No More Explanations

There have been moments in which God has led me to do something and as I moved forward in obedience, it confused those who knew me.

A great example of this would be when my wife and I clearly recognized that God was instructing us to leave the city we lived in at the time and move to an unfamiliar area.

Although our pastor and a few others recognized that God was leading us to do so, most of the people around us thought we were making a mistake and criticized the decision.

I labored to explain to everyone how I was simply being obedient to God’s call for my family, but my effort was mostly futile. Those who doubted held on to their doubts.

It was a tough experience, because during this transition we were led to make some very tough choices. People thought we had lost our minds.

Eventually, after the move had been made and a bit of time had gone by, those who had doubts and spoke negatively, came to realize that God had truly led us, and some apologized and others simply admitted that we had been led to do what we had done.

This year, 2024, is my 22nd year of being a follower of Jesus and I believe that I have finally reached a point in which I do not try to explain or convince people of what God is calling me to do.

Sure, I am willing to consult with my pastor, the elders of my local church, and other seasoned believers, but when I know that God is clearly leading me, I no longer try to convince everyone who knows me that God is leading me to do whatever the task is.

They will eventually see the fruit of the decision even if that will not occur until the other side of eternity.

I now think of a moment in scripture when Jesus’ family thought that he had lost his mind as he was being obedient to what God the Father had called him to do, (Mark 3:21).

As followers of Jesus, there will be times in which family, friends, and others will think that we have lost our minds also as we seek to obey God. As you read on in Mark chapter 3 you will notice that Jesus offered no explanation to his family, he was focused on fulfilling his Father’s will. We should do the same and put all our energy into carrying out God’s will for our lives.

I am mindful of a quote by Dr. Charles Stanley, “Obey God and Leave All the Consequences to Him.” We can experience timidity when we receive directions from God and sometimes this can be rooted in the consequence of what people will think of us.

Never allow this to stop you from moving forward. Obey God, and don’t worry about what people think.