Take the Lid Off: Trust God, Release the Pressure, and Find the Life He Wants for You

By Smokie Norful and Samuel R. Chand

Pastor and Grammy-winning musician Smokie Norful inspires readers to go to God and experience more fulfillment, delight, power, and success than they ever dreamed.

According to Smokie Norful, sometimes our lives feel like a pot of rice in his grandmother’s kitchen: hissing, boiling over, about to explode and create panic. The only way to avoid an explosion is to take the lid off—that is, to stop being trapped inside ourselves and instead look to God and his grace to make us all he intends us to be. Taking the lid off, Norful argues, entails four actions: look inward, experiencing the cleansing of forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit; look outward, seeking for others to experience the joy of living for God and have the best God has to offer; look upward and marvel at God’s love and strength to accomplish his purposes; and move onward, devising a strategy to accomplish all God has put in our hearts to do.

When we take these four steps, the pressure goes down, we gain peace and perception, and things work out much better in the end. When we finally take the lid off, we can become the people God has created us to be and do what we were intended to do. We get in touch with the unlimited power of his Spirit, we’re directed by the challenge of his purposes, and we experience the joy of seeing him use us to change lives. All of us need help in taking the lid off in order to trust God, take action, and reach our full potential.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Sep 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9780718078997

Smokie Norful

Smokie Norful is founder and senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center, a congregation on three campuses in Bolingbrook and Chicago, Illinois. A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, Norful also served on the board of regents for Trinity International University. A multiple Grammy-winning artist who has sold more than three million albums worldwide, he has also received Stellar awards; Dove awards; an NAACP Image Award nomination; a Soul Train Award nomination; two nominations for the BET Award for gospel music; two RIAA-certified Gold-selling compact discs; and countless other awards. He lives with his wife and family in the Chicago area.

Book preview

PART 1

INWARD

ONE

ALL OR NOTHING

If you want the fire of God, you must become the fuel of God.

—TOMMY TENNEY

I’M NOT SURE IF IT’S A BLESSING OR A CURSE, BUT I’M AN ALL-OR-NOTHING KIND OF GUY. I’m not satisfied with half measures and partial attempts. When I step into a venture, I believe it has vast potential, and I won’t settle for anything less. When I taught history in high school, I didn’t see my role starting and stopping when the bell rang. If a student had a consistent problem with truancy, I went over to his house to wake him up and take him to school on time. On Sunday morning, I went to his house to take him to church. And this wasn’t just one student. I did this for many kids in my classroom. The students (and their parents) sensed that I was giving them everything I had, and they appreciated my commitment to them.

Over the years God has tempered me, so I’m a little more cautious. (It only takes a few impulsive and colossal mistakes to get my attention!) Now, I weigh things very carefully before I sign on because once I’m committed, I’m in all the way.

Sometimes, however, God’s all is vastly different from our all.

When I began my music career, I had no idea how much favor God would pour out on me. It was humbling and astounding. By the grace of God, I am a successful recording artist. My albums have risen to the top of the charts and remained there. I was Billboard magazine’s number-one recording artist in gospel music two years in a row. My albums had sold more in this genre than any other artist’s during this period. The critics noticed. I won award after award: two Grammys, three Stellars, four Doves, and more. Two of my albums went gold, and eventually, I sold platinum (one million). I was asked to sing on five national fund-raising programs, jazz festivals, and awards shows—the pre-Grammy show, the Dove Awards, the Parade of Stars, the BET awards, and many others—more than I can remember. All the while I was saying to myself, I’m just a young man from the plains of central Arkansas—this has to be God! All of this was happening because of the matchless favor of God. To Him be all the glory!

In 2005 I was at the pinnacle of my career, and it looked very promising for the future. One day, it was as if I had turned a corner and come across a stop sign. I sensed the Lord say to me, Okay, now it’s time.

I reacted. Time for what?

I had everything any artist could ever dream of enjoying: money, celebrity, creativity, opportunity, and realized potential. When I wasn’t performing, I served in the local church. My wife, Carla, and our kids were doing great. During these years, I walked with God, trusting Him and giving Him honor at every point in my career. I resisted the temptation to live for fame and wealth, and God gave me wisdom and strength to stay strong when I faced unjust criticism and betrayal. Everything was perfect. I was living the dream—but I was miserable!

Shortly after hearing God’s deafening words, Now it’s time, I stopped going to church. Imagine that. I was a PK (preacher’s kid). I grew up on the front row of the church, sang God’s praises, accepted my call to preach, and attended seminary. God had blessed me with incredible favor in my music career. All of this was wonderful and meaningful, but I had a nagging sense that something was very wrong. Peace and joy had vanished from my life. Going to church made me feel empty, but I had no idea why. My remedy was to avoid church . . . and avoid God.

From the outside—and from my perspective—my discouragement and disillusionment made no sense at all. God had opened magnificent doors of opportunity, and He’d blessed me beyond measure. I believed I was doing exactly what He had called me to do, which was to sing about the wonders of His glory and grace. I had delighted myself in God, and He had blessed me with the desires of my heart to reach countless people with the musical talents He had given me. People from every race, age, and socioeconomic group wrote me to say how much my music inspired them. God had given me His all. Yet, though my life had every appearance of giving God my all, I hadn’t really given it all to Him. I still clung to certain facets of my life, and I wanted to stay in control of those things. As a result, my peace had vanished.

When we hold something back, our hearts know it . . . and God knows it. We experience the fullness of God’s perfect peace only when we’re fully surrendered to His will and when we delight more in Him than in His gifts.

During this time, God sent His Spirit and my mother to point the way. Every Sunday morning, my mother called me. With a stern voice that sounded as if she were scolding a misbehaving child, she asked, Are you up? Are you getting ready for church? You’re going to church today, aren’t you?

I tried to ignore her. In my mind, I justified not going to church because I’d been traveling so much—and after all, I was singing about God! Quite often, I was out of town on Sundays; therefore, I had a good excuse (or so I thought). But when I was at home, I still found reasons to stay in bed. It was my day off. Every Sunday, Carla took our children, Tré and Ashton, to church while I stayed home, feeling distant from God and sorry for myself.

When I didn’t give God my all, I lost my peace. Though I didn’t lose my favor, my family, or my life, I realize the result of being distant from God could have been worse. God’s grace and mercy continued to protect me because He had bigger and better plans for me—even when I didn’t see them, and even when I didn’t pursue Him.

One day, I finally realized that I’d been ignoring God’s best plan for me. It had taken a lot of messages to get through to me: from my mother, my wife, the Spirit of God, my lack of peace, and a nagging sense that God was calling me to be something else—a pastor. There were plenty of warnings and encouragements. Finally, God got through to me. It dawned on me that I’d confused God’s blessing for God’s purposes. Finally, I understood: God’s future purposes are always bigger than God’s present blessings. So, I came up with a solution. Since God wanted me to be involved in teaching the Scriptures and discipling people, I decided to start a Bible study.

I was in a recording studio in Memphis, working on a new album with two of my team members at the time. I told my music director, Jason Tyson, that God was leading me to start a Bible study when I returned to Chicago. He was surprised but supportive. During a break, I called my friend, recording artist Donnie McClurkin, to tell him my plans for the Bible study. I was excited because I felt I was finally doing what God wanted. I was sure he would be excited too. I was wrong.

He quickly asked, Smokie, why are you doing that?

I was shocked. I thought he’d be supportive and enthusiastic when he heard my plans. Instead, he was skeptical. I explained (a little defensively), I’m walking in my anointing. I’m going to teach the Word of God!

He didn’t budge. He asked again, But why are you doing it?

Now I was really confused. I told him, Because God told me to teach a Bible study, that’s why. He didn’t say a word. After a long, awkward pause, I continued. I’ve been to seminary. I’m prepared, and I’ve acknowledged God’s call on my life to teach the Scriptures and lead people. I taught and preached for years, and now it’s time to get back to this calling.

I was sure my sterling logic was thoroughly convincing, yet Donnie sounded frustrated, as if I hadn’t been listening to him when he asked his question. Again, he asked me, "Yes, Smokie. I understand all that, but why are you going to lead a Bible study?"

I explained again. Because this is the way I’m going to prove to God that I haven’t abandoned His call on my life.

Donnie quickly asked, Did God tell you to do it?

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I told him, "Well, yeah, of course. The Bible says, ‘Preach the word in season and out of season.’¹ This is my season."

He had me. He asked, Smokie, did God tell you to start a Bible study, or did He tell you to pastor people and preach His Word in a church?

His words triggered a holy moment. I felt like Isaiah, who had stood in front of God’s throne and heard the very words of God. The Spirit used Donnie’s voice to speak words of grace and truth to my heart. Suddenly I realized I’d missed God’s will again. I didn’t want to be inconvenienced or have my comfort level altered, so I assumed God wanted me to lead a Bible study. Reluctantly, I began to understand that leading a Bible study was still only a half measure, a partial commitment. I was still holding back from giving every fiber of my