January 4th, 2026 🤍✨📖 Reflection

I know God has been calling me into something higher.

For the last few years, I’ve heard Him saying, “Stephanie, stay in My will.” And if I’m being honest, I haven’t always listened — not because I didn’t hear Him, but because obedience has required me to let go of things that felt familiar… and sometimes even comforting.

God has told me to start a community.

God has told me to read my Bible.

God has told me to commit to reading the Bible in 365 days.

And God has also told me to release certain things — certain people, certain situations, certain attachments — and that has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

Because the moment God tells you to move, the next voice you often hear is:

“What will people think?”

But what I’m learning is that spiritual maturity looks like this: obeying God even when you don’t get social approval for it. Obeying Him when it costs you comfort. Obeying Him when it changes how people perceive you.

And I keep thinking about Noah.

Imagine what people thought when he was building that ark.

He spent his days laboring, building, toiling — creating something that looked ridiculous to everyone watching. A giant boat with no rain. No storm. No evidence. No public validation.

Just God’s instruction.

And Noah listened anyway.

Genesis 7–8 reminds me that God is faithful to those who follow Him. Not because obedience guarantees an easy life, but because obedience places you under His covering. God knows the beginning from the end. He knows exactly how everything will play out. He knows what He wants, and how He wants it done — and we are His creation.

So who am I to argue with the One who made me?

Who am I to try to rewrite the blueprint when God has already given me a roadmap?

This is where I’ve struggled: I haven’t always been faithful in certain areas. I haven’t always obeyed quickly. I haven’t always chosen God’s will over my fear of people’s opinions.

But I know God is calling me to deeper faithfulness now.

Not partial obedience.

Not delayed obedience.

Not obedience that waits for confirmation from the crowd.

Faithful obedience.

The kind that builds the ark before the rain.

The kind that releases what God says to release.

The kind that stops caring what people think — because God’s voice matters more than the world’s reaction.

And today, my prayer is simple:

Lord, make me faithful.

Make me obedient.

Make me steady in Your will — even when it costs me.

Reflection Prompt:

Where have I been delaying obedience because I’m afraid of what people will think? 🤍