Allen Domelle

There are three men in Luke 9 who told Jesus, "I will follow thee." In each instance, Jesus said something different to them, but the same truth was being taught. To the first man, Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." To the next man, Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." To the last man, Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Each of these men had what seemed to be a good excuse for why they could not immediately follow Christ. The first man likely wanted everything set up for him before he followed. He may have thought that following Christ would bring personal gain, but he quickly learned that following Jesus required sacrifice. The second man wanted to bury his father first, but Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead." The third man wanted to go tell his family farewell, but Jesus understood that this man was looking back and having second thoughts about whether he truly wanted to follow Him. My friend, nobody has ever successfully followed God who had to have everything planned out before taking the first step. I have people call me regularly wanting me to hire them, but they want every detail worked out before they come. In essence, they want me to live by faith while they refuse to exercise faith themselves. They tell me they believe it is God's will for them to come and work in the ministry, but what they are really saying is that they will only come if everything is already taken care of. I recently hired Tyler Griggs as my assistant pastor. Tyler moved here from Texas because he believed it was God's will for him to be a part of our ministry. For six years, Tyler faithfully served God and never complained about not being on staff. His dream was to serve on our staff, but for whatever reason, God had not yet provided the finances to make that happen. Today, Tyler is on our staff and is proving to be a tremendous blessing to our church. I believe he will help our church immensely. However, Tyler did not come demanding that everything be done for him. He simply followed what he knew was God's will and faithfully served where God placed him. I could tell the same story about two of my other staff members, Bro. Mark Trimble and Bro. Dan DeOme. Bro. Trimble faithfully served in our church for about a year before I hired him. Bro. DeOme was already serving in the church when I became pastor. Neither man demanded a position. Neither man required guarantees. They simply served God by faith and trusted that if it was God's will, He would open the door in His timing. My friend, I point all of this out to help you understand one truth: if you have to have everything planned out before you will follow the Lord, you will never fully follow Him. Following God takes faith. Following God means you do not have to have a full-time salary, a guaranteed position, or every question answered before you obey. It means you are willing to do what God says simply because it is the right thing to do. I want to challenge you to stop waiting for everything to fall into place before you obey God. If it is God's will, then go do it. You will find that when you step out by faith and obey God, He will either help you see your dreams fulfilled, or He will give you something even better than you ever dreamed possible. Simply put, stop waiting for everything to be perfect and just start serving God. Faith is not having everything figured out before you move; faith is moving because God said to go.

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. There are three men in Luke 9 who told Jesus, "I will follow thee." In each instance, Jesus said something different to them, but the same truth was being taught.

To the first man, Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." To the next man, Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." To the last man, Jesus said, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Each of these men had what seemed to be a good excuse for why they could not immediately follow Christ. The first man likely wanted everything set up for him before he followed. He may have thought that following Christ would bring personal gain, but he quickly learned that following Jesus required sacrifice.

The second man wanted to bury his father first, but Jesus said, "Let the dead bury their dead." The third man wanted to go tell his family farewell, but Jesus understood that this man was looking back and having second thoughts about whether he truly wanted to follow Him.

My friend, nobody has ever successfully followed God who had to have everything planned out before taking the first step. I have people call me regularly wanting me to hire them, but they want every detail worked out before they come. In essence, they want me to live by faith while they refuse to exercise faith themselves. They tell me they believe it is God's will for them to come and work in the ministry, but what they are really saying is that they will only come if everything is already taken care of.

I recently hired Tyler Griggs as my assistant pastor. Tyler moved here from Texas because he believed it was God's will for him to be a part of our ministry. For six years, Tyler faithfully served God and never complained about not being on staff. His dream was to serve on our staff, but for whatever reason, God had not yet provided the finances to make that happen.

Today, Tyler is on our staff and is proving to be a tremendous blessing to our church. I believe he will help our church immensely. However, Tyler did not come demanding that everything be done for him. He simply followed what he knew was God's will and faithfully served where God placed him.

I could tell the same story about two of my other staff members, Bro. Mark Trimble and Bro. Dan DeOme. Bro. Trimble faithfully served in our church for about a year before I hired him. Bro. DeOme was already serving in the church when I became pastor. Neither man demanded a position. Neither man required guarantees. They simply served God by faith and trusted that if it was God's will, He would open the door in His timing.

My friend, I point all of this out to help you understand one truth: if you have to have everything planned out before you will follow the Lord, you will never fully follow Him. Following God takes faith. Following God means you do not have to have a full-time salary, a guaranteed position, or every question answered before you obey. It means you are willing to do what God says simply because it is the right thing to do.

I want to challenge you to stop waiting for everything to fall into place before you obey God. If it is God's will, then go do it. You will find that when you step out by faith and obey God, He will either help you see your dreams fulfilled, or He will give you something even better than you ever dreamed possible.
Simply put, stop waiting for everything to be perfect and just start serving God. Faith is not having everything figured out before you move; faith is moving because God said to go.

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

1 day ago

The Evil of Idleness https://t.co/KrBNo1sj9A

Who to follow

Shelton Smith

@DrSheltonLSmith

President & Editor of the Sword of the Lord publishers & Ministries, Murfreesboro, TN

Pastor Jeff Fugate

@drjefffugate

Pastor of Clays Mill Baptist Church / President of Commonwealth Baptist College

Sword of the Lord

@swordofthelord

Christian Publisher located in Murfreesboro, TN

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

1 day ago

The one thing that will keep anyone from being productive https://t.co/ynUgGloBll

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

1 day ago

The heroes of the faith are not those who quit when the battle becomes difficult; rather, they fight when others give up

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. The heroes of the faith are not those who quit when the battle becomes difficult; rather, they fight when others give up https://t.co/qZ4ZFIUXLH

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

1 day ago

Jesus gave us many examples to follow in His ministry, and one of those examples is that we must withdraw ourselves to pray. There is no power without prayer, but there is no prayer unless we have the character to withdraw ourselves to pray. My friend, if Jesus, the Son of God, needed to withdraw Himself to pray, then how much more do we as believers need to withdraw ourselves from everything else to pray? You must understand that if we are going to withdraw ourselves to pray, then we must set everything down for a while just to go and pray. You may think that you do not have enough time to pray, but what you will find is that if you will make the time to pray, your time in prayer will allow you to accomplish more with the time that you have. I have always learned in my life and ministry that taking the time to pray allows me to accomplish more. I may be busy, but I cannot be too busy to take time to pray. I may be in a season that demands much of me, but I must still set everything else aside and take time to pray. Are you overwhelmed? Withdraw yourself from what you are doing and go pray. Does your ministry seem to be waning? Withdraw yourself and pray. Have you hit a brick wall in your ministry or in your life? Withdraw yourself and pray. No one is going to make you withdraw yourself to pray; you must have the character to do it yourself. It is when you withdraw yourself to get alone with God and pray that you will find the answers and the power you need to move forward and go to the next level in your ministry, in your business, and in your life.

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. Jesus gave us many examples to follow in His ministry, and one of those examples is that we must withdraw ourselves to pray. There is no power without prayer, but there is no prayer unless we have the character to withdraw ourselves to pray.

My friend, if Jesus, the Son of God, needed to withdraw Himself to pray, then how much more do we as believers need to withdraw ourselves from everything else to pray? You must understand that if we are going to withdraw ourselves to pray, then we must set everything down for a while just to go and pray.

You may think that you do not have enough time to pray, but what you will find is that if you will make the time to pray, your time in prayer will allow you to accomplish more with the time that you have. I have always learned in my life and ministry that taking the time to pray allows me to accomplish more. I may be busy, but I cannot be too busy to take time to pray. I may be in a season that demands much of me, but I must still set everything else aside and take time to pray.

Are you overwhelmed? Withdraw yourself from what you are doing and go pray. Does your ministry seem to be waning? Withdraw yourself and pray. Have you hit a brick wall in your ministry or in your life? Withdraw yourself and pray. No one is going to make you withdraw yourself to pray; you must have the character to do it yourself.

It is when you withdraw yourself to get alone with God and pray that you will find the answers and the power you need to move forward and go to the next level in your ministry, in your business, and in your life.

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

1 day ago

Meet Tucari and Eli, two fine and hard-working young men. I was pulling into my garage from visiting my Sunday school class, and they walked up to my garage. After we talked about them working in the heat and what they were trying to sell, I was able to turn the conversation to the Gospel. I asked them if they knew they were going to Heaven, and they did not. After sharing the Gospel, they accepted Christ as their payment for their sins. #divineappointments

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. Meet Tucari and Eli, two fine and hard-working young men. I was pulling into my garage from visiting my Sunday school class, and they walked up to my garage. After we talked about them working in the heat and what they were trying to sell, I was able to turn the conversation to the Gospel. I asked them if they knew they were going to Heaven, and they did not. After sharing the Gospel, they accepted Christ as their payment for their sins. #divineappointments

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

2 days ago

The wait is over! All of the evening sermons from the 2026 Old Paths Conference are now available to listen to online. Whether you want to revisit a message that challenged your heart, catch a sermon you missed, or share these powerful messages with others, you can now access every evening sermon at: 👉 https://t.co/8bQ5sWbg9Z Take some time this week to listen and share each of these sermons #OldPathsConference #OldPaths2026

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

2 days ago

Sent some of our youth off this morning to the River Valley Teen Conference at Poteau Valley Baptist Church and Pastor Mickey Ellis. Praying God uses the preachers and this trip to influence our teens for Christ and His cause #reachingthenextgeneration #MBCBethany

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. Sent some of our youth off this morning to the River Valley Teen Conference at Poteau Valley Baptist Church and Pastor Mickey Ellis. Praying God uses the preachers and this trip to influence our teens for Christ and His cause #reachingthenextgeneration #MBCBethany https://t.co/U4uumHtevw

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

2 days ago

The Wisdom and Spirituality of Counting https://t.co/9UiLPormS8

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

2 days ago

Learn why counting in a church is very beneficial for its future https://t.co/1nXJz1pQiz

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

2 days ago

The greatest investments in life are investing in Christ, the church, and in getting the Gospel out

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

2 days ago

When Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, went to the tomb, they asked a great question: “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” This was a legitimate concern because they were just ladies, and the Scripture says the stone was “very great.” In other words, it was greater than their power. They understood that they did not have the ability to roll the stone away. However, when they arrived at the tomb, they discovered that the stone had already been rolled away. When they entered the sepulchre, they found that Jesus was gone and were told that He had risen. What a wonderful truth we find in these verses that should build our faith in God's power. Throughout the Scriptures, the door is often a picture of Christ. When they asked, “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door?” we could say that something was standing between them and the door, which is Christ. There was an obstacle that they could not remove by their own strength. My friend, one of the greatest lessons we can learn as believers is that God is not limited by our limitations. When man sees an obstacle that is beyond his ability, Christ is still able to accomplish what man cannot do. What seemed impossible to these women was easily handled by the power of God. I do not know what you are facing today that seems greater than your abilities, but I want to remind you that the Christ who rolled the stone away from the door is still able to remove every obstacle that stands in your way. The Saviour is still capable of rolling away any hindrance that keeps you from doing His will. We fret far too much about the obstacles we face in life, but we have a Saviour living within us who has the power to help us overcome every challenge that would hinder us from living a life of faith. Let me challenge you to remember that Christ is greater than any obstacle you face today. Trust Him! His power is omnipotent, and there is no limit to what God can do. Stop drawing lines around what you think can or cannot be done. Instead, realize that the power of God is available to help you accomplish what seems impossible. Attempt great things for God, and you will discover that with His power, you can accomplish great works for eternity's sake. The stone was very great, but Christ was greater. The obstacle was real, but His power was greater. Whatever stands before you today, remember that God has never met an obstacle He could not remove.

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. When Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, went to the tomb, they asked a great question: “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” This was a legitimate concern because they were just ladies, and the Scripture says the stone was “very great.” In other words, it was greater than their power. They understood that they did not have the ability to roll the stone away.

However, when they arrived at the tomb, they discovered that the stone had already been rolled away. When they entered the sepulchre, they found that Jesus was gone and were told that He had risen.

What a wonderful truth we find in these verses that should build our faith in God's power. Throughout the Scriptures, the door is often a picture of Christ. When they asked, “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door?” we could say that something was standing between them and the door, which is Christ. There was an obstacle that they could not remove by their own strength.

My friend, one of the greatest lessons we can learn as believers is that God is not limited by our limitations. When man sees an obstacle that is beyond his ability, Christ is still able to accomplish what man cannot do. What seemed impossible to these women was easily handled by the power of God.

I do not know what you are facing today that seems greater than your abilities, but I want to remind you that the Christ who rolled the stone away from the door is still able to remove every obstacle that stands in your way. The Saviour is still capable of rolling away any hindrance that keeps you from doing His will. We fret far too much about the obstacles we face in life, but we have a Saviour living within us who has the power to help us overcome every challenge that would hinder us from living a life of faith.

Let me challenge you to remember that Christ is greater than any obstacle you face today. Trust Him! His power is omnipotent, and there is no limit to what God can do. Stop drawing lines around what you think can or cannot be done. Instead, realize that the power of God is available to help you accomplish what seems impossible. Attempt great things for God, and you will discover that with His power, you can accomplish great works for eternity's sake.

The stone was very great, but Christ was greater. The obstacle was real, but His power was greater. Whatever stands before you today, remember that God has never met an obstacle He could not remove.

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

3 days ago

I often hear people talk about how our forefathers were hard-core preachers and stood for truth, but they were also gentlemen who loved other men of God and prayed for each other and loved each other. What these guys want us to think is that our forefathers were compromisers who would preach for anybody, which is just not true. Dr. Jack Hyles fought many battles for separation. Attached as a letter that Bro. Hyles wrote right after he was voted out of the Southern Baptist convention. (Taken from Ray Young's book on, "A Lifetime in Letter." I think it is time our brethren stop lying about our predecessors and stop trying to change our independent Baptist history and understand there is nothing wrong with taking a strong stand for separation against those who want to say that we can preach for anybody, wherever the Lord leads us. Got news for them; the Scriptures teach against this and our forefathers, who these guys use their names, when they grew stopped preaching for anybody and everybody.

oldpathsjournal's tweet photo. I often hear people talk about how our forefathers were hard-core preachers and stood for truth, but they were also gentlemen who loved other men of God and prayed for each other and loved each other.

What these guys want us to think is that our forefathers were compromisers who would preach for anybody, which is just not true.

Dr. Jack Hyles fought many battles for separation. Attached as a letter that Bro. Hyles wrote right after he was voted out of the Southern Baptist convention. (Taken from Ray Young's book on, "A Lifetime in Letter."

I think it is time our brethren stop lying about our predecessors and stop trying to change our independent Baptist history and understand there is nothing wrong with taking a strong stand for separation against those who want to say that we can preach for anybody, wherever the Lord leads us. Got news for them; the Scriptures teach against this and our forefathers, who these guys use their names, when they grew stopped preaching for anybody and everybody.

Allen Domelle

@oldpathsjournal

3 days ago

Deshon stopped by to make a delivery. I handed him a Gospel tract and invited him to church. He asked me if our church does baptisms. I said they do, but I asked him why. He told me because he wanted get some things cleared up in his life. He allowed me to share the Gospel with him, and he trusted Christ as his personal Saviour. Every person is an opportunity to give the Gospel to; don't waste the opportunities #divineappointments