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As early as I can remember, in my relationship with Jesus, I’ve had a longing in my heart to please Him. I remember one fateful night at church camp, the summer before my 5th-grade year, promising Jesus that I would be a missionary one day. Although I haven’t been a vocational missionary, He has allowed me to live out that promise to Him, especially during my husband’s career in the military, which took us all over the nation, opening doors for me to share Jesus with other military families.
But I’ve come to understand that my real heart cry at that young age wasn’t about being a missionary or serving Jesus in a specific manner; it was about something greater, a desire to please Him and do His will. It was the cry of something deep within me that knew, even though my young mind could not fully comprehend, that more than anything in this life, following Him was the goal.
As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus. But what does that look like? How can we know if we are indeed following Jesus? And why should we really want to do that?
Those are some big questions, and I don’t claim to know all of the answers. I’m not a theologian. I’m not a pastor or a missionary. I’m just a girl who loves Jesus more than I can convey in 750 words on a page. Yet that little girl who promised she would be a missionary, actually meaning I would follow Him anywhere, is still inside me.
I wish I could tell you that I’ve figured out all there is to know about following Jesus because it genuinely is the greatest desire of my heart. I don’t have all the answers, but I would love for you to journey with me as we explore this topic together over the next few months.
This month, I won’t get into a “lesson.” Instead, I want to invite you to do two things that Christ Jesus has taught me are imperative practices for those who desire to follow Him: pray and meditate on Scripture.
Over the next few weeks, please pray Christ will open your eyes and soften your heart to what He wants you to learn from Him. Pray the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and understanding as we explore this topic. Pray He will show you what it truly means to follow Him and give you a heart ready to do just that! And, if you would be so kind, please pray that I have the words He wants me to convey to you and our sisters embarking on this journey with us!
I am confident that following Jesus is the most challenging yet most rewarding adventure we could undertake. I pray He will draw us closer to Him as we learn to walk alongside Him in humble faith.
This month, let’s meditate on the following passage:
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
-Psalm 63:1-4 (ESV)
Let’s pray: (As you meditate on Psalm 63:1-4, pray Christ will teach you personally. It may sound something like this):
Lord Jesus, I love you and long to follow You. Please remove any scales covering my eyes; remove anything causing hardness in my heart that would resist your teaching. Holy Spirit, please help me to understand and grow in wisdom and knowledge about what it means to follow You. Please prepare my heart for what You want to whisper into it. I pray for my sisters as we explore this topic with You; ignite a Kingdom fire within our hearts! You are Lord. I love You. I need You. I trust You. I pray this in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
What comes to mind when you think about following Jesus? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!
Chrissie Angell is the Executive Director and a Co-founder of Humble Faith Ministries. She is a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher passionate about pointing women to Jesus and helping them live out their Kingdom assignments. She and her husband, Brian, live in Kentucky with their two boys and their yellow lab, Charger.