Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

“To Answer the Call”

Blue Lake Walk to Emmaus #201

It hadn’t been long since my personal revival—when the Holy Spirit filled me in a way I’ll never forget. That day was powerful, but it was only the beginning. It set me on a pilgrimage that would shape who I am for the rest of my life. At the altar, I laid down my fear about the future, and with it the nagging uncertainty that had followed me for years. In that holy moment, I stopped testing ideas to see if God approved and started asking God to lead—and I meant it.

While I prayed, a member of the Lay team approached me and said the Lord had placed a word on his heart: God wanted to use me in ministry. I tried to downplay it. In my mind, “spiritual leaders” had résumés full of gifts and accomplishments; mine felt thin. Then I remembered Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) If that’s true—and it is—then my résumé is grace. God wastes nothing. He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. My scars aren’t disqualifications; they’re testimonies of His mercy.

Later in the prayer chapel, I asked the Lord again for clarity. Another confirmation came—this time from a member of the clergy: God was calling me to ministry, the Holy Spirit would guide me, and I needed to trust His plan. As I stayed in a posture of reverence, I sensed Jesus whisper, “Take another step of faith.” I realized that when it’s God’s will, He makes a way. Obstacles become opportunities. Doors that should be locked swing open at the right time.

I said yes. I recognized the calling and submitted to it. My life is God’s gift to me; what I do with it is my gift back to Him. Though our 72-hour Emmaus journey ended, my “Fourth Day” began—the everyday cross-carrying life of following Jesus. To keep my priorities straight, I’ve learned to check where my time and treasure go; they always reveal my true loves. We don’t deserve His grace, yet He pours it out anyway. That’s love—pure, unearned, relentless.

I also learned something else: only God can restore the image of Christ in us. We can’t fix ourselves. But when we ask, He answers. When we make room, He fills the empty places with His presence. I’m past the season where my past haunted me. God purified my life and filled the void I used to medicate with other strongholds. Don’t let a new chain replace the old one. Fill the space with Him—His Word, worship, and quiet moments of simply being with the Father.

As I grow in the Word and learn to listen to His voice, truth informs me, then transforms me. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. When Christ changes us on the inside, it shows on the outside. Hearts soften. Minds renew. The same Spirit that seals us keeps us—no one can separate us from the grace of our Father. The need is universal: everyone needs Jesus. And if we’re going to fulfill the Great Commission, love must motivate everything we do. We’re different parts of the same body, serving one purpose—to lift up Jesus.

Control used to be my struggle. I wanted to fix things, solve things, speed things up—just like Abraham trying to “help” God with a promise that didn’t need human shortcuts. Pride won’t let us admit we’re the problem; guilt brands us as unusable. Both keep us from receiving grace. Our good deeds can’t heal us. Only Jesus can. Surrender opens the door to the healing we can’t manufacture.

Jesus keeps calling: follow Me, feed My sheep. That can’t be for the wrong reasons. Someone once told me, “If you can do something else and be truly happy, do that. But if you can’t, you’re likely called to ministry.” Whether we plant, water, or harvest, we do it with joy. Jesus said, For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. (Matthew 25) Serving people is serving Jesus. I’m taking a step of faith, trusting God to open the next door, and doing my best to walk in step with the Spirit. I want the fruit of the Spirit to be obvious in my life—not as a performance, but as evidence that Christ lives in me.

I didn’t change until I hit rock bottom. I pray others won’t have to go that far. Turn back before the world scars you deeper. Holiness heals what brokenness broadcasts. I’m putting fear to death and putting faith to work because faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17) Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is get out of God’s way. Jacob wrestled and limped away. I’d rather bow now than be broken later.

We all have gifts the Kingdom needs. Some are core and consistent; others surface in different seasons. The secret is a servant’s heart—show up where needed. “Church work” and “the work of the Church” aren’t always the same. The work of the Church is equipping the body to bring people to Jesus. We can’t do that alone. We need the Church, the Church needs us, and the lost need both of us.

I praise the Lord for the new work He’s doing in me. His light outshines darkness. His truth silences lies. His grace is greater than our sin. One drop of Jesus’ blood shattered hell’s claim on me. When my faith was tested, the enemy tried to add weight, but we don’t battle in our own strength. We speak the name of Jesus, wield the Sword of the Spirit, and stand under the blood of the Lamb. If God is for us, who can be against us? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. These aren’t slogans; they’re God-breathed weapons. God doesn’t just fight for us—He often fights in our place. What the enemy meant for harm, God will turn for good. The Lord is my rock. Next time the enemy attacks, he’ll flee seven ways, because I’m a child of God and Jesus has given me authority in His name.

My Blue Lake Walk to Emmaus changed me. The Holy Spirit deepened my maturity and brought my call to the surface. Looking back through the good and the hard, I can see His hand weaving redemption into my story. I’ve walked closely with the Lord, and I’ve run in the opposite direction. Even when I turned my back, He stayed by my side. I bear scars from those years, but I also see the mercy that protected me from what might have been. My choices hurt my family; I can only imagine the grief it brought the Father who gave His Son for me. But today I also see the joy on His face as I choose a Christ-centered life. The cross cleanses, the Spirit fills, and the Father smiles. It humbles me that God would have sent Jesus if it were only for me.

Please keep me in your prayers, as I’m praying for you. De Colores…

By: Jeff Davis, Table of Peter

B.L.E.W. #201

Yet those who wait upon the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, and they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)