Paul Didn’t Hesitate—Neither Should You

But Isn’t Paul a Tough Example?

I can almost hear you saying, “Using Paul as an example isn’t exactly comforting—he got stoned for obeying!” Fair point. But his courage shows us what it looks like to trust God more than outcomes.
Wouldn’t you love to have that kind of relationship with the Lord? The kind where, when He says “Go,” you just… go? Where you step into the assignment He’s given you—whether that’s starting a business, writing a book, or speaking to someone—without running away like Jonah did when told to preach to Nineveh?

The Cost of Hesitation

Maybe you’re worried you won’t execute God’s plan perfectly. Maybe you’ve been great at self-sabotage in the past. But ask yourself: is it better to move forward imperfectly, or to stay stuck and make no progress at all?
Scripture gives us sobering examples of hesitation:
• The Spies in Numbers 13
God clearly promised Israel the land of Canaan. Yet ten of the twelve spies let fear dictate their response. They hesitated, spread doubt, and never entered the Promised Land. They died in the wilderness.
• Lot’s Wife (Genesis 19:26)
God mercifully gave Lot’s family time to escape Sodom. But Lot’s wife looked back—hesitating between obedience and longing for the past. She turned into a pillar of salt.
These examples may feel heavy, but they remind us that hesitation isn’t neutral. It’s not only disobedience, but it keeps us stuck and suffering. The Israelites literally wandered in circles for the rest of their lives because of it.

What If They Had Hesitated?

Now let’s flip it. What if the ones who obeyed had hesitated instead?
Take Peter in Acts 10. This was the moment when the gospel began to break beyond Jewish boundaries and include the Gentiles. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was seeking God, and the Lord sent Peter to share the message of Jesus with him and his household.
In verse 20, the Holy Spirit tells Peter:

Imagine if Peter had hesitated. Imagine if he had clung to cultural barriers, or let fear of criticism from other Jews stop him. The Gentile mission might have been delayed, and the spread of the gospel slowed. Cornelius and his household might even have felt rejected—that yet another son of God didn’t want to reach out to them—deepening the rift between Jew and Gentile.
But Peter obeyed immediately, and because of that, Cornelius and his entire household believed and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Peter didn’t hesitate. And because he didn’t, the door of salvation swung wide open for the nations.

A Personal Confession

I can’t judge the people who hesitated in Scripture too harshly, because I’ve been there. Hesitation was something I was good at. But eventually I grew sick of being stuck in my own wilderness. If I had kept hesitating, I’d still be there today.

Your Turn

So let me ask you: what assignment has the Father spoken to you about that you haven’t acted on?
• Have you even taken the first step?
• Are you still circling the same old habits, the same problems, the same routines that lead nowhere?
• Or has God been pulling you out of a bad place, but like Lot’s wife, you keep looking back—and paying the price?

Friend, don’t stay stuck. Don’t let hesitation rob you of the future God has already spoken over your life. Move forward. Even if imperfectly, move.