such as people wearing black socks with white shoes. It's got to stop y'all. We can't do this, we can't do this. It's the same people that wear black shoes with white socks. It's terrible.

Will: 49:21

Why would you do that? Why would you do that? Okay, if you're wearing pants, it's okay. If you're wearing pants, it's okay, you can get away with that. Right, you say you haven't did laundry or nothing like that, something like that, whatever, that is that's cool, but let's make it stop, ok. Also, no socks with sandals, if it's. If it's sandals, you're not supposed to wear socks. Just don't put them on. Ok, you can do it with slides now You're allowed to do it with slides but no sandals. Ok, especially the men with these special looking sandals. You know the sandals with the design on it the closed toes. You can see the toes through it. Yeah, you're not supposed to wear socks with those. Don't do it no more. Don't do it no more.

Will: 50:03

I'm going to put a video, I'm going to put a clip or a picture of it on. If you're watching the podcast or if you're listening to it, I'm going to tell you and I'm going to because it's a crime. All right, they must be stopped. Listen. This has been another episode of the Soul Fuel Podcast. One thing I need you to do I need you to hit that subscribe button. If you're listening and watching on YouTube and if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, amazon Music, iheartradio, spotify wherever you're listening to it, listen, please, leave a review. Let somebody know that this episode is something they need to listen to whenever they are battling, knowing and dealing with a no from the Lord. All right, this is Pastor Will, aka Willie Robbins III. I'm signing out, peace.