Stop Negotiating With God
Years ago, I knew how to hear the voice of God but was trying to learn how to hear Him outside of a church setting.
As I am in the Christian section of a bookstore – the Lord gives me a word for the woman standing next to me.
You would think because it is a Christian section it would be easy to share what God was saying – but I was so concerned about how I would look that I negotiated with God.
I told God that I was going to look at all the other sections of the bookstore and when I got back if she was still there – I would talk with her. I took my time looking through the other sections before eventually getting back to the Christian section and the woman hadn’t moved an inch. Still fearful, I negotiated with God again and told Him that after looking in this section I would share if she was still there.
God is so gracious because the woman never left. I leaned over to her and told her God wanted her to know that everything would be okay with her son. The woman was on the ground crying and let me know she had been praying about it that morning.
I share this story because a lot of times we think we have to know what we're doing and have everything figured out for God to use us.
There is no special three-step prayer to seeing a miracle – but you can be intentional about stretching yourself by stepping out in faith.
Move Beyond Fear
To be stretched you must relinquish your fear of failure, loss of reputation, concern about what others think and focus on what God wants to do in and through you.
I press toward the goal to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:14)
What has God laid on your heart to believe Him for that you have never seen? Maybe a family member died of cancer and you have a heart to see people with cancer healed. Or maybe you have never shared the Gospel with anyone and really want to let your coworkers know about your faith.
The only way the things God has put on your heart are going to happen is if you go for it. If you want to see people with cancer healed – commit to praying for at least one person battling cancer every week for the next year. If you want your coworkers to know Jesus – commit to bringing up your faith to one person each week for the next year.
Pray for God to help you get so focused on Him that anything keeping you from following Him would fade away.
When you are intentional to stretch your faith – you will find that God is your biggest cheerleader and move through you beyond what you can imagine.
John Belt