Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Living God as the sun made its way over the farm, and as cool as it was in the early hours, it’s destined to be a hot day in Virginia. The sun was burning on my face while God was burning in my Heart, and the combination took my breath away. My life is always overflowing with “projects,” and if I’m not careful, I’d be doing more leading than I am Following. So, no matter what’s on my plate for this new day of a new week or how busy I know I’ll be, my first priority is always going to be getting ME prepared to take care of my part according to His Will. Isn’t that the way you prioritize your busy life too?

Most people claiming to be Christians today THINK they’re followers of Jesus, but I’m not so sure about that. I’m NOT questioning their belief system – I have no right to judge at all. It’s pretty simple, though – believing in Jesus Christ is one thing; being a Follower of His is an entirely different story. While many may have convinced themselves that they are following Him, what they’re really doing is expecting Him to follow them. They call Him Savior, but do they treat Him as King? Do they ever really surrender to His Will, or are they too busy holding on to their own? Are they really ready to follow His lead, or do they refuse to “let go and let God? Are they ready to obey like a good servant no matter what they’re told to do or where they’re told to go? Hmm…a new perspective for most. THAT’S what a surrendered Life looks like and what it means to be a Follower of the King.

It’s human nature to be inclined to take on the Leadership role in our Faith, and most of us feel better about life when we remind ourselves that He is always there. Some of us will drag Him around through life like our favorite toy, and we brag about not going anywhere without Him. We want Jesus right there beside (or behind) us, ready to serve our Purpose or to fulfill our will. We may talk a pretty good game about our God, but when it comes down to it, are we truly letting Him lead us OR are we expecting Him to follow and to take care of all of the needs in our lives while He’s at it?

It’s pretty risky to ask God to “use me” because when you do, He’ll start preparing you, and you just never know what He’ll ask you to do or where He’ll tell you to go! Sometimes when He directs us to do something, it makes perfect sense in the human mind, and sometimes it appears to make no sense at all from where we sit. If we’re leading the way in our Faith, we’ll never do those things that make no sense to us! We may start praying about it, and some will say, “I know what God wants me to do, but I’m waiting for Him to work things out”, but then they sit around and wait for things to make sense in the human mind before they’re willing to do what they “know God wants them” to do. These folks aren’t really willing to Follow at all…at least not unless it makes perfect sense in the human mind and unless God provides all of the puzzle pieces to snuff out their fear (the real reason behind why they won’t budge). But we can’t just pray, as things depend on God before we take action… we have to WORK, as if it depends on us! It’s when we Follow His Lead AND work with all of our Strength that amazing things happen in His name!

I’m a Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I’m a Follower of His. Sometimes I let doubt and fear get in the way, just like everybody else does, and when I do, I recognize that I’m no longer Following His Lead in my Life at all, and that’s when MY will begins to take over. But I’m determined to be a Faithful Follower of His, and I’ll let Him do the leading all the days of my life. Because when He leads, miraculous things happen every single time.

How about you? Do you SAY you believe but refuse to Follow and are you keeping Jesus in your back pocket like a “good luck charm”? If so, we NEED to talk. I’ll show you in Black & White what it means to be a Follower of His and I’ll reveal to you the beauty behind Surrendering to His WiIl and not your own, and when I’m done with you; you’ll be willing to Follow the King of Kings even when it makes no sense in your human mind at all AND you’ll be soaring in your Walk with Him like never before!

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” Matthew 16:24-25