Last week we discussed another principle that all of us (as His brides) can adopt and incorporate into our lives: Not leaning to our own understanding and hearing Him speak to you at each turn. This week I’d like to share with you something that I believe we all struggle with that my HH helps me to shake off, “Adding fear to the mix.”
Over the weekend I felt the Lord leading me to move outside my comfort zone in regards to where He wants me to live. At least 3 times since Encouraging Women was founded, He’s asked me to let go of ALL my belongings and follow where He led me to live. The first time I lived abroad in several different countries, moving every few days, sometimes moving several days in a row, never staying in one location for more than a week. He also trained me spiritually by leading me to pack my one suitcase (with everything I owned), go to the train station and simply wait there until He said, “There’s the train, get on it” often not knowing where it was headed.
Why He did this is simple—because He was honing (sharpening, refining) and training me for following Him regarding this ministry He’s called me to head up for Him. Also, I believe because I am the matriarch of my family (though I have not been called to lead the family to date), He wanted me to be certain I knew how to do this.
The last time He asked me to let go of everything was a little over 3 years ago. I gave just about everything I had to my son and DIL to keep or sell (they would keep any profits). Then when He led me to move into a “home” again, I had nothing but clothing. Yet little by little a few special things began being returned to me.
Once again, He’s asking me to let go of everything. But because I have such a comfortable home again, I found it hard to get really excited. I did at first, but the more I began thinking of all the details and logistics, plus the utter finality of this step He was asking me to take, the more I began “leaning to my own understanding” stopping just short of panic.
This is when I heard Him say (not for the first time) “Don’t add fear to the mix” and I envisioned the buttermilk biscuits I just made and envisioning me pouring black ink into the mixing bowl, then mixing it in!
Any time we add “fear” to the pain we’re feeling in our body or we add to a decision or a thought we have, we are essentially adding black ink—making it dark, horrible and more difficult to deal with.
So each time I sense this happening, I mentally shook it off just as we see the Apostle Paul doing in Acts 28:5. Then, following the principle in Matthew 12:43-45 regarding replacing what’s been removed. I replace it with and embrace the excitement I felt when I first envisioned what I believe to be His plan for where and how I am going to live for this upcoming year.
Yet, there is one more key component that also can help keep fear at bay. It could very well be that He is not going to have me live like this at all. Instead, He just may be testing me to see if I would be “Willing to go” and that’s what we will explore next week when we look at Abraham and Isaac. Until Next week, begin to shake it off and don’t add fear to the mix.
Unleashing the TRUTH