A Call to be Obedient

Hi Friends!

How to even start out explaining the craziness of this month. February 2021 will be one for the books.

My plan for my junior year of college was to find a house with a friend and to get involved in a youth group at a local church. I felt the Lord calling me to step out of my comfort zone and of course I made the plan of how exactly I would do that with a lack of surrender and submission.

In the last few weeks of January the Lord had been bringing up obedience in my quiet time and all the books that I was reading. I constantly saw the people who loved the Lord either fail to be obedient, and miss out on an amazing opportunity to be a part of His ministry, or were faithful in being obedient, and He worked in tremendous ways through them. I found myself asking the Lord, What are you calling me to be OBEDIENT to? I want to be OBEDIENT, so reveal the next step You have planned for me.

One month into 2021 I sat and listened as my friend told me all about the mission trip that she had gotten back from. My heart yearned to just GO! As she talked about the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit I yearned to be absent from the business of life and school, and to be completely and fully focused on solely the ministry Christ has called me to. Of course, after receiving this tug on my heart from the Holy Spirit, I started making plans. I told myself, I would give the Lord my summers and GO during that time and be faithful to His call then.

The next day I continued to talk with the same friend about this call that I received to GO. The World Race was brought up but not an idea I lingered on since I was planning on giving my summers to be across the world on mission. The more we talked the more I was challenged to remember the mission field that I am in now, but along with that challenge was still the tug on my heart to abandon the business of life and be completely sold out for the Lord.

After, I went to my room and dwelled on the conversation I just had and talked to the Lord. I found myself searching and looking into the World Race out of curiosity. I immediately desired to GO and felt the Lord calling me to walk in OBEDIENCE. I hesitated in this calling because I was afraid it was my own desires and not the Lord’s will. I also had all these plans and dropping all my plans to leave in August sounded crazy. I decided to text my mom because I knew that she would be a voice of reason. I decided to tell her what it was rather than telling her my desire to GO, and immediately after telling her what it was she texted me back and simply said “You should do it.”

It took me a few days to apply because I was still hesitating in my desire to GO. The more I doubted my desire the more it faded. I think that focusing on my desire rather than the actual call to GO was my biggest mistake in the process.

My mom later encouraged me to read a chapter from the book Follow Me by David Platt. When we are walking with the Lord and continually seeking Him then our desire and His will should line up. Now I am not saying that you should always follow your desires because we are still human, but the Lord plainly says that we should GO in Matthew 28:16-20:

‘Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”’

The Lord’s call is extremely clear so what more do we need? My desire to GO and His will for His followers lines up.

That night I applied for the World Race and got accepted shortly after. It still seems unreal but I am so excited to be able to GO on this journey and be OBEDIENT to what God has called me to.

I pray that the Lord grows me tremendously and that I will learn more about my sweet God, serving His people and loving them well, and stretch me in my boldness to live solely on mission for the Lord, seeing every opportunity He lays in front of me to share the gospel.