Whatever it is, do it!

I closed the session in prayer and made my way back to my seat. There was nothing left to do now but sit back and pray and see how God would work. Those words were His, and although I am at all times capable of botching everything completely, I knew the truth of His Word was clear and just prayed that conviction would give way to life-change.

We split into small groups and I slipped quietly into mine.  The women began sharing what God had been ministering specifically to them during the session. Things they saw in a new light. Encouragement. New insights into Scripture. One woman sat quietly. Then after a long pause, finally shared:

“I feel like maybe God is convicting me of something. I love decorating my home. And lately I’ve been spending a lot of time and energy looking for just the right new items, and spending money finding just the right new things for my home. And I know God gave me the love for decorating, but I feel like maybe he’s speaking to me that I don’t need to spend this much money and energy on my home. I think maybe he’s saying not to spend any more money on new things but just to use what I have.”  She stopped, then looked up at us, waiting for a response.

I smiled encouragingly but stayed quiet, wanting to hear what the other women would say. Slowly, the responses started coming.

“Well … you shouldn’t feel guilty just because you have nice things. God has blessed you!”

“God loves beauty. He created beauty. So He wants us to have beautiful things.”

“I used to feel guilty for the nice things I have, but I just had to get rid of that false guilt and enjoy the life God has given me.”

“There has to be a balance. We can’t just go and never buy anything just because we want to be generous and help people.”

“God put us in America so we are to live like Americans.”

I saw the confusion cloud the original woman’s face. She nodded slowly, weighing their words with her thoughts. “Yeah … I don’t know.”

Eventually, another woman and I encouraged the woman, Whatever God is telling you to do, do it.

~

In Luke 11, Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees and lawyers saying, “You have taken away they key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering” (Luke 11:52). That verse scares me a bit — could we actually be guilty of hindering those who are receiving insight, knowledge, and conviction from God because we ourselves don’t want that same conviction?

Fast forward to another session of another event. I finished and slipped into my small group. One woman began, “You know, during the session I was just sitting there realizing that I used to have standards for our family, for the things we watch and what we allow into our home, in order to keep it Christ-centered and pure. But I’m sitting here realizing I’ve really let my guard down the last few years. Now I can’t believe the things I’m letting in. I think I need to talk to my family and we need to take back that standard of Christ-likeness and purity. Like maybe even throw some stuff away and maybe cancel some subscriptions. What do you guys think?”

I beamed, but waited for the other women’s responses. Even though they hadn’t felt the same conviction, all their comments were the same: If that’s what God is convicting you to do, DO IT! 

And in the end, even though she had some hard choices to make ahead, the woman who shared beamed with confidence: She had heard from the Holy Spirit, was encouraging to obey, and was obeying. There is no greater joy than that.

~

Here’s my point: Convictions are a precious thing. When the Holy Spirit of God is moving in someone’s heart and life, this is cause to rejoice! When we are pricked by that conviction, when God puts His finger on something, we are wise to take it seriously. All too often we can just talk each other out of obeying God, because we want to avoid guilt at all cost. Guilt is seen as bad, no matter what.

And yes, while there are certainly times that the enemy makes us feel guilty without warrant, when the Word of God is taught and conviction falls (“conviction” implies guilt!), the best thing we can do is simply come around each other and say, “Whatever it is, do it!”

Whatever God’s telling you, do it!

Whatever he’s convicting you about, obey it!

Whatever call He’s giving you, respond!

It may be completely different from what He’s convicting someone else about. It’s not a one-size-fits deal. But we are wise to err on the side of simply encouraging those around us to listen carefully and obey quickly.

Whatever it is, do it. 

~

Are you wrestling with an area of conviction today? Whatever it is, do it!

I pray you’d be encouraged today to listen carefully and respond quickly. Thanks so much for reading.