Over the years, there have been a great many things attempted for the glory of God. Over that same period of time, the things attempted do not equal to the things completed. There are a variety of reasons for why these great many things have not all been completed. Some of it is a result of realizing that we were on the wrong path; some is a result of someone else having already executed the idea wonderfully and we do not wish to add-on to it; and it could even be the case that somewhere along the way, we got the vision and also got “cold feet” in the execution thereof. It is this last area that we will consider in this post.
When we have high aspirations to do something good that will benefit the Kingdom of God, we can be sure to count on opposition – internally and externally. Internally, it may take the form of lack of commitment or even that we are “too tired” to complete the task set aside for that day. Externally, we engage ourselves in a multitude of activities that take us away from our main goal. Yet, beneath it all is another reason for why our aspirations are not taking the full shape that they should in the time that they should. We have “cold feet.”
How can we make such a diagnosis? Simply by observing. Here are some fruit (there are more I am sure) of “cold feet”.
1. Worry and Pride. If you complete this thing that will serve for the glory of the Kingdom of God, “what will people say?” Will they begin to think of you as some religious freak? Will they begin to avoid you for fear that you will want to witness to them about your God? Or, better yet, if we are not concerned about the opinions of others, we find ourselves concerned about the constraints this commitment will impose on our own lives. “If I commit to do this, then will I have to…” - you fill in the blank. These fears constrain us from moving forward – effectively stopping us “cold” in our ministry tracks.
2. Pacing and timing. If there is one thing that I know to be true, there is a time and order to things in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes, because of our “cold feet” we do not move when He instructs us to do so and thereby miss ministry opportunities. Think about it. The person that expressed something to you or shared something with you and you had a Scripture on your heart but because of whatever reason, you didn’t share this with them...you remember… you missed a ministry opportunity. The fruit was ripe before us and we failed to harvest it because of our “cold feet”.
3. Sorrow. Perhaps sorrow is the ultimate end result of “cold feet”. Whenever we have “defrosted” our toes and gotten ourselves together, we recognize the opportunities that have passed us by – they parade by us in our memories - we begin thinking about the ramifications of our “cold feet” and begin with the “would have, could haves.” Ah – the fruit of “cold feet”.
Alas, there is a cure for “cold feet!” Instead of looking in the mirror at opportunities long past, I invite you now to make a commitment to Kingdom building. Cast down worry, pride, slackness and sorrow. As the series on Falling In Love with the One takes it form, I hope that you now know that the One that desires and deserves your attention is the Lord Jesus Christ. As the church, we are His bride. He does not desire that we have “cold feet” towards Him. Rather, He would that we commit to Him wholeheartedly.
Joshua perhaps said it best when in 24:15 he said “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” I do not detect any “cold feet” there!
I encourage you, as even I encourage myself, to make a daily commitment and reaffirmation to serve God with fullness and gladness of heart, being constant and faithful to Him – pressing on and through any insecurities that we have. Choosing to serve anything or anyone other than the Lord God first and foremost seems a most senseless conclusion – particularly in light of how we know that this whole world will end as told in the book of Revelation.
If you have started on this journey and have somewhere along the way gotten “cold feet” – will you take a moment to reflect on the goodness of God and His supremacy in your life? If you can’t seem to come up with anything that He’s done for you – do this one thing – breathe… in and out… in and out…. He’s given you breath of life – without which life is not sustainable. We all have so much to be thankful for and so little room for “cold feet.”
There is a song whose lyrics read “I have decided to follow Jesus …no turning back… no turning back. Do not let the fruit of fearfulness nor timidity which masquerades as “cold feet” hold you back from what God has for you. Warm by the fire of His faithfulness, and then get busy for the Kingdom.
When we have high aspirations to do something good that will benefit the Kingdom of God, we can be sure to count on opposition – internally and externally. Internally, it may take the form of lack of commitment or even that we are “too tired” to complete the task set aside for that day. Externally, we engage ourselves in a multitude of activities that take us away from our main goal. Yet, beneath it all is another reason for why our aspirations are not taking the full shape that they should in the time that they should. We have “cold feet.”
How can we make such a diagnosis? Simply by observing. Here are some fruit (there are more I am sure) of “cold feet”.
1. Worry and Pride. If you complete this thing that will serve for the glory of the Kingdom of God, “what will people say?” Will they begin to think of you as some religious freak? Will they begin to avoid you for fear that you will want to witness to them about your God? Or, better yet, if we are not concerned about the opinions of others, we find ourselves concerned about the constraints this commitment will impose on our own lives. “If I commit to do this, then will I have to…” - you fill in the blank. These fears constrain us from moving forward – effectively stopping us “cold” in our ministry tracks.
2. Pacing and timing. If there is one thing that I know to be true, there is a time and order to things in the Kingdom of God. Sometimes, because of our “cold feet” we do not move when He instructs us to do so and thereby miss ministry opportunities. Think about it. The person that expressed something to you or shared something with you and you had a Scripture on your heart but because of whatever reason, you didn’t share this with them...you remember… you missed a ministry opportunity. The fruit was ripe before us and we failed to harvest it because of our “cold feet”.
3. Sorrow. Perhaps sorrow is the ultimate end result of “cold feet”. Whenever we have “defrosted” our toes and gotten ourselves together, we recognize the opportunities that have passed us by – they parade by us in our memories - we begin thinking about the ramifications of our “cold feet” and begin with the “would have, could haves.” Ah – the fruit of “cold feet”.
Alas, there is a cure for “cold feet!” Instead of looking in the mirror at opportunities long past, I invite you now to make a commitment to Kingdom building. Cast down worry, pride, slackness and sorrow. As the series on Falling In Love with the One takes it form, I hope that you now know that the One that desires and deserves your attention is the Lord Jesus Christ. As the church, we are His bride. He does not desire that we have “cold feet” towards Him. Rather, He would that we commit to Him wholeheartedly.
Joshua perhaps said it best when in 24:15 he said “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” I do not detect any “cold feet” there!
I encourage you, as even I encourage myself, to make a daily commitment and reaffirmation to serve God with fullness and gladness of heart, being constant and faithful to Him – pressing on and through any insecurities that we have. Choosing to serve anything or anyone other than the Lord God first and foremost seems a most senseless conclusion – particularly in light of how we know that this whole world will end as told in the book of Revelation.
If you have started on this journey and have somewhere along the way gotten “cold feet” – will you take a moment to reflect on the goodness of God and His supremacy in your life? If you can’t seem to come up with anything that He’s done for you – do this one thing – breathe… in and out… in and out…. He’s given you breath of life – without which life is not sustainable. We all have so much to be thankful for and so little room for “cold feet.”
There is a song whose lyrics read “I have decided to follow Jesus …no turning back… no turning back. Do not let the fruit of fearfulness nor timidity which masquerades as “cold feet” hold you back from what God has for you. Warm by the fire of His faithfulness, and then get busy for the Kingdom.
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