He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” -Luke 9:59-62
It is good and fitting to wait on word from God to move forward. But once that word is given we must not make excuses. You, Spiritual Leader, must obey right away. It is common and maybe even seem rational to delay that obedience. But God let me get married first. But God let my kids grow up first. But God let me get this promotion first. No buts! We wait on God and then obey. Success as a spiritual leader depends on following Him as soon as He speaks.
God makes the call on what and when we do the things that are in His plan. Delay your obedience and God may very well give the task, mission and rewards to someone else. God is not cruel. He understands your concerns. But He knows what is best and would not direct you to go now if it was not what was best for the Kingdom of God. When you tell Him that your kids are so small or that your parents are dying, this was not news to Him. When you register your complaint, He will not say, “That did not dawn on me. Of course you can wait.”
When you have any task that you feel led to do it is best to just get after it. Fear grows the longer you wait. There are many things that are difficult to get started on. Many years ago, now God called me out of Spokane, Washington and directed me to Muskogee, Oklahoma. To do so we had to say goodbye to deep friends, resource contacts and a home that we had just recently remodeled. That house did not sell for over six months after we were obedient. Everything we owned was packed into a 36-foot truck and drug across the country. My children also had to say goodbye to the familiar and stability that they had known for so long. This was a hard decision. There was no promise of any type of success on the other end of the journey. All that I knew is that God directed my steps and I had to obey. Each step of obedience made the next one easier. Ultimately, God has blessed us in our new home. He has effectively shaped my family in new and interesting ways that would not have happened if we had locked ourselves down in Washington. Someone else would have had the blessing of leading the Gospel Rescue Mission to grow and expand and serve more and more people. God is faithful.
Spiritual leader, take the first steps and watch where God leads you.
