What would following Jesus right now, today, look like? In the life you actually have. With the history, traumas, strengths, resources, struggles that are your bucket of “stuff” to walk through in real life. With the spouse, boss, parents, children, friends or lack thereof that are actually in your world.

Sometimes we believe that if we pray hard enough or “right”, God will “zap” us out of our actual life and drop us somewhere else. That He will magically change our outward circumstances to be easier. There are times God works His “suddenly,” and we celebrate those moments! But in the meantime?

God is not mostly about “zapping.” He’s mostly about your transformation and mine. That’s discipleship in the details. So what does the Bible say about following Jesus in your actual life? And what might that look like for you today?

Biblical Examples

Scripture gives us innumerable examples of how God works in the world and in human beings’ lives. The human project on which God embarked is messy, at least from our perspective. But nothing we experience catches God off guard. He is never surprised. And there is no moment or struggle that puts humans beyond His reach and presence.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7).

So consider these examples of what it meant for Biblical heroes to follow God in their actual lives:

• For Abraham, it meant learning to listen for God’s voice and follow Him in the small steps without any roadmap and into an uncertain future.
• For Moses, it meant leading the Israelites to journey, rest, fight, or worship at God’s direction for that specific moment.
• For David, it meant learning to write Psalms while hiding from Saul in a cave, and going out to fight his enemies only when God directed him to do so.
• For Elijah, it meant a nap and some food, then listening for God’s still small voice and doing what God asked him to do next.
• For the woman at the well, it meant telling everyone she knew about Jesus even though she had a bad reputation and had only just met Jesus.
• For Paul, it meant learning to be content whether he had little or much, and not being moved by opposition or persecution.

Do you catch any themes? Following God for these Biblical heroes didn’t mean comfort or certainty, unless it was the certainty they held to that God was for them. It meant following Him in the middle of the very circumstances in which they found themselves.

What About Your Actual Life?

You find yourself in trouble. We all do. Sometimes that trouble is really big, sometimes smaller but ongoing and exhausting. What does following Jesus look like in the details of your life today?

That might look something like:

• Your body is not doing well. This might mean changing your diet, developing a healthier pattern of rest and work, and following the best medical advice you can get, while continuing to pray for God’s healing presence.
• You’re burdened with past trauma, anxiety, or depression. This could mean learning to take your thoughts captive, getting the best therapy you can find, and soaking in what God says about you .
• Your marriage is troubled. This might mean getting past your own entitlement or fear, owning 100% of your role in any dysfunction, and seeking to understand and become who God is calling you to be whether your spouse changes or not and regardless of whether your marriage survives or not.
• Your finances are a mess. This would mean learning about money, working hard, embracing God as owner of everything and submitting your money to Him, while praying for wisdom, opportunities, and provision.
• You’re addicted – to sex, porn, alcohol, or whatever. This would mean developing a strong escape plan, doing the hard work to find your people to connect with, and daily, DAILY, submitting that part of you to Jesus.
• You feel spiritually empty. This would mean hanging around other people engaged in following Jesus, investing daily in being with Him, and learning to be quiet and hear His voice.

In short, this looks like continuing to show up, and continuing to say Yes.

What is Your Process?

Remember, God is not surprised by your actual life. He knows the spouse you have (or don’t have). Your bank account, your mental pressures, your past trauma, your sins – He understands. The limitations, life experiences, people around you – He truly knows it all.

And right in the middle of all that Jesus would say to you, right now, Follow Me!

Here’s a brief paradigm on how to follow Jesus in your actual life, right now:

• Get real. Be honest with yourself and with God about where you find yourself. No hiding. Radical honesty, but without self-contempt.
• Seek God’s perspective. Once you’ve been honest with how you see things, ask God how He sees things. What’s His perspective on what’s really going on?
• Follow His direction. He will have a next step for you to take. And when He shows you what that is, just do it. That may be connecting deeply with a few others, or doing the hard work of forgiveness, or changing your lifestyle, or simply waiting.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s often not easy. But if what you’re doing isn’t working, I challenge you to go with this perspective.

Now, what does following Jesus look like in your actual life?

Your Turn: Where are you having a hard time? What does it look like for you, personally, to follow Jesus right where you are right now, today?  Leave a comment below.

Want more? This week’s podcast is with Chris A. Matthews, about how He learned to follow Jesus in his challenging marriage. Listen or watch.

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• God is not surprised by your actual life. And Jesus would say to you right now, Follow Me! What does following Jesus look like in the life you actually have right now?  Tweet that.

Your Actual Life Could Use Some Help

The wounds, the unhealthy beliefs, the behavior patterns, the internal struggles, the spiritual oppression especially around intimacy, sex, and relationships – we can help with that.

Join us at an upcoming intensive – a beautiful 3-4 day premium experience that can change so much. Bring the hard places of your story into the light, and experience Jesus coming right into the middle of your story with healing, freedom, and transformation.