I can’t tell you how long I’ve been sitting here waiting for
a word. Nothing happened. Just as I was trying to think of things on my own, I
heard “just write.” I immediately thought, ‘write what?’ Again I heard, “just
start writing”. Okay, Lord…whatever you say and just as I started typing that
first line, it hit me. It’s all about obedience. We often find ourselves in
situations where we just don’t know what to do. It seems like there’s no answer
forthcoming or you can’t see your way out. But then God gives you an
instruction and you don’t quite understand what it means or how it could
possibly help you but you do it anyway. That’s obedience. We’re living in a
time now where people are dying left and right, the enemy is busy and the
church seems absent but God is present and He knows the purposed plan for your
life. We just have to trust Him and do what He says. Are you ready to say yes?
There are so many scriptures that talk about obedience in
the Bible. I know one that probably immediately popped into your head as it did
mine. “Does the Lord delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to
heed than the fat of rams.” (1Sam. 15:22 NIV). I can’t count how many times I have heard and
said the second half of that scripture. It’s one of those verses that stick
with you. But do we really honor it? Maybe
God has been telling you to do something for a while now but you’ve been trying
to do other things in hopes that it will substitute for the instruction. Let me
go ahead and tell you that it won’t. We can work and run until we are bone
tired and hope it’s enough but there’s no replacement for just doing what God
has told you to do.
If you’re giving and
giving, sacrificing and sacrificing but it’s the wrong thing, you are just
going to keep treading water. Want an
example? Say you’re on a swim team and the coach tells you to keep the life jacket
you were given no matter what but you see someone else on the team sitting on
the edge of the pool waiting because they don’t have a life jacket. So you decide to go give them yours. The coach
instructs everyone with a life jacket to get in the water to practice floating
peacefully while those without life jackets would be doing laps. Sure, it was
nice of you to give your life jacket to your teammate but the coach wanted to
bless you with rest and peace but because you didn’t listen you had a tougher
experience. God has a purpose and a plan for your life and He doesn’t give
instructions for no reason. The question is do you trust Him enough to listen?
James 1:22 says, “But
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” It’s time out for just reading the bible and
not burying the word deep in our hearts and acting on them. I love what Jesus says in Luke 6:46 -49 in
the Message Bible. I think it makes everything so clear. “Why are you so polite with me, always
saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you?
These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner
improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to
build a life on. If you work the words into your life, you are like a
smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock.
When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could
shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies
and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a
house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it
collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.” I went to bible study last night and we were
studying Philippians 4. The Word was teaching me how to pray and where to focus
my attention. How do I prosper if I am in bible study saying “be anxious for nothing but
in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known to God.” (Phil 4:6, NKJV)Then I get home and proceed to write out all of the things
that I need to worry about? No, instead I need to build my foundation on what
God is telling me through His Word and obey that Word. I guarantee peace will
come and then change. Are you willing to crucify your plans so that God’s plan
can guide your life?
There are awesome benefits to being obedient
to the Lord. I encourage you to read Deuteronomy
28:1-14 and read all of the blessings that are promised to you if you simply
obey the Lord. I’ve seen God doing a lot of shifting people out of their
comfort zones (ummm…me included!) but it’s for a purpose. He wants us to be
ready for our next level. If you think He is telling you to do something, but
you aren’t sure, pray! He will confirm it. God won’t tell you to do something
that is contrary to His Word or His Will. I encourage you to walk in obedience;
I am a witness that God will bless. Sometimes, all He’s waiting on is…you! What
is God telling you to do today? Listen, step out on faith, and act! He is more
than able to bring you through whatever He takes you to.
God bless…AMEN
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