What courageous act of obedience is the Lord asking you to walk into? 

For some it’s moving overseas far from family... 

It’s going back “home” to raise support again 

It’s parenting when you feel like you have no idea what you are doing 

It’s walking up to that stranger and sharing the Gospel 

It’s going back to school to be better equipped to serve 

It’s learning a new language and being humble enough to practice it with others 

It’s walking into the doctor’s office for the first appointment after the diagnosis 

It’s walking alongside a loved one with mental illness when you don’t have all the answers 

It’s choosing to love your spouse when the feelings aren’t there 

It’s caring for aging parents who no longer resemble the people you’ve known your whole life 

It’s adopting a child and accepting all the unknown baggage they bring with them, not knowing how it’s going to turn your life upside down 

It’s going out of your comfort zone to talk to that new family at church 

What does obedience look like for you today? How can you courageously walk forward? 

I was surprised at my reaction when the pastor explained I would need to become an official church member to serve in a specific ministry. I’ve worked with churches for over a decade, of course I would need to become a member, I knew how the process worked. So why did fear run through my heart and mind when he told me that the next step was membership? I filed away the feeling to talk to the Lord about it later and tried to quickly cover my panicked reaction with a calm smile and thanked the pastor for the information.  

When I got home, I asked the Lord about that unexpected reaction. Turns out there was still some hurt leftover that I hadn’t dealt with from my previous church experience. I had put so much of my heart into the last church. I thought that’s where we would be for years. I was so surprised and hurt when it didn’t work out. And now… I needed to open up again. I needed to commit again knowing full well the possible pain that could come. I had to try to trust again. I could have run or just stayed on the outskirts and kept a more comfortable distance but that’s not what God has for me. Courage. I needed courage to take my Lord’s hand and trust Him as He led me forward. Whatever happens, He will be with me and will see me through.  

So today, picture Jesus reaching out His hand to you to offer you the courage to walk into what He is leading you through. He loves you and He tells you, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)