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It’s all too easy to accumulate a load that you’re not designed to carry.

On route to eternity, many care-full hitchhikers are looking to climb on your back.

We’re told to shake off and ‘fling’ those fear-induced imposters to the Lord:

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 KJV)

I find it best to check in regularly and consider who or what I’m carrying.

Have I unwittingly allowed my soul to become the taxi for troubles?

Pull into the layby (another way to picture prayer) and distribute your load. Dump the dead weight, the cares, distractions, and divisions, and drive the next leg of the journey with a new sense of unburdened confidence.

Your Father cares for you.

He’s waiting to take the weight.

Yesterday I spoke about discernment and carefully choosing opportunities to pass over.

Today I want to flip the coin and point out the danger of avoiding the hard yards necessary to walk in your call.

Actor, Christopher Parker, is quoted saying:

“Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.” ~ Christopher Parker

Putting off the pain seems the easiest, least challenging route – until you pay the price!

Our days on earth are short, and wasted time gets more expensive with each moment that trickles through your fingers. When you allow fear to falter your steps the levy against your potential accrues.

The Bible rightly points out:

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12 NLT)

There’s so much that God has planted in your heart.

Ideas He has sparked that make you tremble in your boots (in the best possible way).

The question is, why delay?

Of course, we seek to walk in tandem with the Master, not running ahead or drawing back. There’s an appointed time for everything.

I do, however, think that the appointed time is very often “now” and we excuse ourselves as opportunities and heavenly commissions pass by.

As the inimitable Douglas Adams, the renowned author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy once said, "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."

I’ve found the cost of inaction is higher than the bumps and bruises I’ve experienced along the route of imperfect action-taking. Because you’re always left wondering, “What if?”

What if you wrote that book?

What if you shared your story?

What if there are people who are waiting to hear what only you can say, in a way only you can say it?

There’s only one way to find out: paying the price of action rather than struggling with the hidden costs of staying safely the same.

Soon, I’ll be starting the next the next cohort of Anointed Authors where I’ll work with a small number of committed first-time Christian authors to complete and publish their book in 90 days or less.

If you have a book in your heart and know that now is the time to act, I’ll love to see you inside. We begin on Saturday 7th September.

Interested? Find out more about Anointed Authors here

Paul the apostle knew his realm of grace.

He operated within the bounds of his call. As war horses wore blinders to block out distractions he focussed with tenacity on the mission Christ had given him.

We, too, need to know the scope of our calling or we’ll run in every direction after the next opportunity, bleeding our focus and energy.

Be ready to stand your ground when jealousy knocks.

Prepare to bar the door when FOMO shadows the threshold of your thoughts.

Chase comparison and craving from your garden.

Drive doubt into the ditch.

Stand your ground!

The greatest dangers to your peace and progress often take the form of golden opportunities, luring you with sparkling promises of riches and respect from fellow men.

Don’t be too hasty in your decisions.

For me, my world is one of words. For others, the field of commission may be different.

Lean into your call. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace, the places you operate with supernatural flow.

I love Paul’s admonition to his spiritual son, Timothy:

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.” (1 Timothy 4:15 KJV)

Papa did not make you like everyone else. His call and commission are not administered via cookie-cutter.

Each life He creates, he calls, and endues with unique giftings designed to make a difference in the world.

Don’t be distracted, dear friend. Follow the flame the Father has ignited in your heart.

Prayer is the greatest mystery and the most profound joy a human being can experience.

Prayer is not some misty idea or a foggy fumbling to feel something.

It is a real and present connection with Heaven.

And this connection to the divine makes all else pale in comparison.

The brightest colours of the world are grey and unimpressive once you’ve tasted Heaven’s fare.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

So the Bible says, and so we should.

Every sense we seek to satisfy in the natural has its spiritual counterpart.

You can “see” with your spirit.

Taste, touch, and smell.

Hear His voice.

It just takes time.

Patiently wait. Stay before His presence. Don’t rush away.

The insistent hurry and confusion of soul that so often stops us will subside.

And your spirit man or woman, the real you on the inside, will come alive to the deepening wonders of knowing God.

I can list a roll call of reasons that have caused me to step back.

Times I’ve allowed fear to freeze my feet.

One of the most common, both for me and many people I’ve met, is the thought that they are inadequate and have nothing worth sharing.

That’s a big fat LIE.

Deep down, we all know that this is not the case. Every human life is rich with experience.

But the devil’s whispers are insistent and sometimes seem loud, especially on the cusp of change and breakthrough.

Be careful who you listen to.

Your Father is saying, “Don’t underestimate the impact you can have when you trust Me.”

Don’t underestimate.

Create.

And put the devil on the run!