Figuring Out God’s Will One Step at a Time

She was a shy teenager, a little awkward as she faced the crowd. That is until you looked at her face.  Her face positively glowed.

She bravely stood before hundreds of her peers and told about how, knees knocking, she shared the love of Jesus with a friend. How her words of God’s love came at just the right time for her friend. She hadn’t known what a lifeline her words would be. But, in spite of her fear, she listened to God’s prompting and spoke up.

And then there was another girl.  An older one who’s much more comfortable sharing in front of a crowd. Polished and professional, her face didn’t glow. She’d been struggling with a tiny whisper she’d heard God speak to her weeks ago. She hadn’t obeyed yet and it weighed on her. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even a big thing God had asked her to do. She just hadn’t done it.

She avoided.  She made excuses.  She promised she’d get around to it.  Eventually.

I’m that girl.

If obeying God in spite of your fear brings joy, ignoring God because of your fear brings regret. Trust me.

My eyes moistened as I listened to the unpolished, awkward girl tell her story.  She had more to teach me than I could ever teach her. In the final analysis it’s not what we know that counts; it’s what we do.

She’d stepped out in faith and into God’s will.  I hadn’t.  It was as simple as that.

We were both scared, both with a tendency to people-please. She hadn’t let fear or pressure to please people stop her. I had.

In all my years of ministry the question people ask most is this:  How can I find God’s will?  Here’s what I’ve learned: Finding God’s will doesn’t usually happen in one giant sweeping, divine revelation. It happens one small step at a time. It’s learning to listen to something—anything—God wants you do, big or small, public or private, simple or complex—and then doing it. If you do this day after day, year after year, you’ll find you’ve lived smack dab in the middle of God’s best.

God opens the door but we must walk through it.  Those who stay cocooned inside the four walls of familiarity will never possess the riches of those who venture out into the place where God’s plan meets their purpose.

Because, after all, it’s not really about finding God’s will.  It’s about living God’s will. Finding it is fairly easy. Living it takes overcoming pride and fear and that’s where we tend to get stuck.

The only way to step into God’s will is to step out in faith. No more avoidance. No more delays. No more excuses.

Has God been whispering something to you lately? Something you know you need to obey but you’ve yet to do?

Maybe it’s to speak up. Or shut up. Maybe it’s to move on. Or stay put. Maybe it’s to serve or give. Maybe it’s to love a little more, forgive a  little more, pray a little more or listen a little more.

Whatever it is, God’s has swung the door wide. It’s time to get going. Step out of your fear. Step out of your hesitation. Step out of your excuses.

And step into God’s will.

Special announcement:  You can listen to a brief radio interview I recorded today for Bring It Up! With Deb and Cindy on KKLA 99.5fm at 6:00pm this Sunday, March 6th in the southern CA area, or listen from anywhere, anytime online at www.bringitupmedia.com.