Living in the Knowing

Have you ever been in that place in your life where you know that you know something about yourself, your life, your calling, your giftings but then you step out and do something beyond yourself and pretty soon you're not so sure of what you know or thought you knew. You're confused and somewhat frustrated. You ask yourself, "Why isn't this working?" It's big or it's hard and takes more effort than you imagined but you know that you know, or thought that you knew God gave you some very specific direction. 

Yep, I was there last week. Then I went to a women's conference with some girlfriends. I went into that weekend seeking confirmation from the Lord on what I thought I knew so that I could continue on with the thing I thought He'd spoken to me about. I didn't have to wait long.

In the Friday afternoon session I received a word that affirmed me and the path I had been heading down. It was a charge and an encouragement to keep focused in that purpose and to not doubt what I already knew to be true. If that weren't enough, the worship and the message reinforced the word I had been given. Prayer answered right? I could continue in what I knew regardless of the fact that I had no idea how to get there. That was okay! 

But that's not all! Our God is so much more gracious and extravagant than that. Here I am three days later, and in my time with Jesus this morning, He goes and does it again! Now mind you, I'm pretty bold. I ask for what I want. I go after the things I desire which are important to me, although my path to getting them is often not obvious to most. 

So after my encounter with the Lord on Friday, I continued to ask Him to confirm and to give direction on this thing I thought I knew, which I had been somewhat disillusioned about but now knew that I knew that I heard correctly. Did you follow all that? In other words, I was still praying, "Lord, continue to confirm this word in me." He did so this morning. He also did so last night as I was preparing for bed. I started reading one of the books I purchased at the conference. The very first chapter... Confirmation! He's just good like that!

I think we often toss dreams aside or delay them because we come to a point sometimes where what we thought we heard no longer seems right or like God because the journey to that destination becomes shrouded with obstacles and detours. We begin to doubt. We lose momentum and we let the distractions take over our dreams and often our destiny. 

What have you been called to? What has God put in your heart to do that you have been sitting on or waiting to suddenly have manifested in your life like a rabbit being pulled out of a hat? Beloved, it's not going to happen like that. 

If God said it, if He put it in your heart and set you on that path, He will see it accomplished. Only don't let go and don't shrink back when it gets hard. Be faithful to the life He's called YOU to lead. No one else has your calling and assignments. So it doesn't matter that yours may look unlike others around you and that your journey may seem different. You are different by God's design - a lesson I continue to learn daily.

Just last night I was asking the Lord, "Why do you continually ask me to do the hard thing?" His answer... "Because I know that you can." 

Beloved, it is in you. Don't stop now.

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."  1 Corintians 7:17