Photo Credit: amanky via Compfight cc
I quickly typed the email and hit ‘send’ before I lost my nerve. The night before I tossed and turned thinking about it. How would she take it? Was it too crazy of an idea? Could I handle the rejection?
In some crazy act of faith – crazy because I’d never taken this kind of step of faith before – I took a step of obedience toward where I felt the Holy Spirit leading me. The night before I had seen a vision of a women’s conference play out before my eyes, complete with me leading the planning team and even speaking during the opening session. This call toward a leadership role had just taken a turn and I’d been given a very specific direction.
It was September already and we did our conferences in the spring. I figured they would have formed a committee for the next year’s conference shortly after the prior one ended, so must already have a theme chosen and be well into the planning stages. Why did God give me such a clear vision of a conference? Maybe I could at least join the planning team and see how it worked, prove myself to them so I could have more of a leadership role next year?
What can God do if I simply take the small step of “yes”?
All summer, I had been reading scripture about people who demonstrated outrageous obedience to God. People like Abraham, who immediately packed up his whole family and took off on a journey to a new land, not knowing anything about the destination. He didn’t even ask to think it over or question why or where. Abraham just said “yes”.
I wanted to try some of that radical obedience, at least in a small way, and see what it was all about. So, I decided to take action on this latest prompt from the Holy Spirit immediately. Not ask a thousand questions or procrastinate until the moment passed. After all, I wasn’t being asked to move my family halfway across the world. No, I was asked only to share the ideas I’d seen the night before. Surely I could do that!
That morning, I dashed off an email asking our new women’s ministry director where could she use some help, where was her biggest need right now. I didn’t tell her about the conference idea yet. Thought I’d see if the Holy Spirit had any other corroborating clues for this vision before I shared too much…
Do you know what I heard back in response later that morning? “I have mostly been praying about a conference or retreat for the past few weeks. I want to make sure it’s what God wants us to do.”
All we have to do is obey the Holy Spirit and let Him take care of the rest.
All my worries about timing and my abilities (or rather inabilities) were just my fears talking. God’s ways are bigger and wider than our ways. If He wants to put a plan in motion, don’t you think He can orchestrate all the pieces?
I began learning that lesson that day. Let God handle the big picture plan. Let God handle the worries. If He has given me a task to do, I just need to obey the Holy Spirit and let Him handle the rest.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
This post is part of a 4 week series about the Holy Spirit. Click HERE to catch up on other posts in this series.
This series will look at topics such as:
– Inviting the Holy Spirit to begin working within us
– How to listen for the Holy Spirit
– What it means to obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit
– How obedience is linked to trust
– How the Holy Spirit equips us, even when we don’t feel qualified
– What impact we can have in the world when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit
Take a Risk and Just Obey [Holy Spirit series] – Prayer & Possibilities
Photo Credit: amanky via Compfight cc
I quickly typed the email and hit ‘send’ before I lost my nerve. The night before I tossed and turned thinking about it. How would she take it? Was it too crazy of an idea? Could I handle the rejection?
In some crazy act of faith – crazy because I’d never taken this kind of step of faith before – I took a step of obedience toward where I felt the Holy Spirit leading me. The night before I had seen a vision of a women’s conference play out before my eyes, complete with me leading the planning team and even speaking during the opening session. This call toward a leadership role had just taken a turn and I’d been given a very specific direction.
It was September already and we did our conferences in the spring. I figured they would have formed a committee for the next year’s conference shortly after the prior one ended, so must already have a theme chosen and be well into the planning stages. Why did God give me such a clear vision of a conference? Maybe I could at least join the planning team and see how it worked, prove myself to them so I could have more of a leadership role next year?
What can God do if I simply take the small step of “yes”?
I wanted to try some of that radical obedience, at least in a small way, and see what it was all about. So, I decided to take action on this latest prompt from the Holy Spirit immediately. Not ask a thousand questions or procrastinate until the moment passed. After all, I wasn’t being asked to move my family halfway across the world. No, I was asked only to share the ideas I’d seen the night before. Surely I could do that!
That morning, I dashed off an email asking our new women’s ministry director where could she use some help, where was her biggest need right now. I didn’t tell her about the conference idea yet. Thought I’d see if the Holy Spirit had any other corroborating clues for this vision before I shared too much…
Do you know what I heard back in response later that morning? “I have mostly been praying about a conference or retreat for the past few weeks. I want to make sure it’s what God wants us to do.”
All we have to do is obey the Holy Spirit and let Him take care of the rest.
All my worries about timing and my abilities (or rather inabilities) were just my fears talking. God’s ways are bigger and wider than our ways. If He wants to put a plan in motion, don’t you think He can orchestrate all the pieces?
I began learning that lesson that day. Let God handle the big picture plan. Let God handle the worries. If He has given me a task to do, I just need to obey the Holy Spirit and let Him handle the rest.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
This post is part of a 4 week series about the Holy Spirit. Click HERE to catch up on other posts in this series.
This series will look at topics such as:
– Inviting the Holy Spirit to begin working within us
– How to listen for the Holy Spirit
– What it means to obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit
– How obedience is linked to trust
– How the Holy Spirit equips us, even when we don’t feel qualified
– What impact we can have in the world when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit