What is God Stirring in You? How to Walk with Courage and Peace where God Leads

​​Starting and leading an AWANA club; going on my first missions trip; starting a devotional blog; stepping down from areas of leadership and ministry; being more intentional in prayer; cultivating contentment in my singleness; self-publishing my first Bible study; regularly hosting in my home.

These are all things I’ve done in the past 10 years.

Besides the timeframe in which I’ve done them, there’s something else they have in common: they weren’t my own ideas.

​Though many are connected to things I’m passionate about, dreams I’ve held, and areas I’m gifted in, the reason I did them was because God lead me to do so. They were things God had placed on my heart to step into, work at, and grow in.

There are many times in my life that I can now look back on and see how God was leading me, even if I couldn’t see it then; there are many areas of my life in which I can now look back and recognize how God was working to bring me to the place I’m currently in, even if I couldn’t recognize it then. 

But in the specific things that I listed above, I sensed God’s leading and directing me from the start, even before I knew what He was leading me into: take the first step, start this new thing, chase that thought, follow up on that conversation, share your ideas, ask that question, offer to help, give that invitation, say yes, say no, pray about this.

I didn’t hear God’s leading through an audible voice, or even through coherent sentences coming to my mind like the ones I wrote above.

Rather, it was this sense that I can only describe as a stirring inside me.

This is often how Holy Spirit leads me in walking with Him: a stirring in my spirit. And I’ve learned that when I pay attention to this stirring of the Spirit, asking God to speak and listening for His voice, He will give clarity and direction in what He is calling me to do.

Friend, is there anything God is stirring in you? An idea to pursue, a dream to build, a step of faith to take, a change to make, a practice to begin, or something else?

When we first sense this stirring of the Spirit, however it may come to us, it can be exciting—because it’s a new opportunity to participate with God in His plans and purposes of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration!

But it can also be scary—because there are so many unknowns, and it may require taking some risks or giving some things up.

And it can be confusing—because we might be uncertain of what steps God wants us to take next, or we might not even be sure if this is God’s will for us.

And it can even be discouraging—because often when God begins to call us into something new, the clamor of insecurities and the claims of But that’s impossible! attempt to drown out His voice.

When we sense this stirring of the Spirit in our spirits, how do we sort through the fear, confusion, and discouragement to gain clarity and direction, so we can walk with courage and peace where God is leading us?

A Good Shepherd

Scripture repeatedly uses the metaphor of a shepherd leading His sheep to give us a picture of how God leads us:

​“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” Psalm 23:1-3

​“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11

​“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be our peace.” Micah 5:4-5

“They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
​Revelation 7:16-17

​Jesus uses this metaphor in John 10, when He refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd:

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for [the shepherd], and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice…
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:3-5, 11-18

I included a big chunk of this passage here for context. But for this post, there are three key phrases I’m going to highlight for us to learn from and be encouraged by in discerning God’s stirring in us:

I Know My Sheep

In using the metaphor of a shepherd and sheep, we are shown the way God relates to us: He is not aloof or indifferent to our well-being; He does not view us as robots or pawns to be used when it suits Him.

Our Good Shepherd knows us. He calls us by name. Our God is intimate, personal, and relational. He desires to be intimately involved in our daily lives, and to personally guide us, give us wisdom, and supply what we need as we follow Him.

​My Sheep Know Me

​Because God is personal and relational, we can know Him. We can grow in our knowledge of His character, His Word, and His promises, and we can experience these in daily walking with Him.

Our Shepherd is described as good, compassionate, loving, merciful, caring, sovereign, just, faithful, gentle, and strong (Jn. 10:11; Mk. 6:34; Ps. 23; Jer. 31:10; Ez. 34:11-30; Is. 40:11; Mic. 5:4). This is who He is!

And this is why we can trust Him when He calls us.

My Sheep Know My Voice

​As we grow in our relationship with God and in knowing His character, Word, and promises, we learn to recognize His voice. We learn to sense His Spirit’s calling, guiding, and leading in our lives.

For me, that’s a stirring or pulsing in my spirit that doesn’t let up. How you hear God’s voice and sense His Spirit may be different.

God can speak, call, and lead us through His Word teaching and instructing us in His will for our lives; through convicting us of attitudes, actions, or behaviors that need to change; through prayer as we converse with Him and seek His will; through the encouragement and wisdom of others; through the gifts and passions He has given us to use for His glory; and through His Spirit in us as we walk in step with Him.

I purposefully listed God’s Word first, because in these other ways God speaks to us, He will never speak or lead in a way that is contrary to His Word.

​What is God stirring in you?

Don’t be afraid—the Lord your Shepherd is with you. (Ps. 23:4)
Don’t be discouraged—nothing is impossible with Him. (Mk. 10:27)
Don’t hesitate to take that first step—He will continue to show you the way and guide you in the right path. (Ps. 143:8, 23:3)