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Obedience is hard! I don’t know about you, but I like to be in control. I like to decide what’s next in my life, what I’m going to do. However, when we decide to follow the Holy Spirit, we don’t always get to do exactly what we want…
One lesson I’ve been learning is that the Holy Spirit will sometimes ask me to do things are uncomfortable, inconvenient, or outside my comfort zone.
So, how do we get better at saying “yes”? Let me offer 5 tips to help us embrace obedience.
1) Pray for strength to obey
When I’m struggling to obey a particular prompt from the Holy Spirit, I’ve started praying for the strength to obey instead of asking for additional confirmation. Of course, you do want to make sure you’ve confirmed what you’ve heard by making sure it’s consistent with scripture, but then start praying about whatever fear or concern is holding you back. Ask for the power to overcome your barriers.
2) Give your fear a name
Sometimes our reluctance to say “yes” is driven by our fears. I’ve found it helpful to identify the particular fear and call it out. Fear begins to lose some of its power when we call it by name. Get tough with your fear – yell at it, tell it to GET OUT!
3) Imagine the outcomes
What’s the worst thing that could happen if you obey? What’s the best? I’ve found it helpful to think about possible positive outcomes to help me get more excited about being obedient.
4) Share with someone who can hold you accountable
When I’m really wavering or procrastinating, I find it helpful to share what I’ve been asked to do with a friend, someone who can hold me accountable. Recently, I was struggling with one particular prompt. I prayed and considered it for a while, but now I was just procrastinating. So, I shared it with some friends and committed to a timeline. It wasn’t that they were going to fuss at me if I missed the deadline, but I knew they’d ask how it turned out because they care. That was just enough motivation to help me to finally say “yes”.
5) Just do it!
Lastly, just do it! Just take that leap of faith and try. You’ll never know the full power of the Holy Spirit until you say “yes” and give Him a chance to work through you.
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
What else helps you say “yes”? Please share in the comments and let’s encourage each other in this journey of obedience.
This post is part of a 4 week series about the Holy Spirit. Click HERE to catch up on other posts in this series.
This series will look at topics such as:
– Inviting the Holy Spirit to begin working within us
– How to listen for the Holy Spirit
– What it means to obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit
– How obedience is linked to trust
– How the Holy Spirit equips us, even when we don’t feel qualified
– What impact we can have in the world when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit
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Linking with: Essential Fridays, Make My Saturday Sweet, Fellowship Fridays, The Weekend Brew, A Little R&R Wednesdays
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Kaylene Yoder (FaithfulFeatBlog) says
“You’ll never know the full power of the Holy Spirit until you say “yes” and give Him a chance to work through you.” How true it is! Thank you for this great series! blessings!
Kathryn says
It amazes me what He can do every time I choose to say “yes”.
Julie from ChristianMommyBlogger.com says
Hi Kathryn – I needed to read this! Its like your words were meant just for me! 🙂 I “know” that I should pray for help in obedience, but “knowing” and doing are often two different things. You just reminded me of why I try to keep a prayer journal – so that I can remind myself of all the times when the Holy Spirit pushed me out of what i thought was my comfort zone only to discover new experiences of God’s grace – regardless of my discomfort, regardless of what I thought I lacked. His Grace is always sufficient. Thanks for this post today!
Kathryn says
I’m SO glad these words spoke to you! I wish I were better at keeping a prayer journal. Love to look back and take encouragement from all the ways He answers my prayers.
Candy says
Thanks for sharing this. I’m so glad I found your link over at Christian Mommy Blogger’s Fellowship Fridays! I love your points…#2 especially speaks to my heart because I know that Jesus is the name above every other name. When I “name” my fear I can quickly put it under submission.
Blessings to you!
~Candy
Kathryn says
Thanks for stopping by! #2 changed the game for me – once I could identify and give a name to the fear that was holding me back, it was so much easier to conquer it. It’s those unnamed, vague fears that tend to overtake us.
F Dean Hackett says
This is such an important article. And your points to guide to a life of obedience to the Lord are great! What a blessing to read this.
Kathryn says
Glad you stopped by! thanks for the encouragement!
inspiredbyjune says
Great encouragement, Kathryn! It’s interesting, my link up at the Weekend Brew was bracketed by yours, Obedience, and Lyli’s, Waiting. A coincidence? I think not. Have a blessed week!
Kathryn says
Love it! Yes, waiting and obedience do seem to go hand-in-hand.
Barbie says
These are all great steps towards obedience. I can especially relate to #1 and #5. Praying for strength and just stepping out and saying “yes”! Thankful you shared over at The Weekend Brew!
Wanda W. says
Kathryn, I’m enjoying the insight you are sharing in your series. I really like the tip #1 about praying for the strength to obey rather than seeking additional confirmation. Sometimes we can get hung on wanting to hear it confirmed multiple times because it’s something we do not really want to do in the first. Great tips.
Kathryn says
Thanks, Wanda! I actually had a prayer answered by hearing the words “you already know the answer” even before I had the words out – I was asking for confirmation of something for the umpteenth time. It changed my approach to prayer – and has made it somewhat easier to ‘just do it’.