What is God Daring You to Do?

Oh y’all … in case you missed it, my dear friend Kate Battistelli was here {like at my house!!} a week and a half ago. {And, this is shocking, but we did not take a single picture of the two of us. Too busy talking and basking in the joy of being together, I suppose.} She graciously agreed to speak at our church’s ladies conference and, oh. my. word. did she bring a powerful and encouraging message to us!

As most of you know, I was a part of Holley Gerth’s God-Sized Dream Team last year. That experience stretched me and forced me to examine what my dream really is. Then, Kate spoke to us … about {hold on!} the God Dare — that thing we know He is calling us to do and yet when we even begin to think about it, our throats constrict and everything in us feels anxious and even terrified.

Kate shared her story of writing her first book, [affiliate link] Growing Great Kids: Partner With God to Cultivate His Purpose in Your Child’s Life, and how she was totally unqualified for the task. And I sat there, listening to this incredible woman who has poured into my life and my daughter’s life in countless ways, thinking how much her words in that book had shaped the way I parent and my own understanding of the Lord.

I wish I could have Skyped every one of you in for Kate’s talks. She challenged and encouraged us … and she shared her own heart, her own fears, and her own desperate need for God in everything she does. But, since I couldn’t, I took copious notes because I wanted you to “hear” even just a little bit of what she said. Y’all, He calls each of us to something incredible … and it is scary to take that first step of faith. Kate says it’s like bungie jumping — terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

Here are just a few of my favorite parts of Kate’s talk …

• There is a God Dare for each one of us. We are never too old and never too young. {I LOVE THIS! And it resonated with the students who came to the conference and to the older women in our church as well. Never stop asking what God is calling us to do!}
• Your past does not disqualify you. We are not disqualified by our sin, we are forgiven! {So thankful for this truth!! Aren’t you?}
• The being proceeds the doing. {I loved this truth! So much of our lives we spend doing … but God is longing for us to BE in — abide in — Him so that we can DO in and through Him.}
• God is more interested in giving us the highest good than He is in our happiness. {This one is tough. But I’m finding when I seek Him, pursue holiness through Him, long for His good for me, I gain something far greater than happiness — I gain true, deep peace.}
• Accepting the God Dare will result in a battle with the enemy. {We need this reminder! When we choose to walk in faith and do the big things God places before us, the enemy WILL fight back.}

I am still re-reading my notes and looking up the Scriptures Kate shared … pondering what God wants me to do next and how He is equipping me to do those things He has planned for me.

Kate closed the first session with these words:

We can trust in God’s dare because He ALWAYS has our highest good in mind.

I am so thankful for that, aren’t you?

I should also mention Kate is finishing up her next book titled … The God Dare. Yep, all I shared today {all she shared at our conference} is just a portion of the goodness in her book. The God Dare will be available later this spring … I’ll make sure you know when you can get it. I promise you want to read it and soak in the wisdom and encouragement Kate always shares.

Cheering you on,
TL

What is God daring YOU to do?