Following and Trusting : Encountering God Out of the Box

Every day, in a hundred small ways, your heart is choosing a posture.
This posture causes your life to run in a very distinct direction.

Toward God, or away from Him.
Love, or fear.

Is Your Heart Moving Toward God, or Away From Him?

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18)

You may not feel it happening. It doesn’t usually announce itself. It shows up in the small stuff — how you handle your time, how you talk to your family, how you respond when life feels unfair. But underneath every one of those small things is a posture. And every posture is rooted in either love or fear. (I share more about this in the book: “God, Show Me More of You”)

Here’s some good news: you can ask the Lord to show you which one is running the show. And once He shows you, you can choose differently… AND experience life very differently too!

Below are seven everyday areas where this plays out.
(These patterns are drawn from both Scripture and from modern day situations in the lives of clients.)
Let the Lord highlight where He wants to meet you.

1. Read each area aloud, slowly.
2. Pause. Notice if anything resonates.
3. If yes, move into the listening prayer question for that area.
   Let the Holy Spirit lead.
4. Write down what surfaces. Notice a memory, a feeling, a picture, or a sentence that drops into your mind.
5. Once a cause surfaces, pray it through — repentance, forgiveness, renouncing a lie, receiving truth — whatever the Lord highlights.
6. Close each area by choosing, in faith, the love-based posture toward God, out loud.

Prayer to Start:

Lord, show me where in my life I or my ancestors have invited in fear through neglect or wrong patterns, and lead me into the righteous paths instead — for Your glory and my freedom. Amen.

1. SEEKING GOD

Fear says: seeking God is exhausting, so just go through the motions. Fear leaves you in the dark, unnoticed, surrounded by the wrong influences.

Fear Effects: Darkness in our lives. We are invisible. We attract dark people.

“The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.” (Proverbs 4:19)

Love says: seek Him on purpose, every day. Love puts light on your path and draws the right people into your life.

Love Effects: Light is on our paths. We are visible. Loving people see and notice us. We attract high quality people into our lives.

“You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others.” (Matthew 5:14, 16)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (Psalm 27:1)

Ask Him: Lord, where did I learn that seeking You wasn’t worth the effort?

2. AUTHORITY

Fear either grabs at authority for itself, or refuses to use the authority God has given. Fear leaves you working too hard, in your own strength, fighting against the wind.

Fear Effects: Weather works against us. We have problems with air (mold
in the air or lung problems).

Moses struck the rock in frustration instead of speaking to it as God commanded — misusing his authority, with lasting consequences. (Numbers 20:7-12)

Love uses authority for God’s glory alone. Love finds the wind, the weather, even your own breath, working with you instead of against you.

Love Effects: Weather cooperates with us. Air works with and for us.

Elijah called down rain on God’s timing, not his own. (1 Kings 18:41-45)
Joshua commanded the sun to stand still for God’s purposes at Gibeon. (Joshua 10:12-14)

Ask Him: Lord, where am I trying to do something in my own strength instead of Yours?

3. TRUTH

Fear avoids truth because truth can be costly. Fear quietly settles for less life than God intended — in your body, your relationships, your future.

Fear Effects: We age prematurely. Disease and other physical problems distract us. Our stuff wears out prematurely.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)

Love chases truth and the life of God, even when it’s uncomfortable. Love gives life to others out of an overflow, and receives a long, vibrant life in return.

Love Effects: We live to a good old age with healthy and active bodies.
Our stuff lasts.

“his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone” — Moses lived a long life pursuing God. (Deuteronomy 34:7)
“I pray that you may enjoy good health… even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 2)
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Ask Him: Lord, where have I stopped pursuing truth because it hurt too much?

4. TIME

Fear treats time like an enemy — always short, always slipping away, always an excuse to skip the appointment with God.

Fear Effects: Time works against us. There is never enough time.

The foolish virgins missed the bridegroom’s timing and were shut out. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Love syncs to God’s timing and honors other people’s time too. Love discovers, surprisingly, that there’s always enough.

Love Effects: God syncs us to Him. Time works for us. We have extra time.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
“When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son.” (Galatians 4:4)
“My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31:15)

Ask Him: Lord, what’s underneath my chronic rushing, or my missed time with You?

5. BUILDING AND COMMUNICATING

Fear consumes without building anything that lasts. Fear holds on too tight — to children, to control, to the need to fix everything — and calls it love when it’s really anxiety.

Fear Effects: Sound works against us. Electronic equipment gives trouble.
Communication is difficult and people don’t hear our hearts. It’s hard to hear God.

At Babel, communication became confused because the people built only for themselves. (Genesis 11:4-9)
Eli’s sons were poorly parented through lack of correction and release. (1 Samuel 2:12; 3:13)

Love builds beyond itself. Love releases what God asks us to release, and communicates honestly enough that people actually hear our hearts — and we actually hear God’s.

Love Effects: We have good communication with people, and people hear our
hearts. Sound works for us. Electronic equipment is reliable. We hear God’s heart and will.

At Pentecost, the Spirit enabled clear communication across languages, building the Kingdom beyond any one group. (Acts 2:4-11)
Hannah released Samuel to God’s service. (1 Samuel 1:27-28)

Ask Him: Lord, where am I gripping tightly instead of releasing to You?

6. WIN-WIN LIVING

Fear accepts lose-win and lose-lose as just “how it is.” Fear expects every transition to be rough, every system to fail.

Fear Effects: Institutional structures don’t work for us. Transitions into new seasons are rough and hindered. Flow is hindered.

Saul pursued a win-lose strategy against David out of jealousy and fear. (1 Samuel 18-19)

Love is committed to win-win, even when it’s harder. Love trusts God for smooth transitions into whatever comes next.

Love Effects: Institutional structures work with us and are life-giving.
We have smooth transitions into new seasons. We have freedom to
pursue our birthrights.

Abraham and Lot divided the land peaceably to avoid strife. (Genesis 13:8-9)
Joseph reconciled with his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Ask Him: Lord, where did I learn that someone always has to lose?

7. PURSUING GOD DIRECTLY

Fear outsources its relationship with God — borrowing someone else’s encounter instead of pursuing one of your own. Fear obeys, but never initiates.

Effects: We experience lack of spiritual vitality and little or no protection from spiritual defilement. We cannot unpack the spiritual treasures we have.

Israel asked Moses to hear God on their behalf rather than drawing near themselves. (Exodus 20:18-19)

Love pursues God through every door available — nature, Scripture, worship, work, rest, play. Love keeps discovering new rooms in God’s house that it never knew existed.

Effects: Nature cooperates with us as an onramp to heaven. We have
wider experiences with God. We are able to enter and explore more of
heaven.

Moses pressed further: “Show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)
David declared, “One thing I ask… that I may seek him.” (Psalm 27:4)
Jacob wrestled through the night for the blessing rather than letting go. (Genesis 32:24-26)

Ask Him: Lord, what’s one new way You want to connect with me?

WHERE FEAR MEETS LOVE

Here’s what I love most about this:

Your greatest problems aren’t wasted.

When you bring them honestly to God — instead of running from them in fear — they become the very soil where your experience of Him grows. And that experience becomes the message your life carries to others. And that message leads you straight into the birthright and inheritance God always intended for you.

Your fear isn’t the end of your story. It’s just an invitation to go deeper with the One who already drives it out.

So today, focus on one of the seven areas above. Sit with it. Ask the Lord the questions. And let Him start moving your heart, one posture at a time, from fear into love.

Let Him. God is perfect love.

“Perfect love drives out fear.” – 1 John 4:18

Merri Ellen 🙂

He has more for you!

YOU are a sacred space.

Meet with a trained coach to walk with you.

Join other hungry women seeking the Lord together.

Enjoy the books: “God, Show Me What You See”
or “God, Show Me More of You“