I’m reminded of a time in my own life that I felt the Lord gave me a promise or called me to step out in faith on something, and there was a certain person who did not like what I was doing. They had defined me as someone who would not ever amount to anything, and the fact that i was stepping out into something I felt God was calling me to really bothered them.

They became the voice of fear, and the naysayer in my life, telling me I wasn’t hearing right and I was making a mistake.

All the while pastors and other people were confirming what I had felt the Lord called me to do and were encouraging me in taking steps toward it. I had many counselors around me, I wasn’t going it alone, and I was doing my best to walk in wisdom and follow what the lord had put on my heart.

Yet the voice of this naysayer became very loud in my life, so much so that even with all the encouragement, all of the support from others around me, I could not get their voice out of my head.

I began to question whether I’d heard God right, whether I fit the bill for what I felt he was calling me to.

And one day, this pastor at bible college who had no idea what was going on prayed over me, and said, “the devil through a well-meaning person is trying to silence her voice.” He even called out things this person had done and said.

It was this prayer that helped me to keep moving forward, to keep stepping out in faith.

God Chooses the Foolish

1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (NIV).

When God has given you a promise, or some direction for your life, often, you will not look like the person who fits the bill for that thing.

 When God gave me a promise, I was a broken girl that couldn’t even look anyone in the eye, let alone speak in public. I literally shook with fear after I spoke in front of even a few people.

You may not look like you fit the bill for what God has promised you, but remember, Jesus did not fit the bill of what people thought he should be either.

So, what do you do when you feel you’ve been given a promise, or God is calling you to take that first step of faith, and everything He has put on your heart looks utterly impossible?

Keep following Jesus

Know that He opens the doors.

He does the work in you as you follow Him by being in His Word and in prayer and following after the prompting of his Spirit.

It is Jesus who will shape you into all that He has called you to be.

I’ve often heard it said, Jesus doesn’t need a perfect person, He just needs a willing heart.

So, allow Him to keep working in your heart, day after day, and He will lead you to what He’s called you to.

Remember that you don’t have to prove to anyone that you are worthy of what God has promised you or of what he has called you to do. God has already made you worthy to be His child through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Don’t Try to open doors for Yourself

It is as we follow Jesus, He opens the door.

There have been so many instances where I’ve just followed the Lord’s leading, not really expecting anything, just following, and as I stepped out in faith doors opened wide.

It might take longer than you want, but know that when Jesus opens a door, it’s much greater than anything you could do yourself.

Just keep following Jesus and being obedient to His Word and His direction in your life, and he will go before you and behind you, he will open the doors for you and He will bring you into the thing he has prepared for you.

You hang onto that Word God has given you and keep moving forward. Keep that Word, that promise, in your eyes, in your ears, looking at it on purpose daily.  Set your face toward that promise and do not look away from it.

You may look foolish; you may not fit the bill of what people think this should look like. But you just keep following Jesus, dear sister, and when you do not quit, and do not let them steal your promise, you will walk into the things that God has for you.

Lord, Heal My Heart

If you have struggled with rejection, you might like my book, Lord, Heal My heart, a devotional for women, that talks about walking out of brokenness into God’s healing. I’ll leave a link in the description.