Have you ever had those moments where you just have no idea what to do? 

Maybe you have a plan long-term that God’s given you but it’s the moment-to-moment decisions that trip you up. There’s too many options. What’s the right one? What does God actually want me to do at this exact moment? I don’t want to waste my time.

And then you end up stressing yourself out and doing nothing. 

I do at least. 

So what do you do? 

How do you know what’s best? 

You don’t. 

Just start. Pick something. Trust God to redirect you as needed. 

That’s probably not what you wanted to hear. You probably want someone to come lay it out for you step-by-step. I know I do. I hate when things are up in the air like that. 

But that’s where trust comes in. 

I read a devotional a while back that talked about this and it’s something I think the Lord has been trying to teach me for a while now. It’s been simmering in the back of my mind since I read it. 

Start moving. 

In Acts 16:6-10 it says that Paul and Timothy tried to go and spread the gospel in various places but “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” 

They attempted to go to Asia and were redirected. 

They tried Bithynia and were redirected then too. 

Then they went to Troas and Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man “urging him” to come to Macedonia and help them. And it says in verse 10 that “immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” 

They had to start moving though. God redirected them, blocking certain paths until it was time, but they wouldn’t have gotten that redirection if they hadn’t started. 

This is our great work. 

Spreading the gospel.

It’s the great commission Jesus gives the disciples at the end of the gospels. Go out and spread the good news that God made a way for us to be with Him. 

Start. Let God redirect you. 

He’s got great plans for each of us. We just need to trust Him to get us there. 

Trust Him enough to move forward, knowing that He’ll block what’s not yours and get you exactly where you need to be. 

Stay in communication with Him. Pray. Ask Him for direction and trust Him to deliver on it. 

How do you just start? 

Start by knowing God. By getting to know Him. 

What does His will look like?

Micah 6:8 gives us a good idea. 

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” 

Justice. Kindness. Walk humbly with Him. 

If you don’t know where or how to start, ask Him. Get to know Him. Humble yourself before Him with the understanding that you don’t know it all and never even could. He does. 

He gives the charge frequently to serve the least in society. Widows and fatherless. Those without a support system. 

This is how you do justice. Read His laws and see what He cares about. Where does His heart go out the most? To those who have no one else. 

Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with your God. 

Start by loving the person in front of you. By giving where you can, whether through your time, your money, your belongings or talents. Empathy. Kindness. 

God created us for community. With Him and with each other. 

Start there. Let Him redirect you as needed. You will need it. And He will be faithful to do it. Get to know His voice and listen for it. And then obey it. 

Do you know anyone who needs help? Or who needs a friend? Who needs to be seen and acknowledged? Start there. 

Do you have a talent that can be used? Start there. 

Ask God where you can be used. Ask Him to use you. 

You were made to be a light for Him. To reflect His light and point others to Him. Ask Him how. Seek to be that light. 

Submit your plans, your worries, your hopes and dreams to Him. Your talents and resources. Trust Him to do what’s best and what’s good. 

Just start. 

Psalm 119:105 says God’s word is a lamp to our feet, not the whole path. He will show us where to go, but one step at a time usually. He might give you some details of your future, but not the entire plot of your life at once. 

Think of plants. They don’t need a whole typhoon of rain at a time. An entire lifetime’s worth of water all at once. That would kill them. They need sprinklings of rain. 

If God gave us the entire plan for our whole lives, we couldn’t take it. We’d be so overwhelmed we’d never move. So He gives us sprinklings of next steps and understanding. Just enough to help us grow, but not so much that it kills us or our willingness.  

Give your plans to God. Let them go. He’ll give you back what’s yours at the time that it’s meant to be yours. 

Matthew 6:33 says to seek God first. His kingdom. His righteousness. To be more like Him. To spread His word. His life-saving truth. Seek Him first and then He’ll add to you whatever you need.

Put your plans and hopes and dreams down and pick up your cross. He’ll make sure you get what you need. 

Give it all to Him. Let Him take care of it. 

God is the One making things happen. God is the goal. God makes the plans. He knows what He’s doing. Trust Him. Get to know Him. 

Focus on what’s in front of you at the moment, on the steps God’s given you for the time being. And if you don’t know what that step might be, ask Him. And then start moving. Pay attention and He’ll redirect you as needed. 

And remember that you will need it. God is God. Not us. We’re meant to rely on Him and His direction and guidance. We’re not going to know every step in front of us. We’re not meant to. We’re meant to be guided by the Shepherd, trusting that He will guide us exactly where we need to be. We’re meant to listen for His voice and watch for His hand as it moves us into place. 

Know basically what His will is: to love Him, to seek to know Him better, to love others, and to spread His word. And then outside of that, if He’s called you to something, move towards that. 

Maybe you’ve been called to be a writer. Start writing. Whatever you have. Listen for His redirection. Keep in constant, continual communication with Him. He’ll redirect you. 

Maybe you’ve been called to another country. Start learning that language. Start looking into their culture and customs, how they might be different or similar to you and your culture and customs. Look into jobs and housing. Listen for His voice to move you. 

Maybe you’ve been called to something else. Start with what you have. Even if you feel like you don’t have anything or it’s too small to start with. 

Zechariah 4:10 NLT says “do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” You may not like where you’re at right now and wish you could already be at that finish line. Trust me, I get that. I wish that a lot. But God loves the small beginnings. He loves the little steps that get you started. He loves to see the work begin. He has great purpose in it. 

Follow Him. Listen for His voice. Start small and just keep going.