take the leap

Psalm 106:24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn't believe his promise to care for them.

Such sad 18 words...

This tells of how the children of Israel missed the chance to enter the promised land, the land God had promised to give them for hundreds of years.

And they wouldn't go in, because they basically didn't believe He would take care of them. What did they have to lose? If he didn't come through, they'd all die. But if He did? Wow! They got the land of Canaan.

I guess they weren't willing to take the chance. As it ended up, none of them entered the promised land, because God caused them to wander around in the desert outside of Canaan for 40 years until everyone who wouldn't go in was dead & left by the side of the trail.

In hindsight, seems pretty stupid on their part, huh?

This is one of the verses God used to shove me in the direction of downtown. Was I willing to miss what He seemed to be saying He wanted to do just because I was afraid?

Earlier this year, the staff went over to Christ Chapel Zebulon so that Billy Smith, their pastor & former youth pastor at Christ Chapel Macon, could show the church to those new staffers who hadn't seen it. One thing he shared with us messed with me for days.

He said that when God was talking to him about starting a church in Zebulon, GA (that's in Pike County, near Atlanta), one of the things he processed (& also talked a lot to his wife about), was even though he was scared to do it & was kinda wondering if God was really leading him in that direction, he had to decide if he wanted to take the chance, take the risk that God really was leading him to start a church in Zebulon. Or was he willing to live with himself & always wonder what their life together would have been life if they'd just trusted God & taken the leap of faith in starting a church.

They took the leap. They're in 2 services. Hundreds of people are a part of that church now, & know the astounding miracle of being redeemed children of our Abba Father.

That was basically what God whispered to me for a few weeks - "Are you willing to take the leap of faith of being a light downtown, or are you willing to always wonder what it would have been like if you had."

That was when God used the scriptures "don't cling to your life" & "don't worry about your life" & "God both precedes & follows you" to poked me in the ribs to say another "yes" to Him.

God's probably poking you with something right now, wanting you to take a leap of faith about something. It might be something huge, or something small. Whatever it is, don't be like the children of Israel, & miss "the promised land" God has for you just because you're afraid.

Pastor John says if something scares you & you don't think you can do it on your own strength, then it's probably God's will.

I'm presently walking toward what I believe He's been leading. What if I'm wrong? Well, then I'm wrong. Won't be the 1st time, won't be the last.

But what if it really is what God's been saying it's gonna be?

As my son, Jacob, says a lot, "holy smokes!"

Say yes to what God's leading you to - He's gonna take care of you, no matter what.