Afraid to Ask God what He Means

Good morning! I want to share this with you. It was sent to me by Anita Carman from Inspire Women. God Bless YOU, Letty ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Faithful One, Have you ever heard God's voice and although you may verbally say you are praying for clarification, deep down you are afraid to know God's intentions? Have you hidden behind the façade of being unclear of God's direction, when in reality, you are not ready to surrender to God's purpose? Let's look in Mark 9:31-34 and observe a situation where God's disciples did not want to hear what God had to say. Mark 9:31-34 reads: He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. NIV Observe that Jesus told the disciples of the suffering that was ahead of him. Notice the words "they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it." Why were they afraid to ask? Have you ever been in a place where you heard God speak but you were afraid to confirm His marching orders? The next verses give us a glimpse into the heart of those who avoid asking God for clarification. It's always easier to say you didn't understand God's meaning than to have to admit that you are rebelling against what God wants from you. In this situation in Mark, Jesus pinpoints the problem by asking the disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?" God's Word tells us that they kept quiet because "they had argued about who was the greatest." In these words we see the reason why we are afraid to ask what God is saying to us. The disciples had secret ambition for self glory. Their heads were filled with being famous or being successful. The last thing they wanted to do was to conform to the servant-hood of Jesus and to lay down their lives for others. What about you? Have you been running from God because you still harbor a secret ambition for self glory as compared to being totally surrendered to live for God's purpose? Do you still long for your talent to be used for your own benefit as compared to laying down your gift to serve others? Oh Faithful One, is it time to quit the charade of looking spiritual and to have the courage to ask God what He wants from you and to do what He says? I pray this devotion enlightened you in a special way. When I pray for you I hear a victory song. I believe in you because I believe in the power of God's Word revealed in you as you put His Word into action. Love, Anita

Anita, Thanks so much for your post. I needed to hear that today! Love, Darlene

Hi Letty. This was very enlightening. Thanks for sharing. God bless you, dear sister. Love, Peg