Do you ever get a tugging in your heart to do something?  Most people do, but they tend to counter that thought with a myriad of reasons not to follow that urging.

“I can’t because _____________.”

“What if ___________________?”

You fill in the blanks.  I’ve used them, and so have you.  Those negative thoughts and questions come from fear, but we are told:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
II Timothy 1:7 NLV

To me, that means that God not only gives us a heart, but a mind.  We should use both when we are faced with making choices.

I was grocery shopping one day, when I was approached by a woman asking if I would help with food for her family.  My first thought was, she doesn’t look hungry.  And it was followed by; she might just be scamming me.

But I sensed that I should help anyway.  We walked the isles and picked up staples like bread, milk, peanut butter and a family size bucket of chicken with sides.  At the register, I told the checker – someone I have known from the store for years, that I would be paying for the lady’s groceries.  She gave me a look, and I knew what that look meant, but I just nodded my head.

When I came back through her line later with my own items she said, “I’ve seen her here before.  You know she was probably scamming you.”

“Yep, but God put it on my heart to help her. I did what I was supposed to do.  The rest is between her and God.”

Sometimes we just have to be obedient to God’s leading even if it takes us out of our comfort zone and leave the rest up to Him.