When was the last time you believed that God was calling you to do something for Him? Did you obediently follow through with what the Lord was leading you to accomplish; or did some sort of obstacle get in the way of pursuing this mission God was calling you to complete?

Perhaps you are currently feeling the tug of the Holy Spirit upon your heart, to start something new in your life for the Lord, or to go back and finish something you might have started in the past for HIm. Maybe it is not necessarily anything that you believe God wants you to start or create; but rather you see Him leading you to another job, or place for your family to live.

There are many different possibilities as to what exactly you feel the Lord is leading you to do. What ultimately matters, is that you hear a calling from God, and you want to respond to it. But it is often hard to do that.

In both the Old, and New Testaments, we find examples of biblical patriarchs who expressed immediate fear, and doubt, upon hearing God’s call to complete a great mission for Him. Exodus chapters 3-4, document the hesitation that Moses initially showed after the Lord gave him instructions to free the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians. Moses exclaimed to the Lord in 3:11, “Who am I, that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” God responded to the doubting patriarch in verse 12 saying, “Certainly I will be with thee.”

In the Scriptures, God consistently affirmed to those Whom He called, that His protection would be upon them. After initially calling Abraham in Genesis 14, God tells him at the beginning of chapter 15, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Gen. 15:1). Moving further into the Old Testament, we read of Gideon, who was called by God to conquer the army of the Midianites, though him and his army appeared to be outnumbered. After Gideon expressed fear, God responded with telling Him, “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (Judg. 6:16).

Many times when we hear a calling from the Lord, the enemy will immediately send thoughts of fear, and doubt, into our minds. This discourages us from adhering to the instructions God is giving us to complete. In Ephesians 6:16, The apostle Paul describes these anxious thoughts as, “fiery darts of the wicked”, which can harm us if we let our guard down. Paul states in the same verse, that the way to protect ourselves from these fiery darts is to take up the, “shield of faith”, which is guaranteed to “quench”, these arrows that will be shot at us from dark forces.

Thus, based upon what we read in Ephesians 6:16, we can surmise that God expects us to respond to his calls in full faith towards Him. Each of the men mentioned in this post, responded to God’s calling in faith, despite the doubt that a couple of them initially expressed.

These examples in Scripture, serve as an encouragement to myself, knowing that God has called me to start this online ministry; though it is my first time ever doing a podcast, or a blog.

When you begin to feel worry or doubt over something that the Lord has called you to do, remember these powerful stories that are documented in God’s Word. Though they too expressed initial anxiety, God gave His followers assurance that He would protect them against every evil force that would stand in their way. Through faith and trust in the Lord, those who are called by God need to move forward in obedience, knowing that the God of heaven and earth, is on their side. It’s time to step out.