Quit Stallin’ and Start Steppin’

Well, hello there, friend, come on up to this ol’ front porch that’s creakin’ like an ol’ hound dog stretchin’ after a long afternoon nap. I was just watchin’ a squirrel that tried to leap from one branch to another and missed by a good foot, bless its lil’ fallin’ right to the ground heart; That there lil’ ol’ episode plum reminded me of how we look when God tells us to move, and we stand there wobblin’ back and forth like a lil’ newborn calf. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” And Isaiah 30:21 promises, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left you will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it.” Those two verses sho’-‘nuff fit together like a pair of overalls that finally found the right set of shoulders.

What are you waitin’ for? When God reveals the next step, you gotta take it. Not after you check the weather. Not after you ask three friends and an ol’ raccoon that keeps showin’ up on your back porch like it pays regular monthly rent. When God speaks, move. Obedience ain’t no optional. It’s plum essential.

There’s an old hymn that says, “Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.” That there’s the whole heart of next steps. Trust God. Obey God. Do it right now.

Most of us know exactly what God has asked us to do. We just git to puttin’ it off. We delay it. We wait for a better time that never gits to comin’. Paul didn’t do that. When God gave him the Macedonian call he went. He didn’t form no committee. He didn’t wait six months. He acted. Delayed obedience is disobedience. James 4:17 says, “Anyone who knows the good they ought to do and does not do it, it is sin for them.”

Lord, help me obey You quickly. Give me courage like a barn cat that finally decides it is done letting the rooster run the show. Teach me to trust You more than my excuses. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Ok, there it is, friend. Now as the evening breeze settles across this porch like a soft blanket laid over a sleepy lil’ foal, let this here truth git to settlin’ real deep within. Obedience grows easier when you stop your arguin’ with God. Peace comes easier when your feet git to movin’ in the direction He already pointed ‘em in. Strength gits to risin’ a whole lot quicker when you stop waitin’ around for perfect conditions. And joy blooms and blossoms when you finally do the very thing He flat told you to do. Trust Him. Obey Him. Do it right now.

With joy,

Gwen