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Trusting in God’s Direction
Episode #851
04/09/2023
Walk and talk with John Enslow
I’m going to be able to witness His direction of the ministry, and His leading of it and His mind in it.
Yeah know, this is really amazing to me. I am having a seeing this morning that’s just impacting my heart. I constantly I’m going back to the years I spent in the field with the sheep and the goats, as a shepherd. And today I’m looking at that and I am getting the weight of a situation that’s going on right now.
So when I was a shepherd, of sheep and goats, I was out in the field and I loved those sheep and I cared for those sheep, I sacrificed for those sheep.Those sheep were my focus. And I had to be aware of them. I had to be aware of parasites, I had to be aware of dangers. I had to be aware of fencing, I had to be aware of food. I had to be aware of any spots on their body, I had to be aware of their stool. I had to be aware of all this stuff. And I really gave my life to it. It was over 10 years. I gave my life to these sheep, but they weren’t my sheep. I was doing it for another. I was doing it as a support of another’s flock. So when that man chose to sell those sheep, those sheep were sold. All this heart that I had poured into these animals didn’t matter. I was there to support and when that man wanted to sell the sheep, those sheep were sold. And that had to be, that was the way it was. He was able to direct when they were sold, when they were not sold, how much they ate, the field that they were on. He was the boss and I had to follow him and where he wanted it to go.
I’m looking at this scenario and I’m looking at the situation and I’m seeing how it’s pattern in my own life right now. And how I see that is, I have been in the support of another’s ministry for almost 30 years. That ministry was directed by them. How they wanted to go, where they wanted to go. And just like the sheep and the goats, the direction was based on their will, their design, their desire, their focus. And now the ministry has come onto me. I thought, “Oh my gosh, I am responsible! I am having to focus. I am having to do this. I am having to be the director of this.” Then this morning the Holy Spirit just so softly just came and just slowly just rubbed my face, got my attention and said, “Now your focus is Me. Now I’m going to direct you.”
And it’s not that I wasn’t directed by the Holy Spirit before, because I was. But now I get to focus on Him and His will in this. And I am really witnessing and watching Him direct this quite a part for me. I am literally following. I don’t have the big picture, I have the next couple steps maybe or maybe only the next step. And I am excited about that! Because I’m going to be able to witness His direction of it, and His leading of it and His mind in it. It’s going quite beyond me. The things that the Lord is developing and wanting me to go towards, I’m blow away. I’m going, “Really, oh my gosh!” And I’m following Him and I’m doing these things and it’s beautiful to me. It’s really really really beautiful to me.
It reminds me of Paul’s scripture about marriage. And that obviously relates to me as well being a single guy. That when you’re married you have to be focus on your wife but when you were single you can focus on the kingdom. So I want to read something from first Corinthians 7:32-35 (The Message).
I want you to live as free of complications as possible. When you’re unmarried, you’re free to concentrate on simply pleasing the Master. Marriage involves you in all the nuts and bolts of domestic life and in wanting to please your spouse, leading to so many more demands on your attention. The time and energy that married people spend on caring for and nurturing each other, the unmarried can spend in becoming whole and holy instruments of God. I’m trying to be helpful and make it as easy as possible for you, not make things harder. All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.
So when I read that and when I look at that, I’m seeing that the Lord has been developing around me something that is pretty amazing. That He’s wanting to be the focal point. He’s wanting to be the Director. He’s wanting to take the burden and allow me to focus on Him and His will and His doings and not on supporting another. And while it has been perfect for my life to be supportive and be a servant. That was beautiful. But I really feel like the Lord is is now saying, “I want your attention and in directions to be based on what I’m telling you to do.” That’s gorgeous! I am so excited! I am overwhelmed because it is a beautiful state of affairs. Absolutely beautiful state of affairs.
I had a number of guys in a small group that I’m in talk about that at one point I was more like a sidekick, and now the Lord is saying, I want you to be the face. I want you to be the front face. And that had been a difficult thing for me because I’ve thought m, “Do I have what it takes? Can I do this?” And as I have walked it out, I’m now seeing that the Lord is saying listen, “I’m not asking you to take the weight, I’m asking you to follow and I’m asking to be able to direct.” And I am blown away by that. I am empowered by that, I am encouraged by that, I am excited about that because this shift has led to life.
I’m really pleased that I am not having to take the weight on. I’m not having to carry the huge backpack of supplies. I am able to literally enter into this and walk as He’s directing. And that is an incredible burden release off of my heart. And while I know that is the directive for all of us, even if you are married, the scriptures say “Live as if your not”(1 Corinthians 7:29). Meaning that your focus is the kingdom, your focus is directed on the kingdom and on His direction and on His leading. And even if I am married, I am called to enter into that marriage with Him and with Him being the spouse, with Him loving my spouse through me. That’s marriage, that’s New Testament marriage is: I allow Christ’s life to love my spouse through me. I am in the adventure of life with another person and I’m able to experience this, an express this, as He lives His life through me. That’s gorgeous, that’s beautiful! Literally marriage is the stage and platform where I can experience Christ life. That I can experience with another person, and I can watch how He wants to love this other person. That He wants to minister to this other person. How He wants to be involved with this other person. That experience is beautiful.
As a single man, I am able to do the exact same thing in singleness. While being married, I wouldn’t have the ability to have as much focus, being single I have a lot more ability to focus on what He wants to do, what He saying. But there is really no difference. Whether you’re married or single He wants to direct and lead your life. That’s the exchange life, that’s The Great Exchange that we get to experience with Him.
So today I’m looking at this, I’m looking at this scenario. I’m looking at what’s happening, and I realized all of a sudden that He didn’t throw weight on me to do this, He threw an opportunity to follow Him in it. He wants to directed it, He wants to lead it, He wants to guide it, He wants me to have undivided attention on Him to perform what He wants to perform and do what He wants to do. I’m excited about that. I’m excited about that, because I am witnessing His desires, and witnessing His life, lived out and expressed. And the direction that He’s taking me has blow me away. Week after week I’m like going, “Wow, I had no idea it was gonna be like that! I had no idea You were going to do these things, that You were going to set this up this way. And I am learning how He wanted to set it up, how He wants to set it up, what He wants to do, who He wants to bring as players. And I’m like, “This is beautiful!”
So I hope this is helpful. I am impacted today by this because I’m realizing the direction that He’s taking me is leading me moment by moment where there was another person before and now it’s His voice. It’s His direction. He’s not giving me the grand scheme of things because then I would do it. I do it myself. I would run ahead. I’d be like, “Oh OK, well we can fix all this .” He didn’t want that! He’s wanting me to have my ears leaned on Him, and hearing Him, and following His direction. And that’s beautiful. That’s just beautiful. I know He want all of us to live but I am seeing it up close and personal right now, and He is painting the portrait of my life. He is displaying His idea of art and a masterpiece, and I am a witness. I am a witness of what He’s wanting to do. And I know that that’s all of us. That He’s painting in all of our lives, a beautiful portrait of Himself, and we are able to experience His expression, H is multifaceted expression in our lives as we see Him direct our daily steps and that is the Christian life. So I love you. I appreciate you and I will be back in touch very, very soon.
Trusting in God’s Direction – Episode #851 – DivineDesigned.Life
I have the weight felt responsibility for the ministry, yet the Holy Spirit reminds me that my focus is on His direction and on His leading.
