Possibly even a few years or more ago. But you tried to step into what He asked you to do before and it did not go as you would have liked it. So you simply gave up and said to yourself that it wasn’t the Lord’s voice directing you.
In this season God is refreshing that call once more… asking you again to do what He wants you to do. You are confused because it didn’t work before. It didn’t go as you planned and you were discouraged. So how can He be telling you the same instructions again?
God never misspeaks.
He has plans for us to follow through with.. and He is patient in seeing those plans come to pass. He is patient with us even as we are committed fully to His plans and purposes one day, and the next day we pull back in fear or discouragement.
When He gets us in a place of yielding to Him once again, choosing to obey rather than to ignore or do things our own way.. then don’t be surprised that those plans you abandoned a while back begin to surface in your heart once more.
Pick up where you left off…
Don’t abandon what you know deep inside of you is Him. Don’t wait till the instructions change or a better plan comes along. God has told you what He wants of you.. He has made it clear even in this second opportunity to obey.
He loves us too much to NOT allow us to abandon what He has purposed for us to do. It’s not about what we want to do with our lives.. it’s falling in love with Him so passionately that we also fall in love with obeying. And our hearts will cry out to do whatever He asks of us!
You’ve been around this mountain before. This path is so familiar to you. You can’t seem to go higher, so as you circle around once more you quit trying to climb upwards. Climbing up means mastering the path you failed at.. and you’re tired of trying out that path.
But God hasn’t given up on you mastering it. He believes you can overcome in Him. He is waiting for you to revisit the obstacle you abandoned in frustration before.. waiting to give you new tools of wisdom and understanding to make it through.
Testing and trials are what provide you what you need to overcome. They provide you hard lessons, experience, and develop in you deeper faith and trust in the Lord.
He’s calling a second or third or fourth time to you. He wants you to succeed at this and cannot let you avoid it or find an easier way to pass through. He wants you stronger. Once you are through this obstacle it will show you how far you have come and how much you have grown.
What is that obstacle for you? What is He speaking to your heart right now? What will be different this time tackling that difficult part? Where have you added to His instructions that need to be removed? Where have you possibly misheard? Write down what He speaks to you.
Sometimes we think He spoke something into our hearts, but really it was our own voice. Learn to discern between your voice and His. Seek Him fiercely to know when He speaks. He will confirm His word over and over again.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
The Lord has asked you to lead a Bible study.. He has asked you to volunteer at the food pantry.. He has asked you to reach out to your neighbors or to start a Bible study at your workplace. He has asked you to connect with an old friend to share His love with them. He has asked you to redirect your ministry or your business. He has asked you to be kind to strangers. He has asked you to attend a church. He asked you to start something new. He has asked you to look for a new job. He has asked you to care for the elderly or to work with children. He has asked you to get up earlier in the morning to spend more time in His Word.
It doesn’t have to be a grand action to obey Him. It can be a simple step you need to take. Take that small step and the next step will be a bit more bigger and a bit more challenging than the last step. He has asked you to obey and to follow Him… and nothing is more rewarding than to do just that.
Be encouraged to try again. Know in your heart the testings and trials were not meant to keep you down, but to strengthen you and your walk with Him. Be strong in Him and try again.