To get where you need to get, you gotta go through some places you don’t want to go.  I’ve come to know this phrase as TRUTH the past month or so. God has been working in me and driving to a more dependent position.
As God can do sometimes, He has allowed some pain to hit me, some fear to tempt me and some people to try and trip me up. At times these things have set me back, but thankfully the LIGHT is always greater than the darkness and God has pulled me through yet again. As I take a step back and look at this brief season of doubt and depression, I am beginning to realize that God was trying to push me to lean on Him more than ever before. I don’t know if I was getting to full of myself, to far away from His perfect will or if He was just preparing me for a future struggle. Fact is, I don’t know why this season happened like it did and I really don’t care. I am thankful to serve a God who brings triumph after trials and who makes beauty from brokenness.
I couldn’t be more excited about this next season of life, and if the past three years are any indication, it’s gonna be one heck of a ride! But to get there, I must first step through the fear and confidently chase the calling God has placed on me. I know it won’t be easy. In fact, the enemy has already tried to knock me down several times over the past few weeks as. But that’s okay; he can keep coming after me, because I’m not going to fall. I refuse to back down. I refuse to cower. I will not relent. God has called me and I know it. There is no doubt about it. Too many people need help, too many families are being torn apart and too many guys like me are still out there struggling, alone and confused.
So, regardless of how scary this new season of life appears to be, I’m moving forward. No, I take that back: I’m sprinting forward!
To make sure I don’t get off track, I’ve written a new mandate. If you read my first book, you know I believe in having a mandate statement to help guide you through different seasons of life. Well, my hope is that this new mandate will help keep me on balance, pointed toward God, and full of confidence as I begin to walk out in faith that which God has called me to do.
Here is my new mandate:
This is your calling. No one else is coming to do what only God created YOU to do. Quit worrying about what other people say and focus only on what God says. Take risks, take on new opportunities, step out in faith, and be sure to celebrate all the victories along the way!
Maybe it’s also time for you to step out in faith and claim the calling God has over your life. Whatever that may be, let me encourage you in this: you can do it! If God has called you, He will equip you. As you pray about your next season of life, I encourage you to begin writing a mandate statement and to read the verse below each day for the next 7 days. As you do, pray for the courage you need to step out in faith and claim your calling! Now is your time; there’s no one else coming to do what only God created you to do!
“Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.” Joshua 1:9