I’ll never forget the day I met Tricia Goyer…
Knowing I was pursuing publication, the owner of our local Christian bookstore told me, “You need to meet Tricia. She’s a writer, too.”
I had no idea this woman would become so influential in my life. Tricia has been a mentor in my writing, but as I’ve watched her follow Jesus, obeying Him no matter what He asks, she’s become a mentor in life as well.
It was my great privilege to write the foreword for her new book, Walk It Out: The Radical Result of Living God’s Word One Step at a Time and I’m excited to have Tricia share her heart here in today’s guest blog post.
{ Don’t miss the GIVEAWAY at the end of this post! }
In Walk It Out, Tricia shows us not only how to follow Jesus with radical obedience, but how to do it with radical joy. Showing what it means to put feet to our faith each and every day…
Walk It Out With Jesus
When was the last time you knew you were right where you needed to be, doing exactly what God wanted you to do? When was the last time you strode forth with confidence and took big steps of faith? When was the last time you read God’s Word and told yourself, “I’m going to do exactly what it says, no matter the cost,” … and then followed through?
Whether you realize it or not, God intended for you to do what the Bible says: adopt the orphan, provide for the widow, pray for your enemies, and care for the needy. These are guideposts to point us down the path of true living and eternal life. When we obey God’s directives, we find our joy and our purpose.
In our day and age, American Christians have Bible knowledge, but many of us don’t understand how to translate our beliefs into actions. We go to Bible study, and do the homework, yet a disconnect happens between our hearts and our feet. Many of us are wandering through life, wondering if what we’re doing matters at all.
And what is the result? Many of us are bored and unfulfilled in our Christian walk. We are simply surviving, feeling that we are missing out on God’s big plan. We wonder if we’ll ever realize our potential. We have an inkling that God has more for us, but we don’t know how to get from where we are to “there”—where God is.
And what do we ultimately miss? We miss out on calling an orphan our son or daughter. We miss leading a friend, neighbor or stranger in the sinner’s prayer. We miss seeing men and women throwing off their burdens and discovering a beautiful life because they saw us do it first. We miss knowing God so intimately, deeply that we cannot take one more step without His presence.
Combating Lies
We are quick to tell ourselves lies like these:
- God uses other people but He doesn’t use me.
- God loves others more than He loves me.
- I’m doing something wrong.
- I’m not enough. I don’t deserve great things.
- I just need to work harder.
- I need to wait on God’s timing (the perfect procrastination technique!)
- I need to study more.
- If I memorized more Scripture I wouldn’t have these struggles.
- If I wasn’t such a prayer whip my family would be doing better.
- If I truly did what Jesus asked me to do it would be too radical, and I would push people away from God.
- If I serve too much outside the home my children will reap the negative consequences.
It’s time to move past such lies and misconceptions. Here are three ways:
- Stop doing good things for God. Just because something is good doesn’t mean it’s the right season or it’s good for you. It’s okay to say “no” at times—even to good ministry opportunities.
Instead … see where God is working around you. Is there someplace you feel you need to join Him? Don’t miss out on doing great things WITH God simply because you’re too busy doing good things FOR Him.
- Stop trying to figure out all the details before you start. Steps of faith require just that … faith. You aren’t meant to know how things will turn out. You’re not meant to see the future.
Instead … trust God and depend on Him to work out all the details. Faith untested is small faith, but when we follow the directives God has given us in Scripture, then faith will grow.
- Sit down with the Bible and a tender heart that is ready to obey. Spend time daily in His Word. Pause at any verse that stirs your heart, and then pray, “Lord, I sense this is for me. How can I obey today?”
For me, it’s taken many years of Bible reading, trust that God’s in the details, and faith steps, but I truly believe I’m exactly where I need to be, doing what I need to do. For me, this involves homeschooling our adopted kids, writing books, and mentoring teen moms, but for you it will be different.
How wonderful that each of us walk with God as individuals. And how wonderful that as individuals we join together to glorify God and impact His kingdom.
For too long we’ve listened to the lies. It’s time for a new season. It’s time to listen to God’s Word and do what it says. It’s time to truly transform our Christian walk by stepping out with Christ in ways we’d never imagined.
More About Tricia Goyer
Thanks so much, Tricia, for your beautiful encouragement! If you’d like to learn more about Tricia and her other books, go to www.TriciaGoyer.com and check out her Author Page.
Tricia has written more than seventy books. She is a homeschooling mom of ten, grandmother of four, and wife to John. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Center in Kalispell, Montana and now leads a teen mom support group in Little Rock, Arkansas. Mostly, Tricia is a child of God who dares to #walkitout.
CLICK HERE to read the first chapter of Walk It Out: The Radical Result of Living God’s Word One Step at a Time.
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Enter the Walk It Out Giveaway!
Good news! You can win a copy of Tricia’s new book by entering the “Walk It Out” giveaway. Just follow the directions and enter below…
CONTEST ENDS ends on October 18th @ midnight – Hope you’ll enter and win! If you just can’t wait, CLICK HERE to order Tricia’s book on Amazon (affiliate link here and above.)
I’d love to hear from you…Which one of Tricia’s tips resonates most with you?