WHEN GOD ASKS THE HARD THING

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying, who can understand it?”

“I want a Word from the Lord.” Deep inside all of us is a hunger to hear God “speak.”  We need to hear Him for guidance, direction, revelation or just to know that He is still there…We need a Word from the Lord.

God still speaks through Prophets; men and women that have a special call and through much communication with God have trained their ears and heart to hear His voice.  There are actual “schools” that “teach” you to hear from God and they all sit around just waiting for God to speak to them.  Many of these “Prophets” have a following of people that just hang around those waiting so they can hear a second-hand account of what God is speaking.

Now before you get all outraged and self-righteous, let me assure you I believe in Prophets and I believe that there are times God speaks a Word of encouragement, edification and even correction through called Men and Women.  BUT…I also believe that God speaks His Word to every Spirit-filled Man and Woman who is seeking His Presence.

When a trusted brother or sister comes with a Word from the Lord especially for us, we rejoice and our heart is filled with gladness when that Word assures us of God’s love, that we are exactly where God wants us to be and that He has “great plans” for us.  We love to hear promises of “we have a hope and a future,” “we are the head and not the tail,” and “we are about to be blessed in the city and in the field, BUT…what about the times that God asks the “HARD THING?” What about the times God doesn’t have a word that feeds our flesh because He is more concerned with feeding our spirit?

Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Matthew gives us the account of a rich young ruler that came seeking a “Word” from Jesus.  His question, “What good thing can I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus began to speak; the flesh of the young man rejoiced and his head expanded as he mentally checked the things Jesus was saying, off his list.  Keep the commandments…CHECK.  don’t murder…CHECK; don’t commit adultery…CHECK; don’t bear false witness…CHECK; honor your father and mother…CHECK; love your neighbor as yourself…CHECK AND CHECK!  “Feeling good, Jesus, I’ve done all that since my youth.” 

Then Jesus asks the “HARD THING”… “Sell all you have, give it to the poor and come follow me.”  WHOA….WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!!  What about the nice vacation I had planned?  Surely you didn’t mean my kid’s college fund.  I worked hard for this beautiful home and the car, well it is the envy of the neighborhood.  I’ve kept all the law, “religiously,” isn’t that enough?  The Bible tells us that when Jesus asked the “HARD THING,” the young man went away sorrowfully.

Are you still sure you want to hear a “WORD FROM THE LORD?”  Are you prepared to hear the “HARD THING” that God may ask of you?  It will not feed your flesh and sometimes may actually hurt your pride.  It will not elevate you in the eyes of man but it will bring Glory to God.  There WILL BE sacrifice and the reward may not be exactly what you expected…

But your spirit will soar as you reap the harvest God has sown through you.  Your faith will expand exponentially because the “HARD THINGS” will prove that “GOD IS ENOUGH.”  The anointing realized through the “HARD THINGS” will take you places you never envisioned.  You will speak words that are not of your own thinking and you will accomplish Kingdom work that only you could accomplish for Him.

When God asks the “HARD THING,” I want to submit…I want to trust….I want to say, “Here am I, send me.”  I desire a Word from the Lord.