Walking a Godly life

Why is it so difficult to live a life we "feel" is pleasing to the father? I think that as a North American Christian society we have been duped. Duped to believe that we need certain levels of approval or stature to step out in faith in God. I have been pondering this a lot lately. Why is it that we feel so held back to follow our hearts? Something is not right about this level of thinking. Christ came to give us freedom, yet so many times we feel a reluctance to step out. Often times this comes when it comes to ministering to the body, especially if your thinking is outside the box. We feel that somehow we need approval from man before we will hear and obey the spirit of God. With that said, godly counsel should not go out the window as it is vital.

I just heard a sermon from Jason Upton and he said something that stuck out like a sore thumb. He said "Yesterday I wore my Bob Dylan shirt. Why did I wear my Bob Dylan shirt? It wasn't because he was the most godly man on the earth. I wore my Bob Dylan shirt because....Who told Bob Dylan he could sing. He doesn't sound like anyone else. Nobody told him he should sing, he just did it."

Another thing that causes my spirit to stir on this is that we don't seek out approval to parent our children, choose our careers, what cars to drive, where to go on vacation, etc. If I may be so bold I would like to suggest that the North American church has planted an unhealthy view of church authority. Instead of going for the heart of the individual and mentoring them in their vision, the church has set a mentality that you cannot move out unless the church is already moving that direction. I think that we also get stuck in thinking that ministry has to happen in a church setting or a specific environment. That is why I wrote my post on painting. God wants us to live our life as a representation to his heart and mind. Our ministry should not be central to what the church has made it out to be. Our ministry needs to extend to everything that we do.
When at work we can be ministering the love of God, when with our neighbors we can be showing the heart of God, when at the grocery store we can be showing mercy.

I don't think God ever intended their to be a separate "ministry call" on our lives that takes us out of your world. This is a very critical issue that needs to be addressed as we need to begin moving out and ministering the love of the Father everywhere we go. My sister summed it up once with a very simple statement. "I want to have the fear of God in my life, not the fear of Man"

I love what Jude said

20But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.