Untangled Obedience

 

"Will you untangle this necklace for me?," my daughter asked as she was preparing to head out the door to photograph a wedding.

"Sure," I said. "I'm pretty good at untangling things."

Without hesitation, I commenced to working on the necklace, and within a few minutes it was free of all its tangled knots. As I placed the necklace around my daughter's neck, I felt a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and joy.

It's the same in our faith walks. Whenever the Lord asks us to do something and we say Yes, a sense of deep satisfaction, contentment, and pure, unobliterated joy comes over us - all of which is already ours in Jesus Christ if we belong to Him. Saying Yes doesn't mean what He's called us to is going to be easy, but it is going to bring Him glory, and there's nothing more satisfying than that!

Over the last couple of years, I've struggled with a tangled up situation - something I was quite aware of that I couldn't solve by myself. I knew when the time was right, I would be released and untangled, but until then, I had to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. If I continued to acknowledge Him in all my ways, then He would direct my path. (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

September 2020.

"It's time," God said. 

Smack dab in the middle of leading a Bible study on the book of Hebrews, in a room full of women, the Spirit spoke to my heart, "It's time to untangle." 

Really? After all these years, Lord, we can undo the knots?

The knots had surfaced through a restlessness spirit, an unsettling I could not ignore any longer. It was God telling me it was time to walk away. I was free to untangle.

So, on September 22, 2020, I resigned my position of 36 years as the pianist of Trinity Baptist Church, effective, December 27, 2020. 

The verse the Holy Spirit used to affirm His timing was Hebrews 12:1.

We cannot run our race well if we are holding onto things that weigh us down. Through a restless, unsettled spirit, God let me know it was time to lay aside the hinderance and walk away in untangled obedience to Him. 

There's no greater place to be than in the center of God's will. If I've learned anything over the last 20 years in ministry, it's how to listen to the voice of the Spirit, know when He's nudging you to do something, and how amazing it is to be in step with Him, walking to the beat of His drum and not your own. 

How about you? Are you living in a knotted up spiritual state? Is something hindering you from being all-in with God's plan and purpose for your life? What is God asking you to let go of? Even things we deem good can be a hinderance to the plan and purpose of God in our lives.

If you're not sure what God is saying to you where you are, begin here:

• Be in the Word. Psalm 119:105
• Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
• Abide in Christ. John 15
• Set your mind on things above. Colossians 3:1-2
• Ask the Spirit to search your heart, and when He reveals sin, repent, turn, and walk away from it. Psalm 51 
• Seek wise counsel. Proverbs 13:20

You'll be so glad you did.

May God bless your untangling in the New Year!