I was sitting in a coffee shop reading my Bible when the Holy Spirit hit me with a question so hard I actually started to tear up. He asked me, “Eric, are you willing to sacrifice much so that others might experience me even just a little bit?”

You see, this wasn’t the first time God asked me, “Are you willing?” It also hasn’t been the last.

The Holy Spirit is asking this of you as well, whether you hear it or not.

Are You Willing is more than just a simple question. It is a way of life. Our response to this question is the way in which we walk in obedience to Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I desire a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus. I desire for the Holy Spirit to fully transform me from the inside-out. I want to “be holy, because [He is] holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

The thing is, the Holy Spirit will not make you holy apart from your participation. This does not change the fact that it is a free gift. Grace is very real. But He works in and through those who are willing to surrender control to Him. So, there really is just one question left to ask… Are You Willing?

After a year in Catania, Sicily as a missionary with One Mission Society, Eric now serves as Pastor of Engagement and Young Adults at Hope Missionary Church in Bluffton, Indiana.