In Acts, chapter nine, there is the story of a man named Saul. Saul was the greatest enemy of the church. He hated believers, and he was passionate about it. He went around having them arrested and put into prison. He was known for his persecution. The Scripture says, "Saul was breathing out threats and slaughter against the disciples."
One day Saul was on his way to arrest more believers in Damascus when suddenly, a bright light shone down from heaven and knocked him flat on his back. Saul became totally blind. The team of men traveling with Saul was speechless. They picked him up and led him into Damascus.
There was a man who lived there by the name of Ananias who was a strong believer. God spoke to him in a dream and told him to go to the house where Saul was staying and pray for him so that his sight would be restored.
You might imagine what Ananias must have thought. I can hear him saying, "Excuse me, God? You want me to go and pray for the man that's actively trying to kill us? The one who is hunting us down? The one who is breathing out threats? I don't think so. How about I send somebody from the prison ministry? ... How about I give him a phone call instead? ... God, that's too dangerous! I'm not going to go."
God said, "No, Ananias. Do what I say. He is a chosen instrument to bear My name."
Verse seventeen says, "Ananias went and found Saul. He laid hands on him and said, 'Brother Saul.'" He not only found him, but he called him brother! He could have called him a lot of other things. But Ananias prayed for Saul, and Saul's sight was restored. He became the Apostle Paul who went on to write over half of the New Testament. None of this would have happened if Ananias had not had this bold obedience.
Sometimes God will ask you to do things that don't make sense. Like Ananias, your first thought may be, "No way. I'm not going to do that." But if you listen again, you'll hear God saying, "Just do it. Sow a radical seed. Take a step of faith." When you do, God will do something radical in your life. We can all make excuses, "Joel, it's too hard. It's too big a sacrifice. It's too inconvenient." When you obey, a blessing is attached. But if you keep putting it off, then you are really putting off the blessing God has in store for you.
When God tells you to do something, you may not understand it. It may not make sense, but that's okay. Be like Ananias and just do it! Have bold obedience and walk into bold blessing!