Fearing Uncharted Territory

You want me to “wing it,” Lord?

After teaching the first three sessions of a women’s retreat several years ago, I awoke the next morning with an unsettled feeling in my spirit. The Lord was leading me to share something different than what I had prepared, which required me to take a scary leap of faith into the unknown.

As a planner by nature, I usually spend days in advance preparing notes for my messages because I do not function well “off the cuff.” But, I did not have the luxury of time on this day because I was teaching in less than two hours.

In haste, I scribbled some notes on paper and headed to the main auditorium to “wing it.” But, as I stood before this eager crowd of women, I broke down into tears. I explained what happened to me that morning yet somehow managed to express everything the Lord led me to share, fumbling my way through it.

As I spoke, women in the crowd shouted words of encouragement. When I finished, many others expressed how God used me to minister to them powerfully, and a few disclosed a supernatural event they witnessed in the Spirit as I spoke—leaving me in a state of awe and humility.

When I left the retreat, I felt extremely indebted and connected to Jesus for calling me into the unknown to accomplish His purposes without ever revealing what He was up to until the very end.

Had I not obeyed the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I would have missed an opportunity to trust Jesus with what I could not foresee and forfeited the growth that resulted from God’s faithfulness over my obedience.

What about you? What area of obedience or uncharted territory is Jesus prompting you to step into by faith? What are your fears about saying “Yes”? Let me know in the comments so I can pray for you.