Answer The Call

Has God called you to do something, but you struggled to obey? No matter how hard you tried to ignore it, that thing just couldn’t be shaken. I went through this before. Spoiler alert: I lost that battle and that’s when Growing in Godly Grace was created.

Starting this blog was a toilsome endeavor. I kept going back and forth with myself questioning if I could really do this and also experienced some delays in getting everything set up.

Here are a few reasons why I procrastinated and how I overcame my excuses:

Reason #1:

Doubt, fear, and a lack of courage consumed me which ultimately delayed the launch.

Doing things outside of my comfort zone intimidates me. Sometimes the fear and nervousness can be so powerful that I would talk myself out of things. Then Joshua 1:9 hit me. Has God not commanded me to be strong and courageous? Therefore, I did not need to be afraid or dismayed.

Stop feeding your insecurities with fear and build them with confidence.

As I continue to elevate in God, I can't allow excuses or negative thoughts to cripple me. Here are a few ways to combat that:

• Find a scripture relative to the situation and counteract it with the Word

• Reject all noise/negative thoughts then declare positive affirmations

• Surrender all anxiety and worries in prayer

Reason #2:

I thought I didn't have the right resources.

I found some notes from nearly four years ago where I wrote down some potential topics to blog about. At that time, I had just graduated with my bachelor's degree and didn't have a job thus not being able to afford the startup costs...or so I thought. As someone who majored in business, I know that branding can be costly, but it doesn't have to be. I discovered there are free and inexpensive resources for branding that I could've used to get this going yet I chose to use this as an excuse instead of finding a way to execute. With the launch of this blog, I decided to start with the basics then grow with God's flow.

It doesn't have to be perfect to get started. You just need to make the first move.

Reason #3

I didn't think anyone would actually read my posts because of how young I am.

However, 1 Timothy 4:12 proved otherwise. It says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." Despite my age, I can still exercise influence by being a godly example to others.

Reason #4

I was afraid of how large my platform would grow.

After dealing with depression twice, I retreated to a relatively private life. This included being less active on social media. I felt like the pressure was too great and didn't want to expose myself when I really needed to be covered.

In times of vulnerability, people need to be covered and protected. Discretion is necessary. Everything should not be exposed.

I came across a sermon by Dr. Matthew Stevenson titled, "Stop Running | Take Off Your Shoes" and it got me all the way together. He made a point that people are running from what they think the calling is and are scared about what more there is to it. This was true for me because I didn't want to put myself out there without knowing where this would lead. Despite fearing the unknown, I had to accept that this is bigger than me and the purpose would be revealed in due timing. I just needed to obey.

What has God called you to do, but you have yet to obey? Maybe you've started something (blog, book, business, podcast, etc) and it's been abandoned. There's grace for that too. You can begin again. I pray that you surrender to His commands and fulfill your calling boldly. Let nothing stop you. Answer the call.

Written with grace,

Kiala

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Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If not, say this prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus,

Come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and personal Savior. I believe in my heart that You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You, Lord, for saving me in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, then congratulations! All of your sins are now forgiven and you have been born again. Heaven is rejoicing!