Are You Willing?
I recently picked up early morning jogs in preparation for my upcoming trip to Colorado to hike Pikes Peak. It was on one of these runs that God spoke something pretty clearly to me. Now, when I say that God spoke to me, I don’t mean audibly. I’ve never actually had God speak to me in that way. Most of the time, He speaks to me internally...in my spirit. Sometimes, it’s honestly hard for me to discern whether or not it’s His voice or mine. What do I do when I have these moments of uncertainty? I align what I feel He is telling me with Scripture and I seek out Godly counsel. This was one of the few occasions where I had absolutely no doubt that it was Him.
Now, I can’t tell you why God speaks to me quite a bit while I’m running. Maybe it’s because I’m so focused on the task at hand that my mind is actually clear for once. The distractions are limited, so I’m able to really focus on Him. It was on this specific occasion that I heard God very clearly ask: “Are you willing?” And then I began to have this inner dialogue with Him:
Me: “What do you mean by that?”
God: “Are you willing?”
Me: “Am I willing to do what?”
God: “Whatever I ask.”
Me: “I mean, I think so. Haven’t I been doing that?”
And this goes on and on for a bit, but this is what I took from it. God is not looking for our resumes, our accomplishments, or our accolades. He’s looking for willing vessels. As I heard Him saying this to me, I immediately thought of a picture that my brother sent me a few weeks back:
What do you see? I see a few fellow Christians being hypocritical and judgmental. I see people looking at the outward appearance. I see people judging a book by its cover. I see myself and how I can be tempted to judge others by the way they look or how they’ve lived their lives.
But, that is not how God views people. In 1 Samuel 16:7, it says that people look at the outward appearance, but that the Lord looks at the heart. God is looking not at the outward appearance - what the world sees. He is looking for willing hearts, willing vessels to be used on purpose for His purpose.
I can still remember exactly where I was when I first felt the calling to vocational ministry (a fancy way of saying that I felt called to work for a church). My wife and I had just left an Easter planning meeting in February of 2013. This was one of those times that I heard God speak to me so clearly in my Spirit, so much so that I pulled off on the side of the road to talk with my wife. I simply said to her, “I think I want to do this for a living.”
The two of us immediately began to come up with a game plan. I would go back to college/seminary (I had graduated from UNF with my bachelor’s degree just six months earlier at the age of 31), I would read through the whole bible, start tithing and our list went on and on. I was ready to prepare myself for ministry. I was hired on by that church two weeks later. And what I learned in that season of life is that God didn’t need me to have a plan and accomplish a to-do list. He just needed my heart to be willing to serve Him with everything that I had and we see this time and time again in the Bible.
In 2 Kings 4, we see Elisha ask a widow to be willing to pour oil into jars in order to free her family from poverty.
David as a young man, are you willing to pick up five stones and a slingshot? If so, you will rule nations and the Messiah will come from your bloodline.
In John 6, we see a young boy willing to give up his lunch (five loaves and two fish) that ended up feeding over five thousand.
Four friends in Mark 2, are you willing to carry your friend on a mat and lower him through a roof to have an encounter with Jesus? Now watch your faith heal him.
Noah, are you willing to build an ark to save humanity?
The invalid at the pool of Bethesda, are you willing to pick up your mat and walk? Then you will be healed.
So the question that I leave you with today is the same simple, yet powerful, question that the Lord asked me: “Are you willing? Are you?” Are you willing to do what the Father asks you to do? Are you willing to do it when it isn’t easy, when you get weird looks and remarks, or when people turn against you? Because if you are, He will take you on a journey that will definitely have trials and difficulties, this we know (John 16:33). But, we can rest easy knowing that it will be a life that is filled with purpose, joy, blessings, favor, and is unmatched by anything that the world can give you. Now, go; be bold, be willing, and be a world changer!
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NIV