Over the past week I have heard more than once a pastor talking about how some of us will not submit and surrender to God, only because they are afraid of what He may ask them to do. Like go to Africa or China to be missionaries, or something like that. Because of that they refuse to yield to the Lord for anything, and keep their hearts hard against Him. I feel that, because I had the same fears at one time.
As I was watching my colleague, Sheri, work with her horse yesterday, I saw her horse responding to her in much the same way as we respond to God. He wants to be with her, he wants to be part of her herd, but he is worried about what she is going to ask him to do. We have this "really scary" bridge in our arena that he is just petrified of. None of the other horses are, just him. He has seen others go over it, he has been asked to follow another horse over it, but nope, he wants nothing to do with that bridge. She hasn't asked him to go over it for several months, it is not even out in the arena, just leaning up against the rail on the far end. But because he is so worried about it, he is struggling to listen to even simple cues, like turning.
How many of us are like Sheri's horse when it comes to what God is asking us to do? We are so worried He may ask us to do something we don't want to do that we can't even focus on the small things He desires us to do to make our live right now better.
There is a Psalm that says,
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
The Lord has created each and every one of us with our interests, talents, and desires; and He has given each and every one of those to use for a purpose. When we first and formost delight ourselves in Him, when we find we need nothing else in this world but Him, then He will give us the desires of our heart. It starts in the world and then turns spiritual.
The Lord did this for me in my life. As I grew closer to Him and got to know Him more my horsemanship got better. As my horsemanship got better my performances and students got better. As that got better, my buisness grew. As my buisness grew I saw a need to minister to my clients as well as teach them horsemanship. As I began looking to see how I could do that more the Lord made the shift for me very easily. Do I miss what my life was like before I handed it over to Him? At times, but the benefits of following the Lord far outweigh what I have sacrificed.
My challenge to you today is to stop worrying about the "what God might ask me to do," and start doing what you know you should do right now where you are. The Lord has you right where He wants you riht now. Call out to Him and submit to Him in the way you know you should. The benefits are worth it.
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