When God Says Go — By Will Watkins

When the announcement was made at New Life Family Church that Joshua Egts Ministries would be taking a mission team to Brazil, something inside me leaped. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, I just knew I wanted to go. It felt like an invitation from the Lord Himself.

Over the next few weeks, I prayed and prayed. Every time I brought it before the Lord, my heart kept being drawn back to Isaiah 6:8:

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’”

That verse wouldn’t leave me alone. It stirred something deep in me, but at the same time, my flesh was loud with doubts: How will I afford it? Can I miss 10 days of work? Will this affect my family?

As a salesman, if I don't work, I don't get paid. The financial side made no sense. But when I shared the opportunity with my family, my dad spoke up and said he wanted to bless me with the funds for the trip. That moment felt like God removing the first barrier—but even then, I hesitated. Missing work still terrified me.

Looking back, I know exactly what that was: the enemy trying to talk me out of my assignment. At some point, you have to stop asking questions and simply obey. So I stepped out in faith. I said yes.

When we arrived in Brazil, I realized I had gone in with no expectations whatsoever. I didn’t know what each day would hold, but I sensed God was preparing something far bigger than anything I could imagine. And He did not disappoint.

As we ministered in churches, prayed for families, and shared Jesus in the streets, God began doing a deep work inside me, something I wasn’t expecting. I’ve struggled for years to love myself, to feel content, to believe I am enough. Even after God redeemed me, that battle remained.

But on this trip, the Lord began to open my eyes to see myself the way He sees me. It all came to a breaking point the day we visited a rehabilitation center. Standing in front of those men, men who carried the same shame and hopelessness I once carried during my own addiction, I saw myself in them. I knew their pain. I knew their struggle. And I knew God had brought me there for more than I realized.

As I shared my testimony, I watched something shift in the room. Their eyes softened. Hope returned. Hearts opened. I felt the Lord whisper, “This is why you’re here.” God used my past to speak life into men who desperately needed to hear that God isn’t done with them, and that their story isn’t over. But He wasn’t only healing them, He was healing me.

Coming home was harder than I expected. I felt so full of fire, so ready to stay in that atmosphere, that the return to routine felt heavy. The enemy tried to hit me again with worry. Did I miss too much work? Will we struggle? How do I go back to everyday life after seeing God move like that?

It took a few days to quiet my flesh and let God lead again. But once I did, the breakthrough came. That very month, I sold 30 cars, something that hadn’t happened at my dealership in over seven years. God didn’t just replace what I missed. He multiplied it. He poured out so much more than I could have expected.

It was His way of reminding me: when He tells you to go, He already has the provision waiting.

Now I can’t wait to return to Brazil in May. And this time, I’m bringing my wife and my son with me. The same God who transformed me is preparing to move in my family, too. I’m ready to say yes all over again.

If you feel that tug on your heart, the stirring, the whisper—don’t ignore it. Let God stretch you. Let Him surprise you. Because when God says go, everything changes.