“Will anyone truly care about what I have to say? I only have _____ followers on social media and I’m not even sure they’re interested.”

“With every victory you’ve given me and each struggle I’ve walked through, maybe I’m still just not qualified to help others.”

“So many people are already doing that. Who is going to hear my voice amongst the 1.1 million voices shouting for attention?”

“What if I do this work, spend my time, and make sacrifices to be obedient, and I still don’t succeed?”

“I feel paralyzed by fear, God. There’s just too many things I won’t know or understand along the way. I want to fully trust you, but I don’t know if I can.”

Do any of these phrases sound familiar? How many have you said to yourself, or to God? I’ve personally gone through the entire list, sometimes all in one conversation. Because, yes girl, I’ve experienced my own share of doubt. There are still days that I’d rather do almost anything to distract me from what God is calling me to. Like mowing the grass or helping someone move kind of anything. 

I wonder what assignment God’s given you. Maybe it’s a person he’s calling you to love or a direction he’s instructing you to take. Could it be a message he’s prompting you to preach or a sacrifice he’s asking you to make? Whatever it is, “God assignments” can feel daunting. They can feel overwhelming, and to some, impossible, unrealistic, or unreachable. 

If you’ve ever felt intimated, unclear, or just a little lost about the part you play in your assignment, you’re certainly not alone. I’m praying, today, that God provides you with encouragement, practicality, and truth to help you forward.

Some of my most fulfilling God assignments to date have been the ones where I sat at the bottom of the stairs and wondered how I was going to make it to the top. Each individual step represented its own version of uncertainty. At worst, leaving me with the temptation to give up all together, some before I even started. And at best, stirring up fear and excitement, married together just gently enough to motivate me with hesitancy into the unknown. 

A few years ago, I was contacted by a small publishing company that supports Christian women by encouraging them to share their stories through writing. Up until then the extent of my writing reached my personal journal, my IPad, and social media. After some conversation, they invited me to write for a collaborative book they were piecing together. Women authors from around the globe were writing and sharing their stories of victory. Feeling excited, but very unqualified, I agreed. It was a messy process. From planning to drafting to editing to publishing. Each level held its own attack on my assignment. Fear, insecurity, doubt, confusion. You name it, I probably faced it at some point. But when we are obedient, the Lord is faithful to finish what he started.

Today I can call myself a published author. More importantly, I can confidently say that God has used that book, and the stories of the women who wrote it, to draw people to him.   

You see, I’ve sat at the bottom of those stairs many times. Each uneasy, upward, climb looked slightly different than the one before it. But through them, I discovered a key to rejecting fear and overwhelm. It is possible to obediently walk out your assignment with peace, confidence, and full joy, even in the midst of uncertainties and fleshly insecurities. 

If you desire to move freely in your assignment, know your role in it. And just as importantly, know God’s.

The story of Joshua gives a helpful example of this. After Moses died, Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land and helped them claim it. But before he did that, God appointed him and directed him clearly.

Let’s take a closer look at the roles both Joshua and God individually played in the fulfillment of God’s promise. 

Now take a glance back over both God’s and Joshua’s part in Joshua’s God-given assignment. Do you notice who had the bigger part to play? God calls us to further His Kingdom, to make disciples, to love others. We do that by accepting our uniquely designed and purposefully orchestrated assignments.

He’s chosen you, set you apart, called you by name.  But He doesn’t intend for you to fulfill an assignment He has given you, without Him. Like with Joshua, he promises to remain with you. My friend, stop stressing, striving, and resisting surrender. Instead, take these three pieces of advice from Joshua’s life. Get in His presence, listen to His voice, trust what He says, and pray for the courage to be obedient one God conversation at a time. 

So, whether you’re facing it for the first time or returning to it, make time today to look closely at your assignment. Evaluate that business God asked you to start 2 years ago… What step can you take today to obey? Think of the friendship God led you recently. What can you do today to cultivate that relationship? 

Comment below the next step of your obedience in your God given assignment. Sometimes just saying it out loud is the first step in showing God you trust him and are ready to obey.

Guest Blogger,

Krista Frantz

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