His call, when obeyed, changes everything.

'His call, when obeyed, changes everything.' This daily article from Crosswalk.com talks about your life taking a dramatic turn when we trust Him and follow Him.  God's guidance to Tennessee is prime example for Neal and I that when He calls and we obey and follow Him, our lives swiftly, abundantly and eternally change. 

How did our lives change? you ask and is this 'change' even favorable? Yes but it did come with a cost.

When God made it clear that Franklin TN was the next phase in our life and that we were to leave everything, everyone we knew our whole lives to a foreign land called Franklin, for once I was completely living in His peace. He whispered to me that if I would trust in Him, follow Him out of completely blind faith that this move would give life to my heart and would make an eternal impact. For confirmations, He gave us the story of Abraham's calling from his father's land to a foreign land where God would bless him. He also used Proverbs 14:4, 'Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.' My HCSB commentary states , 'Sometimes the benefits of an investment outweigh the costs  and inconveniences involved.' 

Moving would lead to heartbreaking family distress for me and I knew before we even moved that this would be one sacrifice but God's calling was so strong that I had peace at the same time. Does it make me sad that my family dynamics have forever changed? Of course! But does that mean I regret following God's perfect will for my family? Not one ounce. When God  calls us to a life changed by His son Jesus, the loses are still weighed and certainly felt but do not mount to knowing you're in His will and will never outweigh His blessings for following Him. 

In Tennessee, we found a small group that truly represented the Acts 2 church:

'And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching,

 to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.' 

Here is where we would be challenged in our infancy in Christ to read God's Word for ourselves and learn what it teaches instead of relying on the traditions of our childhood and the churches we grew up in (which we discovered taught us views that we do not believe are taught in the Bible. Its amazing what you learn when you actually read the Bible!). It was in that small group where we found transparency centered around Christ which led to discipleship, confessions of sins to each other which didn't lead to judgement but accountability in following God's Word with our heart, not only our mind. I wasn't aware of this before our involvement in this group that we discovered the life-changing truth that we can follow Christ with our minds and actions but its only when we follow Him with our heart that makes an eternal difference .

I was blessed with two mentors that represented the Titus 2 model of encouraging young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive to their husbands. Through these godly mentors I discovered God's calling to stay at home and home school my children. Home schooling is a huge sacrifice on my part but is the discipleship of my children, not just an educational decision. Ask anyone that knows me, I am not cut out the homeschool or even stay home with little ones 24/7. This is an amazing time in my spiritual walk where I learn just how much I need Him! 

If we didn't take that step out of the boat of comfort and familiarity He would have never healed us at individual levels and our marriage through His church. When He called and we followed, our lives changed from desiring our own wills for our lives to His. He just wants His children He loves so much to trust Him, follow Him and sacrifice our lives to His will in order to be His disciples to a lost world. Our lives have changed so much by following His calling that we've been accused of being radical. Well thank you :)

Does all of this mean we have a beautiful, white picketed fence on Easy Street? In no way shame or form. Following God and His calling puts a target on your back for the enemy's flaming arrows to penetrate your heart. But when your life changes drastically for Him, you now have the power to live by His Holy Spirit that will never leave you because your heart is sealed with it. What power! Do I live by this power daily, no. My selfishness, pride and sinful nature rear its ugly head, especially when you're  new Mama that is sleep deprived and dealing with postpartum depression.  Its on these hideous days that I feel my Abba Father's reminder that He loves me unconditionally, is full of grace and that my weakness is in deed made perfect in His power. 

What is God calling you to that will change your life?