Have you asked Him?

• By candidasullivan
• April 15, 2024
• No Comments

We all have goals, dreams, and deep desires, whether we acknowledge them or not. Most of the time, we ignore them because they seem too big for us. So, we listen to the doubts and fears of our minds and never pursue them.

And quitting ahead of time is the ultimate plan for failure.

I’ve done it so many times in my life. When the goal seems so big and the effort to achieve it feels overwhelming, it’s easier not to do it. Or so it seems.

However, we cheat ourselves when we don’t pursue our deepest desires. We always feel like something is missing in our lives, and sadness, like a cloud of despair, hangs over us. Every day, we have to live with the pain of regret. So, we try to soothe ourselves and distract ourselves from the ache.

Nothing, however, seems to fill the void. That’s when we check out of life. We stop caring about things and allow the pain and disappointments to steal our joy. We have nothing to satisfy that part of us that needs to achieve and grow.

The more we numb out and ignore our internal desires for more, the deeper we dig ourselves into a hole. It might look like extra weight, lots of debt, an overwhelming amount of stuff, constant gaming, excessive reading, scrolling social media all day, and constantly eating or thinking about food.

We cause ourselves great pain by avoiding pain that leads to pleasure. For me, the thing I want to avoid most of the time is writing, which forces me to think and go inward. Sometimes, I don’t want to deal with all the surface emotions. I don’t want to sit in my chair and write.

Most of my goals and dreams involve writing. I try to figure it out for myself and cause myself so much unnecessary pain, but what I really need to do is ask God.

God has a plan. He knows what we need to do and why we need to do it. When we ask for clarity, God will show us the next step. Sometimes, however, we want to avoid taking the next step. And when we stub up on the Lord, He will let us do it our way.

But our way doesn’t lead to the blessing.

My way actually leads to more despair, tears, wasted time, and frustration. It will never happen in this place because I’m on the wrong track. Subconsciously, I know I’m going in the opposite direction of what God has planned for me. God will not bless my disobedience.

I learned this lesson with my writing.

When God put the desire to write on my heart, I ran with it. I started writing all the time. In some ways, it was like saying, thank you for the dream, Lord, I’ll take it from here. And I did. I spent two years and countless hours writing the wrong book.

During that time, my writing was going in the wrong direction, so God did not bless my efforts. And I questioned my writing gift because it felt challenging and frustrating. I almost quit writing completely because my disobedience confused me.

It often feels so frustrating because God is trying to get my attention. He wants me to stay within what I want most. God wants to bless me, but He won’t bless the wrong thing.

So, when we feel unsettled and discouraged, we must ask God to show us the way.

Honestly, it will probably be something you don’t want to do. It will feel hard and probably won’t make sense to your brain. But if you know the instruction is from God, do it.

Do it when it’s hard.
Do it when you don’t have time.
Do it when the enemy is trying to distract you.
Do it when you don’t feel like it.

When we do what God wants, He will bless our efforts and satisfy our souls. Being aligned with God and following Him is the best feeling. It’s not even about accomplishing the goal, but who we become along the way and what we learn during the progress.

Sometimes, what we want most is something we have yet to consider. God knows what we need. He understands the desires of our hearts that we don’t yet understand or know how to articulate. God knows what is the absolute best possible outcome for us.

Sweet friend, ask Him if you’re not where you want to be. If you feel discouraged, ask Him. If you feel overwhelmed, ask Him. Ask God until He shows you what to do, then do it wholeheartedly.

That’s how we defeat the enemy and accomplish our goals and dreams. Many books later, I am so thankful I asked God. I asked Him for a dream. I asked Him to bless me to use my gifts to help others. I asked Him to help me become someone who could write books.

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