following God

Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” Rom. 10:11 (MSG)

Yesterday, at the time of this writing, my pastor spoke from the book of Genesis about how Abram (later Abraham) picked up and left everything to follow God and his plan for his life. Today I sent the following message to him.

Hi Pastor,

I could relate to your message yesterday. When I was 20, God called me into the ministry. Three weeks after I turned 21, I left Tulsa, my budding, stable career with PSO, family, and friends, and drove 1640 miles to Acton, MA.

I took a position in an Assembly of God church that was new, and they said they couldn’t pay me a salary. Yet I had a car payment, a student loan to pay back (with no Joe Biden’s help), and living costs. My father forbade me from going. (I was not living under his roof at the time.) Also, I lost my best friend over it because he thought I should obey my father. Yet I knew God told me to go, and I wanted to “trust” Him and obey.

God was faithful, and everything got paid. I learned so much about following God back then. It has truly been the greatest adventure one could ever live! I, too, desire for everyone to experience that kind of relationship with God, and that is the basis of my blogs.

In closing, I sensed the Holy Spirit whisper to me yesterday while you were speaking, “Because you trusted me and obeyed, I have poured out my blessings upon you ever since.”

Romans 10:11 is so true! You don’t follow God for what you can get from him. He simply likes to bless his children who believe so strongly in him. One can never follow God too closely.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb. 11:6 (NIV)

⁶So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” ⁷Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. ⁸Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” ⁹So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Gal. 3:6-9 (NIV)

I have written about this subject several times over the years, but I still find it challenging. We want to be in God’s perfect will and follow God with all our might. We want to be where He wants us and do what He wants us to do. Many times, where that is and what that does not only benefit us, but He has orchestrated it to help others. To answer their prayers. God is so cool like that.

There are times when one must step out in faith. Must put down a deposit and lay out real money before the confirmation comes forth. That is when the difficulty of following him gets real. Real Scary, that is!

When reading the Bible, you come across several stories of individuals in similar situations. Whether they were asked to go to war with only 300 men or give birth to God’s Son, it was challenging for them.

To overcome this fear is to Know God. To know of his faithfulness to us. To know his word and the outcome of those testimonies in the Bible. Another way is to pray about the direction we are sensing in our lives with others. It is helpful to find people of like precious faith. That is one of the benefits of attending a local church. Also, there is nothing wrong with asking God to confirm his will and direction.

We can lean on his scriptures of promises. Like, “in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your path straight.” And “I know the plans I have for you.” Then sit back and watch God work. Observe how he puts people in your path at the right moment to assist you or to say an encouraging word. Notice how as you take practical steps, things will work out and be easy to accomplish.

So, take heart. You are not alone in this. Others are walking with God like you are. You may feel you are wobbling like a toddler learning to walk but keep putting one step in front of the other. Keep trusting and keep believing. You will get there. If you sit and wait for it all to work out before you take a step, you will most likely never reach the goal. I have often written that a parked car cannot be steered.

brady, mark a.

Words to inspire you

Never Too Close!

Following God