The drift into avoidance is subtle. We’re often shocked when we see the fruit of it in our lives.
It’s so interesting the way we make use of God’s perfect character when it suits us. We use it as a tool of condemnation to judge those around us whose lives seem to fall short, but for ourselves, it becomes a scapegoat. After all, God is perfect; therefore, my answer to His call must also be done in perfection.
Newsflash: He’s perfect, but in our natural state, in this earthly vessel, we’re not, nor will we ever be. This is the reason He had to send His son. Jesus filled the gap that sin created, gave us a new nature and a new identity, and, when our actions fall short, His blood is a reminder that we’ve been redeemed and do not need to stay where we have fallen.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get down to what avoidance is for the believer and how to recognize it.
What Spiritual Avoidance Looks Like
When we think of avoiding God's call, the imagery we often reflect on is Jonah. You remember the story, right? God tells the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah says “no”, and after a series of events, he ends up in the belly of a whale (Jonah chapter 1). While this is a clear example, it’s not representative of our reality.
God’s instructions to Jonah were clear. Go to Nineveh. There was no faith required, no questioning if the voice was God’s, his, or the devil’s. Now, you may say, ‘But, Jaychelle, if God spoke to me audibly the way He did with Jonah or many of the Old Testament prophets, I’d do whatever He told me to do.’ Let me hold your hand when I say this, no, you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t because the things you avoid are things you already don’t desire to do. No burning bush or thundering voice will move you if you already resist what you know. Sometimes what looks like hesitation is actually fear, shame, or unresolved emotion hiding beneath the surface. I wrote more about this in Signs Unhealed Emotions Are Affecting Your Daily Life.
This brings me to the first way to recognize spiritual avoidance in your life.
How to Recognize Spiritual Avoidance
1. Always preparing, but never ready
As I’m writing this, I’m chuckling to myself because I said to the Holy Spirit a few days ago that the transformation He’s leading in me is going to happen quite a bit through my writing.
Spiritual procrastination is a trap that gives the illusion of progress, but never getting anywhere. This is one of the most common ways spiritual avoidance shows up in daily life. If I showed you the number of notes, drafts, and folders I have just for blog topics and journal entries, you’d think I’ve accomplished so much. For the longest time, I lived in the lie that I did!
Preparation is exhausting, and it’s so easy to hide behind because there’s no accountability. This endless cycle of preparation gives us a dopamine boost from having done something, but we never make any impact. Impact is the purpose of His call.
2. Waiting for the perfect time
I’m chuckling again.
God doesn’t require perfection. If He did, He wouldn’t use any of us.
So what if you think you’re too young; look at David or Esther. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re too old; have that conversation with Abraham, Noah, or Moses. Time is not ours to control; it’s only ours to steward. Waiting for the perfect time is to suggest and live as though God’s plan is incomplete or not well thought out. With time as the utility and God’s voice giving the call, the only thing you must do is answer.
A Reflection for This Week
This list seems short, but I guarantee you that every reason you’ve not moved into what He’s called you into falls into one of these categories. Either you’re preparing the perfect conditions or waiting for the perfect time.
Spend some time this week prayerfully considering which of these categories best describes you, then decide to start.
You’ve prepared sufficiently.
Time is your utility.
You’ve already been called.
Now go.
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