When the Spirit Leads

Have you ever heard God’s still small voice or felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit leading you in a direction?

Sometimes what we hear or feel may be an answer to prayer and sometimes it may be something we didn’t expect.

Either way, if we hear or feel God telling us to go forward, we can have confidence that He knows what’s best.

“It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.”

– ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭118‬:‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

No matter what opposition you face, if God is telling you to move then you move.

Easier said than done, right?

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to stay the course when it feels like even those closest to you think you’re crazy.

Here’s one example:

I have always been in love with English and literature. During my last years of high school, I was studying to be a nurse because, well, that was the “logical” choice. After all, the medical field is where they say the money and stability are, right?

I thought I could do it. And maybe I could’ve but it isn’t where God wanted me and my heart was FAR from that.

After taking a couple years off after graduation, I decided to study for another “logical” degree: Electrical Engineering. But, that’s not where God wanted me either.

Finally, I realized that I could get a degree in something I have a strong passion for.

Excited about my new journey, I dove into my coursework and obtained my BA in English and Literature.

Many people asked if I wanted to be a teacher. No way. I want to be a writer. I feel like I was born to write. I spent years studying, taking notes, and journaling, and I felt ready.

Though I was confident (some may even say naive), I could tell people were questioning my decision. Still, I pressed on. This is MY DREAM after all.

Little did I know, the writing field is VERY competitive.

Only one word would describe how I felt after spending years getting a degree in something I love, yet couldn’t land the job I wanted: DEFEATED.

Nonetheless, I was able to work a few different contract and part-time jobs where I could use my skills. But it just wasn’t enough.

I felt God calling me to use my writing for His kingdom for years, even before I even finished school. I just wasn’t courageous or bold enough to do it. But God kept encouraging me to go forward.

And then one day, I finally listened and started this blog. And though it is still new and scary, I am exactly where God wants me. And there’s no place I’d rather be than in His will.

Second example:

I come from a family that is used to people working multiple jobs. So imagine the shock everyone felt when they learned I, not only got a degree to be a “writer”, but after having my first baby my husband and I agreed that I would be a stay-at-home mom. A couple of years after that choice, we eventually decided that I would be homeschooling our children.

CRAZY TOWN.

Now, this wasn’t my initial plan. Nope. Not at all. And there have been times I have questioned if I could even do this.

Until one day, only a few months before writing this post, I was in prayer at church. I had been struggling with the opposition and negative viewpoints of others when they found out I would be homeschooling.

Right there, in the midst of prayer, I felt the Holy Spirit cheering me on saying, “You can do this”.

And right at that moment, I knew what God was telling me. Despite the naysayers, despite what my circumstances looked like, despite my “am I qualified for this” attitude, GO FORWARD.

“…but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance…”

– Romans 5:3 KJV

I would love to say after that sense of peace and affirmation washed over me, that would be the end of my struggle with opposition. But it wasn’t. Isn’t. As the verse above reminds us, these tribulations will produce perseverance.

God has surrounded me with others that encourage me in this area and, whenever I feel discouraged, I go to the One who is in control.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. “

– John 16:33 KJV

My God is more than enough. He is control. He is the author and finisher.

So I encourage you today, if you feel God calling you to do something, DO IT!

No matter what others say, they don’t know your future. We were put on this Earth for God’s glory and everything in His plan will point us in the right direction.

You can do it!