Follow the Leader

Original Photo:CC. Edits by Dayna Bickham

"You're Doing it Wrong!" 

Remember the playground game "Follow the Leader"? 

I do. I always wanted to be the leader. I did not like following. I was strong willed and always thought I knew best. My favorite phrase was "You're doing it wrong!" I was not a gracious child....

How upside down and inside out Jesus turned my world. Now I follow Him, trying to be exactly like Him, and somehow, I am always falling short. 

The good news is His grace covers the gaps. 

Trust Issues

My need to control, to be the leader, points out a very real issue I have had to deal with many times and in many ways: trust. 

When we do not trust, we fear. There is no way around it. Trust and fear are opposites. I do not want to be ruled by fear. I have had enough of the dark days of "what if" and "Oh no". I want to live in the light. I want to be free to completely trust that if I obey God's voice, then He will never let me down. 

So when God prompts you to go speak to someone, will you obey? What if He tells you to give your last dollar to the woman who lives under the overpass, would you do it? What if He told you that person was not "the one" for you, would you walk away? 

God wants our whole life, not just a part of our lives. He wants our whole heart, not just a piece on Sundays. 

"For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." Deuteronomy 4:24

This jealousy is not just about God controlling everything. This jealousy is about relationship. God wants you to trust Him with every part of you. Your heart. Your body. Your finances. Your future. Your past. Your hopes. Your dreams. Everything! 

Before Fear Comes Intimidation

Bullies on the playground are not really feared until after they have done a little intimidation. The intimidation factor is an important component to any enemy's strategy. Too little and they will not achieve the desired effect. Too much intimidation and it may cause the powers that be to notice and take action. 

Isn't this exactly how our enemy deals with us when it comes to obedience to the Lord? He brings the intimidation factor and we fold under the pressure and do not obey. 

"If you do that, people will think you are weird!"  

"If you give your last dollar, what will you do later?"

"If you do not hold on to this guy, no one will ever love you again!" 

This internal dialogue happens all the time. Even Jesus had it. What do you think His time in the desert was? 

He battled with the enemy and He won. Because He trusted what God said in His word, and because He knew, that like any bully, Satan is powerless in the face of truth and courage. 

Before Trust Comes Surrender

Surrender. Abandon. Total trust. These words and phrases are easy enough concepts to understand, but difficult to live out. Why? Because our free will gets in the way. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, what "broke" was more than a way to fellowship with God, even more than sin. The fall broke our focus. We no longer look to God as our source for everything. Now we look to ourselves. This creates it's own set of issues. 

We can never be the solution to our problems because we are our problem. 

We have to give up our selves. Turn ourselves "in" to God and surrender our rights, our will, our emotions, our fear, our heartache, our hopes, our fears, all of it. Without total surrender there cannot be total trust. 

As I wrap up this post I want to remind you of the "trust fall". If you have not seen this done, a person turns their back to another, then falls with complete abandon backwards, trusting that the person behind them will catch them. 

Jesus has us. He will not forsake us. 

Subscribe!

Like what you read here? More great content is available several times a week, but I understand how busy you are. That is why I offer a free newsletter that sends you an email of the same great content straight to your inbox! You won't have to worry about missing a thing. I will never share your information with anyone, and if you sign up today, you can get a free copy of my children's eBook The Gardener and the Sapling: A Modern Parable. Click the link below and subscribe now!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Join the Conversation:

Have you ever done a trust fall with friends or coworkers? Share your story below. Click on "Leave a Comment" or "Add a Comment".