How's that working for you?

I recently had the opportunity to attend a Christian Leadership Conference a couple of weeks ago, and the instructor raised an interesting question, "What are some things that cause us to lose our intimacy with God?" One of the attendees gave a very blunt and honest answer and said, “fear that He’ll change me and mess up my regularly-scheduled-programming.”  A few people laughed, some even slapped hands in agreement….but the instructor just smiled and asked, "but how's that working for you?"

"In some weird, twisted kind of way, we like living in our junky, smelly, mess."

This convo might have made you chuckle, but the dialogue was beyond true. It's so crazy how one of our greatest hesitations as it pertains to our relationship with Christ is the fear that He'll change us. I mean, but that's the point isn't it? To transform and renew our minds? To become more like Christ?  I mean that is why we gather at church on Sunday, or if we're really fancy come out to Bible Study to get a mid-week fix?  It's all worship and praise when we meet "collectively" but the fun suddenly stops when God wants to get personal.  Why is that? Why is it so hard for us to open the door and invite God to come and clean all the junk and clutter building up in our hearts? You know what I think? .....I think it's so hard because.....we like it.  In some weird, twisted kind of way, we like living in our junky, smelly, mess.

Sooooo #honestyhour, I'm not exactly the neatest person.  I tend to store things instead of throwing them away and as a result my room tends to get a little (a lotta) cluttered. But here's the funny thing....I know exactly where everything is. It may not look right, but despite all that mess, I'm still able to function in it.  I tend to get comfortable in the clutter. Was it my ideal way of having my room look? Of course not, but it worked for me....that is....until it became unbearable. 

"We've become so accustom to living in junk that we've somehow convinced ourselves that that's actually how we want to live."

Don’t frown up your nose at my junky room lol.  Especially when some of us right now should be signing waiver forms for TLC's show "Hoarders" for all of the crap that we have stored up around our hearts! We're so used to living in clutter that we don't even recognize how disconnected we are in our relationship with Christ. Our mess brings a sense of comfort. A sense of familiarity. It may not be our ideal way of life, but at least we know how everything plays out.  No, I'm not growing at my job, but it pays the bills. No, I'm not gaining anything from this relationship, but I’m tired of being lonely.  No, I'm not satisfied with where I am with life, but it’s easier to live this way. We've become so accustom to living in junk that we've somehow convinced ourselves that that's actually how we "want" to live.  But here's the truth....after awhile you can't function in all that clutter. There is no such thing as organized chaos when it comes to our relationships with Christ.  He’s not the God of confusion, but He’s the God of peace.

"We say we want God, but we don't want the change that inevitably comes with Him."

We want to be able to "hear from God" or "know God’s will” for our lives, but God can't even make it through the front door because our lives are just too piled up with junk.  At some point we have to make a decision. Either continue to live in the clutter, or allow God to come in and clean house. God will never be able to be Lord over our lives if we have a million-and-one other things that are already taking up residence in our hearts.  Yeah the cleaning process is going to cause you to throw away things you've been holding on to for years or to break old habits. And yeah it may even cause you to cut ties with someone you've been clinging to for what seems like forever, but we have to learn to stop giving out “ALL ACCESS” passes to the matters pertaining to our hearts. We say we want God, but we don't want the change that inevitably comes with Him. You can't have Christ and not change. Point blank.  So instead we just continue to do things our way and only enjoy the bare minimum of this "abundant" life that Christ came to offer. I mean that's cool I guess....but just curious...how's that working for you?

-Leah

Bible Study

For more information on this topic, check out the following scriptures:

1 Peter 2:1-3

Psalm 51:10

Romans 12:1-2

1 Peter 3:8-12

1 Peter 3:3-4



Break Me...

Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice
...Create in me a clean heart, O God.-Psalms 51:8,10

Have you ever heard the phrase, “be careful what you pray for?”  Well after a few weeks ago, I can honestly contest to this truth. It all started one Sunday morning when I was getting ready for church (completely late and wrong lol) and the song, “Seattle” by Mary-Mary came on the television.   One line in particular really grabbed my attention:

“Open up my heart, fill me with Your love

Every single part, make me what You’re made of……I just want a heart like Yours.”

I really loved that, and those words stayed in my mind for the next few weeks and it really started changing from a song into a personal prayer.  After practically wearing the song out lol, I started praying that God would start to pull out the things in me that weren’t like Him, and to literally “break my heart of the things that break His heart.”  Now if you’re like me, I already had a preconceived notion what those “things” were….like being softhearted when I saw people that were homeless, or fighting for justice when I saw something I know to be wrong…..you know all the practical stuff. However, the things that break the heart of such an all powerful God go a little bit deeper than the surface.  Although, the Bible clearly speaks about taking care of the less fortunate and standing for what is right…..God is also totally and utterly concerned about the specific things pertaining to you.  How silly of me to think I could pray this prayer and God not actually begin to do it!  I can honestly say that since I prayed this, it’s as if an extremely large magnifying glass has appeared over my heart, only magnifying the spots and the blotches that I didn’t even know existed….or forgot existed. So take it from me, if you’re not serious about God performing open heart surgery on your life….DON’T ask Him to do it.

"How many times have we abused God's grace and mercy on the things that are ultimately destroying our spirit?"

I absolutely love in Psalm 51 where David asks God to create in Him a clean heart.  That word “create” is so vital, because David wasn’t just asking for forgiveness…..he was literally asking God to break or destroy his old heart and rebuild a new heart within in Him.  How many times have we asked God to forgive us of something, yet turn right back to it once we felt the coast was clear?  How many times have we abused God’s grace and mercy on the things that are ultimately destroying our spirit? God is not our personal genie.  We don’t pull Him out and rub Him when we want our wishes granted, nor is He our one phone call when we need someone to bail us out of jail.  We have to get God back to His rightful place on the throne of our lives.  He’s the absolute supreme being, and don’t you know, He has the courtesy to want to use all of that power in working to make us become just like Him?  Crazy, huh? 

I’ve said this many times before in my blog, but I stand by it: God isn’t as concerned with changing our situation as much as He’s concerned with changing us.  Whew.  If I really had enough time to tell you all the things I’ve experienced in just a few weeks, it would be an entirely new post.  But even through all of the challenges, I can honestly say….it’s making me better.  These recent situations have truly revealed the most deeply hidden traits about myself that I never fully brought to light.  In case you’re wondering…It does NOT feel good to learn these things, but man oh man is it necessary.  I asked God to give me a heart like His, and to break my heart of the things that breaks His heart….and He’s definitely doing it.  Piece by piece.  Layer by layer.  His ultimate goal is to get all the impurities out so that when He puts His face over my heart, He will only see His reflection.   Man, I love Him.  I guess I’m maturing, because it takes a mature Christian to say that despite all this discomfort, I’m so grateful for this process.  My life is far from perfect, I’m experiencing a lot of road blocks and things definitely don't always go my way, but I keep pressing, because at the end of the day, all I really want is "a heart like Yours." 

-Leah

Bible Study

*For more on this topic, check out the following scriptures:

Psalms 51:10-12

Ephesians 4:20-24

2 Corinthians 3:18

1 John 3:2

The Dark Valleys

 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me....." -Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23 is a very familiar passage in the Bible to most, with "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want," being the most common scripture out of the entire chapter.  Yet out of all the times I've read this passage and have come to learn it by heart, I went back and read it again and it gave me a completely new understanding.  I also want to make note that I went back and read this in 4 different translations: New King James, New Living, Amplified and The Message.  I didn't do this to be deep lol, but rather each version words the same scripture in a different way.  If you have a Bible that offers multiple translations, or if you have a Bible app on your phone I strongly encourage you to look up scriptures in different translations to help give you a better understanding of the Word.  In this particular scripture, "The Message" translation pulled at my heart in a different way than any of the others.

"Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when You walk at my side." -Psalm 23:4 (MSG)

 These subtle, yet confirming words completely changed my perspective on this scripture. Recently, I had been going back and forth in my mind on a number of different things that have been occurring in my life.  I was beating myself up on certain decisions I made and opportunities I chose not to take because after praying on it, I felt that wasn't the direction God was taking me in. However, after making these decisions, it seemed like things were getting worse.  Which led me into a terrible state of confusion and frustration.  I kept thinking, "but God, if this is what you wanted me to do...why do I feel like I'm being punished?  Why do I feel like I made a mistake....or I made the wrong turn?" I just couldn't understand why I would be experiencing so much turbulence even after seeking Him and making these decisions after prayer.  But then I read this scripture, in that particular translation, "even when the way."  Those four words tell me that just because I'm experiencing some challenges and some set backs, it doesn't mean that it's not still God. 

"We must learn to become completely reliant on God and His word."

When I see those words it tells me that sometimes "the way" is going to take me into some dark valleys.  Sometimes "the way" is going to take me on what seems more like dirt roads than defined pavements, but just because I'm in those dark places doesn't mean I'm still not on the right path and in the will of God.  Sometimes those "dark valleys" are exactly where God wants us to be....why? Because if we go on to read further in verse 4 David says, "I'm not afraid when you walk by my side."  To me everything circles back to dependence on God.  We must learn to become completely reliant on God and His word.  The Bible can't just be a fuzzy bedtime story, but it has to be the reference point of every single move that we make. 

"It's not by coincidence, it's not by happenstance, but it's by design that you are where you are."

As Christians, we focus so much on triumph and victory (which is definitely the outcome) but we sometimes fail to mention there's a middle step required in between to get there.  We can't be overcomers without anything to overcome.  I truly thank God for His word and how it confirms so many things in my life.  I haven't made a wrong turn, I haven't strayed off the path.  I'm just walking in an area that requires me to hold His hand a little tighter and to draw in a little closer because He can see things in darkness I could never see in broad daylight.  It's not by coincidence, it's not by happenstance, but it's by design that you are where you are.  I was recently reminded by a friend that Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," which simply means that we don't know!!! God is the one in control and He's the one ordering our steps and He knows the way. Even if that way happens to go through the darkest, lowest, loneliest times of our life, it's worth being there because it's nothing like walking with Jesus. It may not look good, and Lord knows it doesn't feel good, but be confident in knowing that it's all for your good.  Take assurance in knowing that He purposely brought you to this "valley" so He could purposefully bring you out.  This dark place is just another opportunity to experience Christ in a closer way.

-Leah

Bible Study

*For more on this topic, check out the following scriptures:

Psalm 23 (NLT)

2 Samuel 22:31

Nahum 1:7

Psalm 56:3-4

Let's Be Honest....

Read Mark 9:17-25

This is a pretty commonly known passage in the Bible, yet I’ve never had to opportunity to really dig into the meaning behind this man’s words.  (I mean other than the obvious lol). When I first read this my mind automatically formed several questions. For one, why would Jesus ask this man how long has His son been like this? I'm sure Jesus being all knowing as the son of God already knew how long this boy has been dealing with his condition?  However, upon further examination…. Jesus wasn’t really asking that question because He didn’t know, but just as anything He does…to prove a point.  When Jesus asked the man how long has this boy been like this....or to put it plainly, how long has this boy lived with this condition? The man answered "since he was a little boy."  See after hearing that his son has been dealing with this condition since he was little, it kind of made more sense why the man responded the way he did. Now, I'm not saying that "unbelieving" should always be excusable….I’m just merely pointing out that this man had some reasoning behind his response.  

Now this was interesting to me because this conversation was followed by the man telling Jesus how the disciples couldn't do it. So I'm only imagining when the man was bold enough to say "if" you can to Jesus he was only speaking on what he saw...or rather the lack of what he didn’t see. See, in this man’s experience, no one has been able to give his son any relief of his condition since he was a little boy. So in my opinion, only naturally would the man have doubts that his son just may not be able to be delivered from this spirit. After years have gone by and after failed attempts of the releasing of the evil spirit it makes sense to me why this man at this point is now at the end of his rope. He finally got to the people closest to Jesus and they couldn't even help him.

So finally turning to Jesus as his last and only help,(that's a message in itself) in a moment of desperation says, "have mercy on us and help us if you can." The Message translation reads: "if you can do anything, do it."  When I go back and read this, I feel this man’s desperation. This man was defeated long before he even reached Jesus and His disciples. He has watched his son suffer with this condition practically his whole life...and finally he gets to Jesus and basically says, "I understand if you can't do it either, but off some small chance, off some small whim....if you could...please help us". Now I'd be lying if I said I didn't know where this man was coming from. Have you ever dealt with something for so long and it just felt like it was never going to get better? Have you ever been in such a place where you just didn't know how God was going to turn the situation around and work it out for your good? Or in the case of this man, "if" God was even able to do it because it had never been done before? No, just me? I felt for this man. He had tried everything to release this stronghold from his son and by the time he gets to Jesus he has such little faith left.

"I think one of the worst mistakes we as Christians can make is trying to be somewhere spiritually where we're not."

Apparently, Jesus didn't like that answer, because in verse 23, Jesus basically “let this man know” (if you know me, you know exactly how I said this lol).  He says, “’If!?’ What do you mean ‘if’ I can!? Don't you know who I am!?  All things are possible if a person truly believes.”  Then the man cries out in total humility,(verse 24) “Lord, I do believe…but help me overcome my unbelief.”  Whew.  We have to stop right here.  I think one of the worst mistakes we as Christians can make is trying to be somewhere spiritually where we’re not.  I know we all want to be that “spiritually mature Christian” that never questions or doubts God, but we are really doing a disservice to our relationship with Christ by not allowing Him to meet us exactly where we are…or in most cases where we’re really not.   Yes, this man was weak enough in his faith to ask “if” God was able, but he then became strong enough to admit he struggled with unbelief.  We cannot fool God.  He looks past our words and does a deep search into our hearts. Therefore, we must always be honest with God about the true conditions of our heart.  How can we ever expect God to build up our areas of weakness, unless we admit to Him where we’re not strong? 

"Therefore, we must always be honest with God about the true conditions of our heart."

I also want to encourage that person who has been waiting on God to fix that “condition” in their life.  You feel that so much time has passed and you’re feeling more discouraged then expectant.  You’re starting to feel like the father in this story and you’re prayers are including a number of “if you can’s” and “if you could’s” out of unbelief’s that God might ever come through on His promise.  Stay encouraged.  There are so many things to learn from this passage, but one very important thing to remember is it doesn’t matter how much time has passed. It doesn't matter how long you've been dealing with this stronghold.  God is faithful to do what He said He’d do in your life.  However, we must believe that He is able to do it.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “without faith it is impossible to please God.”  He is moved by our faith and He moves by our faith.  So if you haven’t already, from this point forward….learn how to be completely honest with God.  He already knows the area’s where you’re lacking so we can stop pretending to be strong when we’re really weak.  God’s power works best in our weakness.  For like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “That is why I take pleasure in my weakness….for when I’m weak, that’s when I’m really strong.”



-Leah

Yes. [No]. Wait.

We’ve all heard the saying, that God either tells you, “yes, no, or wait” in response to the things we’ve been praying for.  Now if you’re like me, you get less excited when the answer turns out to be anything other than “yes.” Lol  ESPECIALLY if it’s a “no.”  I mean think about it, if you’ve been praying about something and God says yes, meaning He opened a door and made provisions to that specific prayer…then you know what to do next:  SHOUT!!! Lol.  In the same regards, if you’ve been praying about something and God’s answer is wait, meaning He hasn’t made it completely clear to you on the next step…then you know what to do next: you wait. (Y’all thought I was going to say something deep there didn’t you? Lol). So we know what our action items are when God says yes and wait, but here’s my million dollar question: What do we do when He tells us no? “No” meaning, nothing you seem to be doing regarding that prayer seems to be working.  “No” meaning, you’ve pretended like God hasn’t already made it clear to you that His answer is NO and you’ve told yourself you’re in the “waiting stage.” No basically meaning, NO.  C’mon you get the point lol.

Time to be a little transparent….yes, I’ve fallen victim to placing myself in the “waiting” column when I was in denial about an answer God had already given me.  It’s funny how we think we can change God’s minds on things.  I remember praying to God about a particular guy situation a while back and asking Him to make it clear to me what I should do.  So I prayed and I waited, prayed and I waited, prayed and I waited.  But here’s the thing….the whole time I was “waiting” God was making it beyond clear to me that His answer was no for the relationship.  That’s not the answer I wanted to receive so I actually convinced myself that He didn’t say no, He was just using all of the MILLIONS of red flags to say wait, it will get better.  No my friend, this in fact is NOT how God operates.  When God wants you to move or not move, He will make it plain to you either through His word or through another believer….and we know when God is making something plain to us.  Amen somebody.  

"God is a very specific God, He's too great to give you a general non-descriptive answer...and when something is for you, it will undoubtedly be for YOU."

Now allow me to interrupt your thoughts if I could, because I feel like someone just read that “through another believer” part and got real excited because your best friend told you that God told them you were going to be famous one day in be in front of millions of people.  Now that sounds real good, but the truth of the matter is your friend and any other believer for that matter will always be confirming what God already told you through His word and will be specific to what God has already laid on your heart.  Meaning….your friend won’t be telling you something that God didn’t already tell you. So stop allowing people to come up to you after church and whisper vague and generic blessings in your ear.  God is a very specific God, He’s too great to give you a general non-descriptive answer…and when something is for you, it will undoubtedly be for YOU. I’ve had to remind myself of this quite a few times after I realized “prophecies” that I was allowing other people to speak over me were NOT being fulfilled.

"Eating fruit out of its season is poisonous"

So now that we’ve finally come out of denial to what God is saying, it still leaves us with the question, “now what?” What do I do after God tells me “no”?  Well first before we can really ask that question we have to realize that God never just says, “no.”  He never leaves us hanging out in the open without any resources or direction on where to go next.  Notice, I didn’t mention that He gives us an explanation to the “no.”  God doesn’t always reveal the “why” to us.  In fact, out of all of my quiet time dates we’ve had or the long talks I’ve had with Him in my car and even the low points in my life where I’ve cried out to Him has He ever shared the answers to every question on my test of life with me.  Why? Because it’s not about “why” He said no…it’s about us trusting that He has our best interest at heart and whatever it is that HE has is better. You’re asking for [this] and He wants to give you [THIS]. Yeah that initial “no” may sting a little (or a lot) but I think we can all agree that we want the better God has for us. 

So having said all of that….here’s where it might get a little tricky.  This may sound cliché’ but I also don’t think “no” necessarily means never.  What you’re praying for may in fact be something that God wants for your life….it’s just not for you at that time.  You might ask what’s the difference between “not the right time” and God telling you to “wait?” Well, waiting to me is God saying, “I have what you’ve been praying for but I’m still setting it up, I’m still putting some finishing touches on it.”  Meaning it’s within your possession but it’s being delayed until God finishes working everything out.  Now, “not for you at that time” means it’s going to be given to you….but it could be in a completely different season in your life in a completely different way then what you prayed for….ultimately resulting in “no” for right now.  Either way, if God is giving you the red light whether it be a permanent “no” or a temporary “no” it should no longer be your focus.  A good friend once told me, “eating fruit out of its season is poisonous.”  When we’re requesting something from God, we always have to have the mindset that He honors our request according to His will.  So that means we may not get everything we pray for or when we pray for it….but it does mean God will give us the very best possible thing instead.  Now that’s a win-win situation isn’t it?

So to answer the question, “what do I do when God says no?” It’s simple, accept His answer and pray for redirection. The Bible tells us in Psalm 37:4 to “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  When you redirect your focus back on Christ, you’ll find you get more and more of your hearts desires….because it will be HIM putting the right things in your heart to desire.  So be thankful for God's "no" it just means, He loves you too much to let you have your own way.

-Leah

Bible Study

*For more information on this topic, check out the following scriptures:

Ephesians 3:20

Psalm 37:4

Matthew 6:33

Proverbs 3:11



What's Been On Your Mind?

“It starts with a thought.  A thought is planted in your mind and then once it takes up residence in your mind, it then forms into an emotion.  Once it becomes an emotion, it then begins to travel throughout your body and eventually this emotion turns into an action.  Once you begin to continually perform this action, it then forms into a habit.  Once a habit is formed, it’s ultimately destined to turn into a behavior.  The behavior, which formed from the habit, came out of the continual action, and the action which was provoked by the emotion, all originally formed from…..the thought.” –Bishop Keith W. Reed

It’s crazy what can happen just from a single thought.  The mind truly is a powerful thing, and if we’re not careful with our thoughts we could end up doing a lot of damage in our lives.  A lot of things that weigh heavy on our hearts stem from a single thought.  Worry, doubt, fear, anger, confusion, disappointment…..the list goes on and on.  Ultimately these things come because there’s some type of disconnect between what WE think to be true and what the Word of God SAYS to be true.  Here’s a helpful hint that will probably help in almost every situation we face: EVERYTHING ISN’T ALWAYS WHAT IT APPEARS TO BE. If I could be real, the #1 mistake I make in almost every area of my life is I get a TINY glimpse at what God is doing in my life and then I hit the ground running with it!  I’m laughing as I write this because I can be so silly sometimes.  When I went through a rough patch with my previous job I prayed for God to open a door faithfully every single day for like 5 months straight.  (Now you might be like, “5 months…that’s it!?” but when you’re in a tight spot for even a week it could feel like an eternity).  I prayed this for 5 months and it seemed like God went ghost. 

“I’ve learned we have to test our thoughts.  Question where they came from.”

So one day I received a text from a friend out the clear blue sky who asked me if I would be interested in a communications position at his friend’s company.  He knew that was my major in college and decided he’d ask me if I was interested.  I thought, “WOW! I didn’t even tell him I was looking! This MUST be God!”  Now here is where a lot of us go wrong.  In a matter of seconds, the thought of getting this new position began to build up an emotion which then led me to start trying to figure out how I was going to tell my boss I was leaving and to figuring out how I was going to pack up everything off my desk and of course trying to calculate what my new salary would be….ALL BEFORE I EVEN APPLIED FOR THE POSITION!  Can we say psy-cho! Lol  All of this happened because of something I thought was for me.  Which it turned out…..it wasn’t.  In fact the same situation occurred several times again before I finally surrendered and said, “Lord, where is it You want me to be?”  I’ve learned we have to test our thoughts.  Question where they came from.  Was it something we desired for us, or was it something God desired for us.  We can’t just jump on the first thing we see just because it looks like it fits the description we’ve been praying for.  Amen somebody. 

“I found that He’s not as concerned with changing our situation as much as He’s concerned with changing us.”

I later learned that after a bunch of failed attempts and dead-ends that God wasn’t even asking me to apply to any of those jobs in the first place.  It wasn’t until I prayed that prayer and asked God where did He want me to be that I found out He wanted me to stay exactly where I was.  There are some things that God can only teach us in our tight places.  I found that He’s not as concerned with changing our situation as much as He’s concerned with changing us. My job was such a greater lesson than getting a new position.  During that tough waiting season, I learned to adjust my thinking.  Each time doubt, fear, worry and frustration begin to kick in…I began to turn those thoughts over to God.  I began to meditate on scripture instead of meditating on my own thoughts.  When we get our thoughts in alignment with God’s word we find that there’s less and less room for those type of emotions to dwell in your heart. 

All of our thoughts don’t always come from God or even ourselves, some of our thoughts are planted by the enemy.  He wants you to feel worry, confusion, disappointment and doubt.  That is why it is vital to measure what we’re thinking to what is in the Word.  Our thoughts can consume us and give us a false hope of reality but the Word of God makes everything plain.  Take a moment to give that “thing” that’s been on your mind the heaviest lately.  Ask yourself is what I’m thinking about drawing me closer to God or further from God? Get in the habit of testing your thoughts and whatever is not making sense, wait on God to make it clear to you.  It’s not God’s will for you to become dependent on what you think, His ultimate goal is for us to become dependent on Him.  Don't allow your thoughts to form the behavior of someone who always worries, doubts, and is fearful.  Instead of constantly dwelling on every little thought that hits your mind, attempt to keep your mind stayed on Him and in return He promises to give you perfect peace on each and every situation. 

-Leah

Bible Study
*For more on this subject check out the following scriptures:
Hebrews 4:12
Philippians 4:6-9
Psalm 26:2-3
Psalm 139:23-24
Isaiah 26:3

Unfamiliar Territory...

“And the Lord told Abraham, ‘leave your native country, your relatives and your father’s family and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing to others'” Genesis 12:1-2

I absolutely love Abraham’s story.  He is noted as the father of faith and for great reason!  I mean come on, when you read the above scripture you would have to have great faith to even comprehend what God was asking of him.  When I first read this scripture, I imagined God saying to Abraham, “leave everything behind that you know to be familiar.  Everything that feels comfortable.  Everything that feels ‘like home'…..and follow me to a new place.”  Now come on, let’s be honest….God said a whole lot in that scripture, but left out a whole lot at the same time! lol  I look at this scripture and it shows me two things in particular: (1). Abraham was told to leave everything behind and (2). He had no idea where God was asking him to go.

“So Abraham departed and did as the Lord instructed.”-Genesis 12:4

God gave Abraham little to no instructions, yet the Bible says in verse 4: “So Abraham departed and did as the Lord instructed.”  That is mind blowing to me.  God basically told Abraham, to leave this familiar place and go to a new place that you don’t know…..but I’ll let you know when you get there.”  ……and Abraham did it!!! Now I don’t know about y’all, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t at least question God on this.  I mean like c’mon you got to give me more instructions then that. lol  In fact, I was looking for the verse where Abraham at least asked for further directions, but he didn’t!  He just did what God told him to do. Imagine that, right?  Not talking back to God, not questioning Him when He tells us to do something, but just being obedient. 

Recently, I started in a new position working in the field that I’ve always wanted to be in.  Although this has been a long time coming, it’s still unfamiliar territory for me.  Going to school for something and actually being put on the job for something are two completely different things. I had to trust God to get the job, but now I’m realizing I have to continue to trust Him to do the job.  I also believe that this new job symbolically marks the new season that God is entering me into.  The season of the unfamiliar.  The season where I will be taken out of my comfort zone in order to further follow God’s will for my life.  See Abraham may not have had many details on where God was taking him, but by faith Abraham knew that there were things that God had for him in this new, unknown, uncharted place.

“For some of us, we’ll forfeit the great promises of God because we are too busy being comfortable.”

Imagine what awaits us outside our level of comfort.  There are some things that God can only give us by stepping outside of our “familiar” places.  For some of us, we’ll forfeit the great promises of God because we are too busy being comfortable.   I can imagine that Abraham had some fears about this unknown territory that God was trying to take him in, but his level of trust and reliance on God outweighed his doubt.  That is why the Bible tells us to have faith like Abraham, the kind of faith where if God said it, then that’s good enough.  I have to admit, I do have some fears and hesitations about entering this new, unknown, unfamiliar season of my life……but I’m determined to have faith like Abraham that follows the word of God. So allow me to personalize verse 4 and say, “So Leah departed and did as the Lord instructed.”    

-Leah

Bible Study

*I encourage you to read the full story of  God's call to Abraham starting in Genesis Chapter 12!