There are many challenges that can keep a person from following the Lord Jesus wholeheartedly. The more common distractions for me have been family, finances, thoughts of the future, I think most of all, fear. Fear of not knowing what the future holds, and not knowing, understanding, trusting in the One who holds everyone’s future in His hands. Sometimes the greatest battle is not whether we believe that God is able, but whether we are willing to trust Him with what we cannot see. The Lord has never asked His people to know every step before taking the first one. He simply asks us to trust His heart, follow His voice, and believe that His ways are higher than our ways. When fear tells us to hold back, faith reminds us that the One calling us forward is already waiting for us on the other side of our obedience. There is no place we can go in following Christ where His grace will not meet us and His presence will not sustain us. With that being said, Jesus used two simple words to call Peter, Andrew, James, and John from being fisherman to becoming disciples. Jesus called Matthew away from being a tax collector and found Philip along the way. These two simple words changed their lives and are continuing to change the lives of countless numbers of people today, “Follow Me.” My heart is quickened when I read what is written in *Mark 8:34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?* There is a vast difference between those who profess to know Christ and those who actually follow Him as Lord. When we are willing to stop chasing the world and follow Him, lives change. Our goals, our hopes, our future no longer belong to us but to Him who has called us and said “Follow Me.” Charles Spurgeon said, “A godly man often grows best when his worldly circumstances decay. He who follows Christ for his bag is a Judas; they who follow for loaves and fishes are children of the devil; but they who attend Him out of love to Himself are His own beloved ones. Lord, let me find my life in Thee, and not in the mire of this world’s favour or gain.” The distractions for me usually come when I focus on what I want and not what God wants for me. Following Jesus requires more than agreeing with His words; it requires surrendering our will to His. It means that there will be times when obedience will cost us something, yet what we gain in Christ is worth far more than anything we could ever lose. The cross reminds us that following Christ has never been about convenience, but about surrender, obedience, and love. My brethren, the call of Jesus is not just for someone else, but for each one of us who claims His name. It is a call that reaches across every background, every circumstance, every failure, and every place we may find ourselves today. There is room for the weary, the broken, the fearful, and those who have wandered far from God to hear His voice and begin following Him again. Closing thought; think about how different our world would be if modern-day Christians responded to Jesus’s call the same way the early Church did when He said, “Follow Me,” and actually did it without looking back. But let me ask you this: Is there evidence in your life that you are truly following Him? When others look at your life, your choices, your priorities, and your walk, do they see someone who has heard Jesus say, “Follow Me,” and is actually following Him genuinely or just a fan putting on a facade to feel better about how you are living your life for your own pleasure?
My BeLoved, may the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. In Christ Love, douglas. HE>i. pastord.blog
Special Note: I want to thank those who read what I write and are encouraged to support the ministry God has entrusted to me either one time or have decided to give on a monthly basis. I am encouraged to see certain verses playing out before my eyes like what is written in *Philippians 4:16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.*
To any who are interested, please feel free to reach out to me with prayer requests, questions, encouragement, or for information on how to come alongside me with financial support at pastord.blog@gmail.com or I do have a Zelle account associated with my phone number, 5202720387 last name Blaser. Thank you my Beloved for your ongoing prayers and support.
