The Call Of GodSample

Walking Before God

People walk in and out of pastors’ and leaders’ lives, having conversations with them, seeking their advice and asking for their prayers for discernment regarding God’s will for their lives. Ultimately, when walking before God, we will have to receive what God desires for our life. To do so, we need a heart of faith and surrender as it is outlined in Psalm 22:5:

• We cry out to Him
• We trust Him
• And He does not disappoint us... whatever the outcome.

God begins to speak into our hearts before sending us out. God speaks so we know when and where to go and then we set out by faith. Faith and time are two of the most valuable resources in a person’s life.

We are asking God, “What is the next right thing to do? Place to go? Path to take?” We want the heart of Samuel who, when he said, “Speak, for your servant is listening...” expressed his desire to obey. God also spoke into the lives of others, as it is recorded through the Scriptures and in the Gospels. Our challenge is to clearly hear God when He reveals, directs, encourages, and speaks into our lives. 

When God speaks, asking us to do the impossible, our initial response may be, “How will this be?” like Mary in the Gospel of Luke, when she questioned the angel when he told her that she would give birth to a son and His name would be Jesus. Likewise, Zechariah reacted by questioning the angel when he said, “How can I be sure of this?” When Mary and Zechariah heard the voice of God, fear gripped them. In both cases, God said to them, “Do not be afraid.”

Fear is naturally intuitive... meaning it’s normal for most of us. But once we learn to hear the voice of God, we trust Him even when He calls us to do something greater than ourselves. 

How can we overcome fear? By trusting that the Lord is with us and nothing is impossible with God. When we learn to trust God as He speaks into our lives, we are able to respond to His leading just like Mary: “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be done unto me according to your word.”