God always honors His promises; I’m experiencing this truth firsthand this year.

In the middle of my 2015-2016 season with the NY Jets, things were beginning to look dark for me; my playing time was going down. I wasn’t sure what was happening but God was assuring me that He had a plan.

During the off-season, when the Jets weren’t making any strong indications of resigning me, I felt like my future was very much up in the air. This began to cause me some anxiety but God kept reassuring me that He was in control. I did some fasting and praying during this time, asking God to give me peace and direction. One Sunday a man from my church came to encourage me and told me that God may just be taking me in a different direction, one where I could be a great leader. He told me, “You may be in transition, but you stand on a very Solid Rock.”

When it was time to look at teams, God opened a door for me at Cleveland. Cleveland is not where I would have chosen to go and I even told God, “If this is where You want me to go, You’re going to have to close all the other doors.”

I met with the GM and the head coach, who both told me that they wanted me to be a lead defenseman and middle linebacker. They said that they were building something new here and wanted me to be a part of it; this was really reassuring for me. Suddenly, all the other doors that were open for me closed, but Cleveland’s stood open.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” —Jeremiah 29:11

Confirmation that this is where God wants me and my family to be continues to amaze us as we transition to this new city. Once I signed with Cleveland, we had to find a place to call our home. This usually takes time but we were able to find the perfect place the very first day we came. Within a week, we were completely moved from New Jersey to Cleveland. It was such a smooth process.

When the team began to meet, head coach Hue Jackson kept telling me, “We’re looking for you to lead.” Being thrust into this role is such a blessing and privilege for me. Not only that, I’ve been able to form strong bonds with my teammates here extremely quickly; I feel like I’ve been playing with them for a long time now.

I always wondered what it would look like if a middle linebacker and a quarterback on the same team loved Jesus and football. On this team, we have three strong quarterbacks who love Jesus! I’m so excited to be able to play alongside and lead with RG3, Josh McCown, and Austin Davis, who are such solid men. It’s powerful to have guys in key positions on the team who are walking closely with Jesus. I believe that there are players on this team who will change this team, and I believe that this team is going to change this community. As our Bible study starts next week, I can’t wait to see how God is going to work in and through us this season.

I can tell that God is going to do something mighty in this place. Being told that God has a plan and that we need to trust in Him is one thing, but seeing His plan come to fruition is something entirely different and extremely powerful. Already, Cleveland has provided a place where my wife and I feel comfortable, loved, and at peace with where God has brought us and who He has surrounded us with. We love it here; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I don’t know what God is going to do here but I know that what He is going to do will amaze me, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

—Demario Davis

Demario Davis is a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out Demario’s Increase profile here: http://theincrease.com/author/demario-davis/  

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