✝️ When God Calls: The Power of Immediate Obedience

Good morning, my brothers! Have you ever felt God nudging you to do something (make a call, offer help, share your faith) and hesitated until the moment passed? Today we explore the power of immediate obedience and how those moments of decision reveal our true spiritual maturity. I share a personal story of when a friend’s obedience to God’s prompting blessed me during one of my darkest hours, and we’ll examine why we often delay when God calls. Ready to develop the discipline of immediate obedience that can transform your life and impact others? Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (5-min read):

🌲 GROWTH Just as water is a condition for the growth of plants, obedience is a condition for our spiritual growth. Let’s explore our hesitation and how we can create a habit of responding to God’s “GO!” without delay.
📰  NEWS Let’s take at a moderate-intensity training approach (and helpful gear) you can try to get back on the path to physical fitness.
🗓️ SAVE-THE-DATE We are always on the lookout for opportunities to bring value to the MTM fraternity. See below for details about a live event May 6 that will help your personal and professional life.

GROWTH
When God Calls: The Power of Immediate Obedience

It was March 6, 2010. I stood alone, watching helplessly as our family company burned to the ground (more about that day in MTM #18). My phone buzzed constantly with calls, but I only answered family members. Then, unexpectedly, I answered a call from my friend John, a man I hadn't spoken to in about a year.

I didn’t know why I answered. But I did, and then soon knew why I had taken that particular call.

“Hey Will, I'm at a Christian business conference in Charlotte and God told me to call you. He has a message for you: God loves you and is with you,” John said.

I broke down in tears. I asked John if he knew what was happening at that very moment. He said he didn’t; he was just responding to what God asked him to do. I explained about the fire, and we were both stunned. We closed our call with a prayer.

Months later, during Thanksgiving dinner, John shared the full story. When God prompted him to call me, he was seated in the middle of a packed auditorium during the conference's keynote address. Initially, he hesitated. It seemed disruptive and frankly, a bit odd to climb over a dozen people just to make a phone call. But the prompting became stronger until he couldn’t ignore it. Without understanding why, he obeyed and made the call as soon as he stepped outside.

And God, through my brother John, blessed me and encouraged me in a way I couldn't fathom during one of the most difficult days of my life. 

The Space Between Hearing and Doing

Most of us know this tension well. That inner nudge to reach out to someone. The unexpected thought to offer help when it wouldn’t be convenient. The whispered invitation to step out in faith and out of our comfort zone. And then ... the hesitation.

We can all relate to Moses when he stood barefoot before the burning bush, hearing God’s call and immediately listing all the reasons someone else would be better suited. “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent ... I am slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10).

How often have our own feelings of inadequacy kept us from God’s appointed work? Like Moses, we focus on our limitations rather than on God’s limitless power. 

Or perhaps we hesitate because we're not entirely sure if that prompting is truly from God. We want certainty. Confirmation. A burning bush of our own. But in our quest for absolute certainty, opportunities to be God’s hands and voice in critical moments slip through our fingers.

I've lost count of the times I've felt prompted to call someone, send an encouraging note, or extend help, only to rationalize my way out of it. “They're probably busy.” “It might seem weird.” “I’ll do it tomorrow.” “I don’t have time.” And how many times have I later discovered they were in crisis at that very moment – a moment when God wanted to use me as His instrument of comfort or provision?

Why We Hesitate

The truth that’s taken me decades to learn is this: Delayed obedience is disobedience in disguise.

We tell ourselves we’re being prudent, gathering more information, waiting for the right time. But these are comfortable fictions we create to avoid the discomfort of stepping out in faith. The disciples didn’t have a planning meeting when Jesus said “Follow me.” Scripture tells us they left their nets “at once” (Matthew 4:20).

At its root, our hesitation reveals where we’ve placed our trust. Are we trusting our own judgment, abilities, and timing? Or are we trusting the One who sees all things and works all things together for good, even when we don’t fully understand?

The Principles of Immediate Obedience

What enables some believers to respond immediately when God calls? I've observed two fundamental truths that free us to obey without hesitation:

First, God’s call is based on His ability, not ours. When the Lord called Gideon, He addressed him as “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12), though Gideon saw himself as the least significant member of the weakest clan. God didn’t see Gideon’s limitations; He saw what Gideon would become through His power.

Remember God’s response to Moses’ insecurity:

Second, the act of obedience matters more than the outcome. We often hesitate because we’re fixated on results, worried about making mistakes. But God is far less concerned with our performance than with our willingness to trust and obey. He can redirect a moving ship more easily than one anchored in the harbor of indecision.

The True Measure of Spiritual Maturity

After walking with the Lord for many years, I’ve come to understand that spiritual maturity isn’t measured primarily by knowledge acquired but by obedience rendered. The true test isn't how much Scripture we can quote but how quickly we obey when God speaks.

Each prompting from God is a spiritual pop quiz;  an opportunity to demonstrate what we truly believe about His character, His wisdom, and His love. Do we trust that the God who spoke galaxies into existence can handle our awkward phone call or imperfect act of service?

The beautiful paradox is that when we respond immediately to God’s promptings, our faith grows stronger. Each experience of seeing God work through our obedience builds confidence for the next time He calls. And often, as in John’s timely phone call to me, we discover our small act of obedience was part of a much larger story God was writing.

Practical Steps Toward Immediate Obedience

How can we cultivate this spirit of immediate obedience?

1. Recognize God’s Voice Spend daily time in Scripture and prayer. The more familiar you become with God’s character and ways, the more easily you’ll recognize His promptings amidst the noise of your own thoughts.

2. Remove the “But First” Mentality Jesus encountered would-be followers who said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me…” (Luke 9:61). Examine where you’ve placed conditions on your obedience.

3. Risk Being Wrong If you feel prompted to encourage someone and you're not 100% sure it's God, ask yourself: “What's the worst that could happen?” Usually, the risk of missing God’s direction is far greater than the risk of sharing an encouragement.

4. Remember Past Faithfulness Keep a record of times when you’ve obeyed God’s promptings and seen Him work. These testimonies become anchors for your faith when doubt creeps in. At MTM, we call these written testimonies “building altars.”

5. Release the Outcome Your responsibility is obedience; the results belong to God. Free yourself from the burden of making everything work out perfectly.

The Legacy of Immediate Obedience

Brothers, we live in uncertain times. The men around us are watching, wondering if our faith actually makes a difference in how we navigate life’s challenges. Our wives, children, and grandchildren are observing whether we merely talk about trusting God or actually demonstrate that trust through immediate obedience.

What would happen if every man reading this committed to responding immediately the next time God prompts? What collective impact might we have in our families, workplaces, churches, and communities?

I believe we would see what the early disciples saw: the kingdom of God advancing with power as ordinary men became extraordinary instruments in the Master’s hands.

What is God asking of you today? What nudge have you been resisting? What nets do you need to drop?

Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Don’t demand complete understanding. Simply obey, and watch Him work.

12:00 PM Eastern MTM Virtual Campfire
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THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• Feeling God’s nudge to invest some time and effort in improving your health but not quite ready to train like a Navy SEAL? Consider Zone 2 training: moderate-level exercise at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate that builds endurance while burning fat. Fast walking, cycling, swimming, or rowing all work well, as they allow sustained effort without spiking your heart rate. The talk test confirms you're in the zone: you can speak complete sentences but couldn’t sing comfortably. Just 30 minutes, 2-3 times weekly builds mitochondrial health, improves insulin sensitivity, and strengthens your heart. Courtesy Levels Health

Gear
“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21

• After reading about Zone 2 training, you might wonder, “How do I know when I'm at 60-70% of my maximum heart rate?” Exercising with a stethoscope isn’t practical but the Polar H10 chest strap ($100) is designed to make heart rate measurement easy. The H10 is less expensive than FitBits and Apple watches and outperforms them in accuracy. Customer reviews verify its 400+ hours of battery life and its compatibility with smartphones and fitness equipment. More information at the Polar website.

Reading
“Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

• Born in 1903 in Shantou, one of a handful of port towns opened to foreigners along China’s southern coast, Watchman Nee became a Christian at age 17. He went on to become one of China’s most well-known Christian theologians and pastors whose work was influenced by Hudson Taylor, the heroic missionary whose biography we referenced in MTM #26. Nee was arrested and imprisoned by the Chinese Communists in 1952 and died in captivity in 1972. The Normal Christian Life is his most well-known book and is based on transcripts from a lecture series he gave while visiting churches in Europe in the early 1930’s. He references Taylor’s “spiritual secret” in chapter three.

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