As the author of The Extravagant Fool – A Faith Journey That Begins Where Common Sense Ends, I’m frequently asked a simple question – one that I’d like to answer today:
“When God sends us down an unexpected path, we may know with our heart that “He’s got it,” but our head sometimes tell us to doubt. How do you get through those times?”
I suppose the best answer would be a very long one, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll try to put it in a nutshell. We have to learn the difference between the sound of God’s voice (the lead of His Spirit) and the pull of our own soul (the mind will and emotions, or…our own understanding). The only way to do this is to dig deep into God’s word and truly experience it. And to examine it as well, as a whole – appreciating the entirety of it – where we see that God uses the weak to confront the strong, and the foolish to confound the wise.
It gives us a picture of His personality as we see that every breakthrough comes at the behest of logic and convention. All the heroes of faith had to follow God’s illogical lead to have victory. We see that impossible circumstances are only overcome by courageously following Him instead of the intelligence of men. Most of which makes no sense. Unfortunately, today many believers are better at quoting these famous characters than they are at emulating them. But only in doing so does He get the glory, and we get the victory.
Our personal victories are far too numerous to mention here. But I do consider my book’s existence, and how it came about as a tangible confirmation of this truth. There is nothing about it that came by luck, hard work or coincidence. It was a literal impossibility on a multitude of levels. Something the reader will see and be astonished by. And hopefully will walk away inspired to not only put God first, but to literally seek Him instead of anything else.
I suppose the point is this: I get through these moments by allowing the Word to divide my spirit and soul (Hebrews 4:12) so I can see the difference. This is where His voice becomes clear, and then I chose not to lean upon my own understanding – which in most cases includes the opinions of others. If we can learn to listen through intimacy – trusting that He is a good Father who wants us to follow His instructions, then all we are left with is whether or not we have the courage to actually follow them. He will do the rest.
In essence, God hasn’t made it difficult to hear His voice. Our struggle is that we rely upon convention to navigate, even when we feel pulled (spiritually, not emotionally) in the opposite direction. This is where most of stop out of fear and call it wisdom, or say things like “yes, but this is reality” while we go on quoting those whose only reality was God’s instructions. Learning the difference has made all the difference for me and my family.
Kevin Adams: Author, popular blogger, and former successful businessman, who, after losing everything he worked years to achieve, made a radical choice to let go of conventional thinking, and live literally by faith in God, to see where it would lead him. Kevin shares his experience with a transparent, elevated writing style that has challenged and encouraged thousands, earning him a trusted reputation in the Christian community. You can follow Kevin Adams on Twitter.
His new release from Zondervan, is available now. The Extravagant Fool: A Faith Journey That Begins Where Common Sense Ends
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