Fear often hinders our obedience to God. We sometimes fear that what we’ve heard is too small for Him to have called us to, or too big for us to do well. Often, we value how others will perceive our service more than we value simply serving Him. We forget that when we serve Him, He moves and grows our confidence in Him. Covenant Member Ashley Walker is passionate about seeing people grow in confidence to hear from God and she wants her CATC family to know that He is active and moving in our church. During a CATC Women’s Bible Study Ashley heard from God, and as she obeyed His call, He moved to bless another woman, unify their group, and grow Ashley’s faith.

In the first semester of Women’s Bible Study, women were challenged to dig into scripture and wrestle with it for days on their own before returning to the group. This challenge was brand new to some women. As Ashley’s group met for the first time, a member of her group commented on her own inability to glean as much from each passage as the other women. Ashley remembers her saying, “How do y’all know all this stuff and the 10 other passages that relate to this and that?” Ashley answered it was probably because of the cross-references in their study Bibles. She remembers laughing together that “it’s not you; we just have this study Bible that helps.”

The next Sunday in the worship gathering, Pastor JR was preaching a sermon series called “The Inclusiveness of the King.” Ashley remembers one point— if we are not obedient to God because of the risk of being rejected, we are slaves. She immediately was aware of her people-pleasing tendencies. She thought about how often she seeks to keep peace and avoid making presumptions. She felt the Holy Spirit telling her, “You are free. Buy a study Bible for your friend and give it to her.” As she tuned back into the sermon, she remembers JR asking, “Are we going to be obedient to what God has us to do? When the opinion of the one who matters most, matters most to you, then you’re unlocking your prison of everyone else’s approval.” She confessed to God, “Your approval matters most to me and what you asked me to do matters.” She felt the Lord responded with, “Yes, I want you to buy her the Bible, but it’s from me, not from you.”

As astounded as she was by this call from God, Ashley soon heard a barrage of other doubts:

“This seems like too personal of a gift.”

“What if she doesn’t like the translation?”

“What if this seems presumptuous or intrusive to her?”

“What if she doesn’t like the color?”

As silly as these doubts may seem, it’s likely we can all relate to these human thoughts driven by the world and self. However, when we consider God, they are miniscule in comparison to the sovereign power and grace of God. Despite her doubts, Ashley obeyed the call one step at a time. She searched Amazon to find the study Bible she owned. Of course, Prime one-day shipping was available and would have it here just in time for Tuesday’s Bible study. She wrapped it up and gave her friend the gift from God. Ashley still remembers the joy it gave her to be a conduit of God’s blessing! It also was a spiritual marker in her own life. She learned to turn from self and have a Jesus-confidence in listening and obeying the Lord.

In a recent sermon on Isaiah 30-31, A Life of Faith Pt.2, Pastor JR exhorted the CATC body to be committed to doing what God says, because that’s who God speaks to. He gave four practical ways to live a life of faith that submits to God’s voice:

Focus on Intimacy with God
Marinate Your Life in Scripture
Trust That His Word Is Reality and It’s Good
Commit to His Will and Do Whatever He Says to Do

God wants to bring believers into His deepest purposes as His friends.

Written Stories

But God, What If?