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If there is a “secret” to life it’s this: following God is far more valuable than all the riches and comforts in the world.
Whatever you are going through right now, if it’s humbling you, making you pray, bringing you to your knees, and making you feel like you cannot do this alone, maybe there is a reason — a glorious, beautiful reason.
Following Him means taking giant leaps of faith, giving up your ways for the way, your life for the life, your truth for the truth. Following Him may mean leaving your job, or it may mean staying right where you are. It may mean hard work, choosing to go to uncharted territory, and diving headfirst into your fears, but He never fails, and He has a very good plan.
“Follow Me” Is a Call to Action
Jesus’ call to us is very simple: Follow Me. It is a clear call to action. Are you willing to give up the chase for perfect in favor of the one and only thing that will bring you true contentment? If you feel hesitant, focus on the alternative in what chasing perfect makes you feel. The fruit of following Him, on the other hand, is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.— Gal. 5:22-23 ESV
Following Him takes worry and fear and replaces them with contentment and faith.
Begin Today
I don’t need motivation to do my job. I am passionate about helping people know that anything is possible with God. I believe God wants all of us to know Him and be free of shame. I believe He has given us gifts that are meant to be used.
Where did I begin, and where can you? Find out what God’s dreams are, and start dreaming and doing with Him. Read His Word. Spend time with Him. Talk to Him and listen. Spend time with other people who love Him. There are no other secret answers, and perfection is not a prerequisite. Quite the opposite. If you are broken, lost, hurt, or flawed — and all of us are — God wants you to know His heart, and He will help you. When you begin to see His true heart, you are going to want more, my friend. You are going to want to do something about it.
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God is working in you something bigger than you, and He will carry, help, comfort, encourage, lead, lift, soothe, prod, refine, break, and build you back up to help you walk on His narrow path… if you follow Him.
Countless people out there need you to make it happen. They need your talents, your heart, and your fullest potential to influence them for the Lord. You can’t bring everyone to Jesus, but you can bring Jesus to everyone. First, though, bring yourself to the foot of His cross and lay it all at His feet. Ask Him what He wants you to do. Above all else — He is all we need.
Take Action
Read the previous quote. Have you convinced yourself that you need to make more money, to have more business, to get more followers, to be happier, to get things done, to be the best, or to be perfect? Fill in the blank below with the things that are not as important as your relationship with Him, and then sign and date your declaration to make it personal:
All I need is Jesus, not ____________.
Before you move to the next section, where we will make purpose happen together, let go of any expectations of what you should write, say, or do, and let God plant his dreams in your heart. Many times those dreams are so big they can overwhelm us. But the people who followed God in the Bible did some radical things to live on purpose — and the things I’ve seen the most fruit from in my life all started as “I have this crazy idea” moments.
God wants us to use the talents, skills, and gifts we have been given to bless others. And he wants us to do it together.
Excerpted with permission fromMake It Happen by Lara Casey, copyright Lara Casey.
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