You are called to be a vital part of something bigger than yourself! You can walk in your destiny & live out the dream God has placed in your heart when you dare to obey Him!

I was sitting on my couch drinking my coffee, and having my normal devotional time this morning when God reminded me of a message I shared at my Bible college in Southern California. In November of 2008 I was on furlough from the mission field, and I was invited to speak to students at the school of ministry where I was trained – what an honor! I distinctly remember this season of my life because there were many trials and tests of faith within the ministry, as well as external, political events that made life at that time quite exciting to say the least!

As I prepared to talk to the students I felt God wanted me to emphasize the importance of obedience, and to especially focus on the great BLESSING that is waiting on the other side of a choice to obey Him! He wants me to do the same today!

First, let’s examine the heart of what He is saying to you today. A great blessing is waiting for YOU! Where is it? On the other side of a decision YOU must make! What’s this decision all about? It is a choice to courageously obey His directives, OR to shrink back in fear and fail to walk in the plan He has for you.

My heart is exploding right now thinking of how BIG, how GREAT, how AWESOME the life is that our God created us to live! He has given each of us gifts, talents, and abilities that are the launching pad for our destiny in Christ! We were created on purpose, for a purpose! Never will you be as deeply, and fully satisfied with life as you are when you are living and walking in the path that God created you to live and walk in! It is a life lived for others, and it is a BLESSED life!

Count the cost…but don’t forget to count the payoff!

One of the primary deceptions of our generation is that rebellion is freedom, and obedience is bondage; that obedience is the “mark of a slave,” as it mentions above, yet the opposite is true! Is there a cost when we obey God? Emphatically, yes, but it also pays to obey!

Here is a case-in-point. When God directed me to move overseas I was at a high point in my career as a public school teacher. I had just purchased my second home, was doing very well financially, had all of my family around me, and I was actively involved in an amazing church! I had reached a very good place in life! When I considered what it would cost to obey God, doubt and fear would tag-team me and attempt to move me away from God’s perfect will for my life.

A few nights before I would board a plane for the Philippines I remember waking up in a panic! I was on a train running full steam ahead and I could not stop what I’d set into motion! I was leaving my family, my career, my church, my friends, my home country – it was as though everything I cherished was being stripped away from me! It felt like a high price to pay at the time!

Fast forward several years and I am speaking to students who are studying to live a life of ministry to God’s people, and daring them to fully obey His call! And you know what? I didn’t once mention any temporary sacrifice, or how hard it was, or how serving God turned out to be a bad deal – NO! Despite the testing and proving of my faith, all I could speak of, all I wanted to convey to them was the great BLESSINGS I had experienced when I chose to obey.

So what about you???

Is God stirring up vision in your heart? Is He gently speaking as you get quiet and listen? What is He telling you to do? Whatever it is, I dare you to obey Him! I may not know all or have all of the answers, but this I do know: God is faithful, and He will not lead you astray. Trust Him and BELIEVE in what He has placed inside of you. You are greater in Him, stronger in Him, smarter in Him than you ever thought or imagined. Walk in His plans for you and you will never regret it!