A Holy Dare

I have come to realize…not obeying God and giving into fear…will not allow you to heed what I call a “holy dare!” Allow me to define a “holy dare,” I believe that if we are to experience the supernatural power of a Holy God and accomplish our total created purpose for our individual lives….we are often called by God…to take “holy dares”. Ones that require more from us than we, in our flesh, are capable of…where we have to “step” regardless of the fear we may feel.

Regardless of what “others may think”.
Regardless of whether or not it makes “human sense”.
Regardless of it going against the “norm”…
…regardless…regardless…regardless.

Complete trust is required. Complete obedience….which in turn.…explodes our faith and accomplishes great things for God.

Yep…a holy dare…is intended by God…for us to stop being self-reliant and be God-reliant instead. It is called “walking by faith and not by sight…” Moses was given a holy dare. Noah was given a holy dare. Esther a holy dare. Abraham a holy dare. Gideon a holy dare.

Just think, when they were given a “holy dare” by God, did it make human sense? Would others really understand and approve of Abraham tying Isaac, his beloved son, up and laying him on an altar? Or how about building a “boat on land” where there was no body of water…and working on it for years?????

I can say from experience…I am waiting on my next “holy dare” from God! At 53…I have finally learned…the very best way to live life…and make my “shots count” is to “obey the holy dares”. Yep, live in the realm of submitting to “God’s ways and God’s thoughts”. Realizing that I cannot “rely on my own understanding”. Starting a ministry at age 50…putting pen to paper…..writing books….applying for a “non-profit”…didn’t make human sense to me. But looking back most recently, I am humbled and thankful…that I didn’t rely on my own understanding.

Allow me to encourage you with a personal story. It is worth the continued read…my HOPE is to ENCOURAGE you to TAKE GOD’S HOLY DARE!!!

As I started Back 9 Ministries…God led me to apply for “non-profit status”. The irony is that I never intended to raise funds to support the ministry. I felt God’s call was to be a “tentmaker,” to receive love offerings for speaking and money from book sales to fund the ministry.

Fast forward…almost three years later…Back 9 Ministries is run out of our home and our home happens to be located in the center of a national disaster”. A month ago I received a call from a dear friend whom I met through our children’s junior golf days. He no longer works in the golf industry but had a friend from his past who knew someone that wanted to contribute funds to help victims of the flood. This person’s desire was to find a place to give to a “non-profit” that was not a large organization but had the capability to write checks and distribute funds immediately. God led them to Back 9. I was so green that I had to call my accountant to make sure I could accept and distribute the funds. The answer was “yes”. Then I was interviewed and was chosen to receive and distribute the funds.

The story gets better. Just last week I was at CVS pharmacy getting medicine for Thomas after his surgery. (You have to know right now…God’s timing is so PERFECT…..perfect.) As I was waiting, I was able to have a lengthy conversation with a long time friend. We talked for quite a while because the computer systems were down at CVS which made me be there a lot longer than I wanted to be. I knew this friend had been affected by the flood…and it was the first time I had been able to see her and ask her in person how they were doing.

My friend’s name is Weezie and she is so sweet. She shared that they would be fine. Of course, they experienced major loss but she quickly turned the conversation to people who had experienced more loss. What Weezie did not know was that I had been praying for God to “BRING TO ME” a family that desperately needed the last of the funds I had to distribute. As God would have it…Weezie began to tell me about a family with a special needs child. The family had to retreat to their attic during the flood to keep from drowning.

Weezie’s daughter, Elise, works with their special needs child who is on a feeding tube. Elise got a call from the family and actually helped to rescue them by boat. Weezie shared how they had planned to help this family for Christmas. I explained to Weezie my prayer about the funds I had to distribute and asked her to let me know more about this family’s needs. I left CVS and within hours received an email detailing how desperate this family was for help.

Their home, which was destroyed, was set up like a “hospital” so that they could care for their seven year old son at home…and they lost everything. They are displaced now and a long way from this child’s school. Yesterday I met the mother for the first time and was able to give her the rest of the donation made by the anonymous donor. I was just a “link” in God’s chain.

If you will reflect with me….answering God’s HOLY DARE…three years ago…has zigged zagged me to accepting money from a stranger out of state to take to other strangers that I would have never met if not for the flood.

Three years ago who knew there would be a national disaster in the area where I lived? Who knew that my kids’ golf would lead a generous stranger to give me funds to give to hurting people?

Literally ….I could write for days and have decided to…maybe my next book….on what it is like to accept a “HOLY DARE” from God.

I can honestly say you feel fear and you feel exhilaration all at the same time. You experience JOY and FUN and …you also experience ridicule from others. You have to look past “raised eyebrows” many times. BUT I WOULD NOT TRADE IT FOR A SECOND…NOT ONE.

Accepting God’s holy dare….it is exhilarating. It has SUPER-SIZED my faith. It has STRENGTHENED ME and given me holy courage. Most of all it has HUMBLED ME in realizing….not my will but YOURS is the ONLY WAY TO LIVE!

Start now…live 2016 differently. Take a holy dare from God. Do not allow FEAR to stop you from God’s best! and making YOUR SHOTS COUNT IN THIS LIFE!

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