Don’t Miss the Bus
When God Is Stretching You - July 24, 2026
What if the discomfort you are experiencing is not something to escape?
What if God is stretching you?
There are seasons when the Lord begins moving us beyond what is familiar, predictable, and comfortable. He asks us to surrender control and trust the Holy Spirit in places where our natural ability is no longer enough.
And sometimes the stretching feels uncomfortable precisely because we cannot accomplish the assignment in our own strength.
God is teaching us to yield.
Stretch Me, Lord
Being stretched by God may mean doing something you have never done before.
Going somewhere unfamiliar.
Speaking when you would rather remain quiet.
Ministering differently.
Releasing something you have outgrown.
Allowing God to change your plans.
Or simply saying yes before you understand everything that yes will require.
The question becomes:
Can God use me beyond my comfort zone?
Galatians 2:20 gives us the posture:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…”
— Galatians 2:20 KJV
Surrender says, “Not my way, Lord. Yours.”
Quick Obedience Matters
One of the lessons God continues teaching us is the importance of quick obedience.
Sometimes we know what God said, but then we begin negotiating.
What will people think?
Am I qualified?
What if I fail?
What if this looks strange?
What if I misunderstood?
Meanwhile, God already gave the instruction.
Delayed obedience can make a simple assignment unnecessarily difficult.
There are moments when faith looks like hearing God and responding:
“Yes, Lord.”
Not tomorrow.
Not after everyone understands.
Not when every detail makes sense.
When God says go, go.
Lay Aside the Weight
Hebrews gives us another critical instruction:
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”
— Hebrews 12:1 KJV
Notice Scripture distinguishes between weight and sin.
Everything slowing you down is not necessarily sinful.
Some things are simply too heavy for where God is taking you.
Old habits.
Clutter.
Unnecessary commitments.
Distractions.
People’s opinions.
Fear of embarrassment.
The need to explain yourself.
Even things that were useful in a previous season can become weight in the next one.
Ask the Holy Spirit:
What am I carrying that You never told me to carry?
Then release it.
You cannot run freely while insisting on dragging everything with you.
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
Hebrews 12 continues:
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”
— Hebrews 12:2 KJV
Jesus endured the cross because He saw beyond the suffering.
There was joy set before Him.
He knew the mission.
He knew why He had come.
And He finished His Father’s work.
When God stretches us, one of the enemy’s easiest strategies is getting us to stare at everything except Jesus.
The discomfort.
The people watching.
The criticism.
The uncertainty.
The possibility of embarrassment.
But you cannot run your race while constantly looking into the stands.
Look unto Jesus.
Don’t Miss the Bus
I had a dream involving someone missing a bus.
And the message became impossible to ignore:
Be ready.
A bus operates according to an appointed route and time.
You cannot continually tell the bus:
“Wait until I feel ready.”
“Wait until I organize everything.”
“Wait until everybody agrees with me.”
“Wait until I stop being afraid.”
There are divine opportunities that require readiness.
This is not about living anxiously, afraid that one mistake will destroy God’s plan for your life.
It is about developing a heart that responds when God calls.
Preparation matters.
Alignment matters.
Discernment matters.
Obedience matters.
Don’t allow hesitation to become a lifestyle.
Keep Your Heart Clean
We can remove physical clutter and still carry internal clutter.
Offense.
Bitterness.
Pride.
Jealousy.
Fear.
Unforgiveness.
Hidden agendas.
The condition of our heart matters because ministry flows through the vessel.
We cannot ask God to use us greatly while refusing to allow Him to cleanse us deeply.
The goal is not perfection.
The goal is yieldedness.
“Lord, search me.”
“Correct me.”
“Cleanse me.”
“Change whatever needs changing.”
“Make my heart agree with Yours.”
You Were Chosen to Bear Fruit
Jesus said:
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit…”
— John 15:16 KJV
You were chosen with purpose.
But notice the word:
Go.
God’s calling was never designed merely to make us feel important.
Calling produces fruit.
Calling serves people.
Calling advances God’s Kingdom.
Calling points people toward Jesus.
Real ministry is not about building a platform around ourselves.
It is reconciliation.
Healing.
Freedom.
Deliverance.
Truth.
Love.
And ultimately, souls coming to Jesus Christ.
My Food Is to Finish
Jesus gave us one of the clearest descriptions of Kingdom focus:
“My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”
— John 4:34 KJV
That is focus.
Jesus knew why He was here.
And as His followers, we should increasingly ask:
Lord, what did You send me here to do?
Then we must guard that assignment.
Not every invitation deserves your yes.
Not every conversation deserves your energy.
Not every distraction deserves your attention.
There is work to finish.
God Surrounds You
Obedience does not mean walking alone.
Psalm 139:5 describes God as surrounding us—behind and before.
And Zechariah gives this beautiful promise:
“For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.”
— Zechariah 2:5 KJV
What an image.
Fire around you.
Glory within the midst.
You do not have to manufacture your own protection while following God’s instructions.
He knows where He is sending you.
He knows what the assignment requires.
And Isaiah 54 reminds us that weapons formed against God’s people will not ultimately prosper.
So go where God sends you.
Billions for Christ
Our vision must stretch beyond ourselves.
There are people who are presently far from God who can become powerful witnesses for Jesus Christ.
People we may have already counted out.
People trapped in darkness.
People who do not yet know they were created for something greater.
We pray for salvation.
We pray for deliverance.
We pray for transformation.
And we pray that those rescued by Jesus will turn around and tell somebody else:
“Come meet the One who changed my life.”
The harvest is bigger than our comfort.
The mission is bigger than our platform.
The Gospel is bigger than us.
Finish the Work
Romans 8:32 reminds us that the Father did not spare His own Son.
God has already demonstrated the magnitude of His love.
So when He asks us to surrender something, trust Him.
When He stretches you, yield.
When He says release it, release it.
When He says wait, wait.
When He says move, move.
When He says go—
GO.
Do not allow fear to make decisions God assigned to faith.
Do not allow people’s opinions to become louder than God’s instructions.
Do not carry weights into a race that requires freedom.
And do not become so distracted at the bus stop that you miss the moment God told you to move.
Be ready.
Stay yielded.
Keep your heart clean.
Look unto Jesus.
And finish the work.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, make us vessels fit for Your glory.
Stretch us beyond our comfort without allowing us to move beyond Your Spirit.
Remove every weight, distraction, fear, offense, and agenda that interferes with Your purpose.
Give us clean hearts and willing spirits.
Teach us quick obedience.
When You say stay, help us stay.
When You say wait, help us wait.
And when You say go, give us courage to move.
We pray for souls throughout the nations. Rescue those who are bound. Bring people out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. Transform those who once served darkness into witnesses who proclaim the Gospel.
Be a wall of fire around us and the glory in our midst.
Keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus until we have completely finished the work You have given us to do.
We belong to You.
Use us however You desire.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
KINGDOM TAKEAWAY
God is stretching you because the assignment requires more room.
Lay aside the weight.
Keep your heart clean.
Fix your eyes on Jesus.
Obey quickly.
And don’t miss the bus.
When God says go—GO.
Continued in Part 2: “Don’t Miss the Bus.”
Charnette Kay ⚔️
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