Matthew 10:6-8
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel–God’s lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
So this morning in church we were asked to answer the question “What stops you from doing what God is asking you to do?” And so many of the answers as you can imagine were: fear, pride, second guessing, timing, fear of rejection, our own pain, anxiousness, tradition, trying to please man, and not seeking God to name a few.
I can remember one day I was walking around the Family Dollar and as I walked around I saw this older woman. She looked like perhaps she was having a hard day. As I walked around it struck me I needed to pray for her. Well as most of us do I second guessed what God had told me. Got in my car and began to leave. As I drove around Food Lion parking lot to turn around, there sat this lady. Then as I saw her I heard God say “Go pray for her!” It was fairly loud. Now I do not always receive this kind of “brick” in the head but that day I did. So I stopped my car, got out and prayed for her. Now if you ask me what I said or how it turned out I have no idea, mainly because I was so nervous I was going to mess up. You see my pride got in the way. My fear of rejection got in the way. My second guessing got in the way. My anxiety got in the way.
I truly believe that God had given me this experience more for me than for this lady. I have never seen her again. You see God wanted me to get out of my own way. So my prayer is that you will be able to get out of your own way to find a sense of peace when praying for others.After all God has asked us to find his lost sheep. Tell them the great news that the Kingdom of heaven is within their grasp.
