How To Actually "Follow Jesus"
by Josie Carignan
"Following Jesus doesn’t get us to where we want to go, it gets us to where Jesus wants us to go." - Eugene Peterson
I love this quote! So thought provoking! Am I actually following Jesus, or simply living life and going wherever I want to go and asking Him to follow ME?
It can be so easy to slip into autopilot in life. Get up, work, school.... just doing the thing that’s in front of us. We can be born again and add Jesus to our lives, but not actually follow him. But that is not what God intended.
God calls us to live differently. To stay connected to the Holy Spirit and follow where he leads us.
To follow someone, you have to pay attention to where they are going. Stay close, watch, and listen.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27
Sometimes it is in the small details, like a nudge in your heart to call someone and ask how they are doing. Other times it’s big picture stuff like a call to change careers, sell your home, or start a business.
God is always speaking and leading, it's up to us to stay connected and "tuned in" to what he is saying.
Here are 7 practical ways I pay attention and follow in my everyday life:
I spend time in prayer every morning. During my prayer time, I take time to listen, not just talk.
I read the Bible daily – God will often speak to me through His word.
At the beginning of each year, I take time to lay all areas of my life before God and ask him if there is anything he wants me to stop doing, change, or add to my life.
I pay close attention to the little nudges of peace or unease regarding opportunities, relationships and situations. When you are a believer in Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in you. Those feelings are not just your intuition, they are the Holy Spirit leading you by giving you discernment about what God thinks about a situation.
I invite mentors and friends to speak into my life. God speaks to me through others.
I “check in” throughout my day. The more I pay attention, the more God leads.
And lastly – but most importantly – obedience. When he says something and I do what he asks, he speaks again and we get into a beautiful rhythm of hearing and obeying.
Obedience is the biggest catalyst to having God lead your life. If God is leading you to do something --- DO IT! It builds trust – God wants to entrust us with more – but first we have to steward well the last thing he told us.
Listen + obey = how we follow Jesus.
If this hasn't been something you consistently do - start developing the habit. Set a reminder on your smartphone or watch, and check in with the Holy Spirit for a moment every time it goes off.
Cheering you on,
-- Josie
Join me for Beloved Conference in October and be encouraged and equipped alongside other women of faith!
