The Courage to Move When God Calls
"God, I know You're calling me...but how do I leave the security of what I know?"
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
— 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
When God Begins Stirring Your Heart
As I prepare to celebrate my birthday on July 12, I've found myself spending a lot of time reflecting on where God has brought me and where I believe He is leading me next.
If I'm honest, this season has been filled with excitement and uncertainty at the same time.
For years, God has been placing dreams in my heart—dreams that have grown into ministries, organizations, and opportunities to serve others. I believe with all my heart that He is calling me to step into something greater. Yet, if I'm being completely transparent, I've also wrestled with the practical questions.
How will the bills get paid?
What about my debt?
What about health insurance?
What about my knee and the surgeries?
How do I leave the security of a steady paycheck when I can't see the entire plan?
Those are real questions. They're not questions that come from a lack of faith. They're questions that come from living in the real world.
I know I'm not the only one asking these questions.
Perhaps God has been stirring something in your heart, too. Maybe He's calling you to start a ministry, begin a business, return to school, change careers, write a book, or simply step into a new season of obedience.
When God calls us to move, He doesn't always hand us the complete blueprint. Sometimes He simply asks us to trust Him with the next step.
Remembering God's Faithfulness
Recently, God gently reminded me of another season in my life.
There was a time when my children were still small, and He asked me to trust Him then, too. I didn't know how everything would work out. I couldn't see every step ahead. I simply knew He was asking me to move.
And He was faithful.
He made a way when I couldn't see one.
He provided when I didn't know where the provision would come from.
He carried me through seasons that looked impossible.
As I look toward this next chapter, that memory has become my anchor.
The same God who provided then has not changed.
The same God who opened doors then is still opening doors today.
The same God who carried me through uncertainty before is more than able to carry me through it again.
Walking by Faith Instead of Fear
The Bible tells us, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Walking by faith doesn't mean we ignore reality. It means we choose to trust God's reality over our own limitations.
Faith acknowledges the bills, but it also remembers the Provider.
Faith recognizes the doctor's report, but it also believes in the Great Physician.
Faith understands the uncertainty, but it refuses to believe uncertainty is greater than God's sovereignty.
There will always be reasons to stay where it's comfortable.
There will always be reasons to postpone obedience until the timing feels perfect.
But if we wait until every question has an answer, we may never take the first step God is asking us to take.
Guard the Vision God Has Given You
I've also learned something else in this season.
Be careful who you share your God-given vision with while it's still taking root.
Not everyone will understand what God has spoken to your heart.
Some people will respond with fear because they genuinely care about you.
Others may unintentionally project their own limitations onto your calling.
And if your faith is still growing, those voices can become louder than God's voice.
There is wisdom in protecting what God is developing until He gives you permission to reveal it.
Even Jesus often withdrew to pray before taking His next step. Before major moments in His ministry, He sought time alone with the Father. There are seasons when God calls us to be quiet—not because we're hiding, but because He's preparing us.
Sometimes your dream needs prayer more than publicity.
When the time is right, God will open the doors no one can shut.
Final Encouragement
As I prepare to celebrate another year of life, I don't have every answer.
I don't know every detail of what tomorrow holds.
But I know the One who holds tomorrow.
The same God who made a way for me when my children were small is the same God who is leading me now.
So I choose to trust Him.
I choose to take one faithful step at a time.
I choose to believe that obedience is always safer than staying where God has called me to leave.
If you're standing at the edge of your own next season, wondering whether you should take that first step, let me encourage you with this:
Don't let fear make the decision that faith is supposed to make.
Trust the God who has already proven Himself faithful.
If He made a way before, He can make a way again.
The God who called you is already waiting in the place He's leading you.
Take the next step.
He'll meet you there.
