4 Steps to Balance in a Life of Obedience

When God first called his prophet, Jeremiah, to ministry, Jeremiah resisted. He made an excuse. Jeremiah said he was too young to be taken seriously (Jeremiah 1:4-6). Isn’t that just like all of us? We think we’re too __________ to be used by God. The blank can be filled in with many, many adjectives. Too young. Too old. Too fat. Too shy. Too dumb. Too inexperienced. This list could go on forever. We have a million excuses when God would like us to do something. I know I do. Does my excuse get me off the hook with God? He can’t expect me to do such-in-such if I’m not ready. Can he?

Yes, he can.

God didn’t want to hear any of Jeremiah’s excuses. He told him he needed to go wherever he sent him and say whatever he told him. For God knew Jeremiah wasn’t really too young. He was just afraid of people and their reactions to him (Jeremiah 1:7-8). And that fear is a symptom of a lack of trust in God.

I’m also afraid of people and their reactions. If I say this, what will they think? If I do that, what will they think? Excuses enable me to be inactive; trusting God enables me to be active. My actions should stem from my love for God and when they do, people’s opinions won’t matter as much.

God didn’t just tell Jeremiah not to be afraid of people’s opinions. He also gave him the antidote to that fear. The cure was for Jeremiah to remember that God was indeed with him and would protect him as he walked out his obedience. The Lord also touched his mouth and blessed and anointed his future words (Jeremiah 1:8-10).

All believers also have this powerful promise that the Lord will be with them until the end of the earth and he won’t forsake them. But sometimes I’m still afraid. I’m still afraid because I forget to remember that promise; not because the promise isn’t true. When the Lord calls me to do something, he’ll enable me to do it as long as I lose my excuses.

I’ve never been able to learn this lesson overnight. It’s been a life-long process for me. And I don’t think that Jeremiah learned it quickly either. However, he learned enough to take the first step.

Learning to step out in obedience to God’s calling is like learning to walk on a balance beam.

1.) Get Started. First, I have to lift myself to sit on the beam and then I attempt to stand on it. When you’re learning it’s okay to have help to get up there. Someone else can give you a boost and help you to get your initial balance. In life, it is also okay to ask someone who has done what you’re trying to do for help to get started.

2.) Take a Step. Once you’re standing on the board, you breathe deeply to dispel some of your fear and nervousness. Then you take one baby step forward and attempt to steady your balance. When you’re learning to do something in life, it’s okay for your process to be slow. You’re learning. Moving forward is the only thing that matters. How fast you go doesn’t matter.

3.) Thank God as You Go. The next step isn’t necessarily listed in the steps for walking a balance beam but it wouldn’t hurt to do it. Thank God and acknowledge that you remember that he is indeed with you as you go. In life, this is a very important step to keep your confidence up.

4.) Keep On Stepping. Now, you have to take another step and rebalance yourself again. Each step gets easier as you go along because now you know what to expect. In life, you can’t just stop with one thing accomplished. You have to keep going. You’ll never be satisfied with only partial obedience and Jesus will always beckon you onward to your next step.

So, the next time you’re tempted to make an excuse of being too __________, remember that no matter what that adjective is, God won’t let you use it. He is with you and he is much bigger than that excuse. And he can work around any excuse that you think is stopping you. Excuses keep me from trying and that insistence of not trying can stop me from anything and everything. Everything worthwhile takes many steps of faith to get it accomplished. So, I might as well get started with those steps no matter how off-balance I feel in the beginning.

Step to it.