HOLY SPIRIT—THE GUIDER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2019.

SUBJECT: HOLY SPIRIT—THE GUIDER! 

Memory verse: "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to comeY." (John 16 vs 13.)

READ: John 14 vs 15 - 18:

14:15: If you love Me, keep My commandments.
14:16: And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

14:17: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him:p; but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and will be in you.

14:18: I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

INTIMATION:

God, in His mercy, faithful, and love nature came down Himself to help mankind, haven seen that man cannot help himself. He sent to those who believe in Him and do His commandments a guider—the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Christ according to His promise. In the passage we read today, Jesus teaches about the Holy, Spirit: "If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, standby), that He may remain with you forever - The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, desolate, bereaved, forlorn, helpless]; I will come [back] to you." (Vs 15 - 18. Amplified Bible)

The Holy Spirit is the very presence of God in and within all believers, helping us live as God wants, according to His purpose. He is the powerful person on our side, working for and with the believers; caring and guiding them to achieve their God's ordained purpose for their lives. How is the Holy Spirit our ultimate guide? The Holy Spirit will be with the believers forever  (John 14 vs 16); He lives with them and in them (John 14 vs 17); He teaches the believers (John 14 vs 26); He reminds them of Jesus' words (John 14 vs 26; 15 vs 26); He convicts all of sin, shows all God's righteousness, and announces God's judgement on evil (John 16 vs 8); He guides the believers into all truth and gives them insight into future events John 16 vs 13). 

Many people are unaware of the Holy Spirit's activities, but to those who hear Christ's words and understand the Spirit's power, the Spirit gives a whole new way to look at life, to achieve their God's ordained purpose of life. By faith we can appropriate the Spirit's power each day.

Jesus said, "I will not live you as orphans; I will come [back] to you," (John 14 vs 18), He means He will come back as Holy Spirit to live with all believers. Therefore, to have the Holy Spirit is to have Jesus Himself. Through the Holy Spirit, God reveals to us all we need to know to prepare for the future. The future is known to Him from the beginning. When we live by His standards, He will not leave us, He will come to us, He will be in us, and He will show Himself to us. God already knows what will happen and, because He will be with us through it all, we need not fear. We don't have to know the future to have faith in God; we have to have faith in God to be secure about the future.

The end result of Holy Spirit's work in our lives is deep and lasting peace. When God guides you, you rest assured you never will miss your goal. You have confident assurance in any circumstance; with Christ's peace we have no need to fear the present or the future. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Endue me with the spirit of of complete obedience and believe in You that I will be guided by the Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2019.

SUBJECT: YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT! 

Memory verse: "Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments." (Psalm 119 vs 73.)

READ: Psalm 139 vs 13, 15 - 16:

139:13: For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 

139:14: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

139:15: My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 

139:16: Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the day's fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

INTIMATION:

You are not an accident. Your birth was not a mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. God created you in accordance with His plans and purposes predetermined by Him. Your parents may not have planned for you, but God did. Long before your conception in your mother's womb, God had already conceived you in His mind. He is the "Alpha"; the very beginning. He thought of you first. It is not fate, nor chance, not luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at the very moment. The days fashioned for you is already written in His Book, and only Him will conditionally fulfill the number of those days (Exodus 23 vs 25). 

Every single detail of your body is by God's prescription. He deliberately chose your race, the color of your skin, your hair, and every other feature. Your body is made according to His needs of you, and impacts you will the natural talents you would possess, and the uniqueness of your personality. Because God made you for a reason, He also decided when you would be born, where you'd be born, where you'd live, and how long you would live. Your race and nationality are no accident. God left no detail to chance, He planned it all for His purpose.

The Bible in Acts 17 vs 26 says, "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings." Nothing in your life is arbitrary. It's all for a purpose predetermined by the Owner—God! Regardless of the circumstances of your birth or who your parents are, God has a plan in creating you. It doesn't matter whether your parents are good, bad, or indifferent. While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God the Creator. God's purpose even took into account human error, and even sin.

Remember King David, Bathsheba, and Solomon. David and his son Solomon were Israel's two most famous kings. Bathsheba was lover and wife to one (David), and mother to the other (Solomon). Her adultery with David almost brought an end to the family through which God planned to physically enter His world. Out of the ashes of that sin, however, God brought good. Eventuality Jesus Christ, the salvation of mankind, was born to a descendant of David and Bathsheba. God never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything He creates, be it human, animal, or plant. The motive of God for creating us was His love. And it was with that same motive He gave us a Savior. 

It is in following the Lord that your life's purpose is known and perfected (Psalm 138 vs 8). Every person dreams and makes plans for the future. Then they work hard to see these dreams and plans come true. They become successful and stars by the world standard, not in God's. But to make the most of life, we must quest for, and include God's plan in our plans. He alone knows His purpose of creating you and the best for you, and only Him can fulfill His purpose for you. As you make plans and dream dreams, talk with God—your Owner—about them.

God said Joshua, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you should meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and have good success." (Joshua 1 vs 8.) Prosperity, and success by God's standards, is obedience to His rules of living found in God's law, being controlled by God for His predetermined purpose of your life. You may have your own purpose and plans, and succeed in your pursuit of them, but that is not good success. 

God made you for a reason, and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us.

Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me to strictly follow Your leading that I may walk blameless before You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

LIFE IS A TRUST!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2019.

SUBJECT: LIFE IS A TRUST! 

Memory verse: "The earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein." (Psalm 24 vs 1.)

READ: John 3 vs 27; James 1 vs 17; First Corinthians 4 vs 7:

John 3:27: A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.

James 1:17: Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

First Corinthians 4:7: For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

INTIMATION:

Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are gifts from God that He has entrusted to our care and management. We are stewards of whatever God gives us. This concept of stewardship begins with the recognition that God is the Owner of everything and everyone on earth.

We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. It is for this reason we come into the world bringing nothing with us at birth, and takes nothing away with us at death. God loans the earth to us while we're here. The Owner is God, and has only given us right to use when we come in. And He will give the same right to another when you depart in death. You just get to enjoy it for a while. Because the earth is the Lord's, all of us are stewards, or caretakers. We should be committed to proper management of this world and its resources.

In the beginning, God created the world—the heaven and the earth—and all therein. He created man last, and empowered man to have dominion over all other creations of His. When God created Adam and Eve, He entrusted the care of His creation to them and appointed them trustees of His property. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1 vs 28.) The first assignment God handed over to humans was to manage and take care of His property while here on earth. This role has never been rescinded. This stewardship Is the major part of our purpose on earth. Everything is in our care, every gifts are all from God, and should be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands. 

Unfortunately, the common culture amongst us is to careless of what you don't own. But that is not God's idea. Christians should live by a higher standard; the attitude should be, ‘Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it to the best of my ability.’ The apostle Paul stated this in First Corinthians 4 vs 2, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." The faithful servant does the master's bidding, he does what the master tells him to do. We must do what God (our Master) tells us to do in His Manual—the Bible, and thoughtfully engaging our Helper—the Holy Spirit. Each day God presents us with needs and opportunities that challenge us to do what we know is right.

Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate that responsibility toward God. In the story of the loaned money (the talents), in Matthew 25 vs 14 - 29, a businessman entrusted his wealth to the care of his servants while he was away. When he returned, he evaluated each servant's responsibility and rewarded them accordingly. Those who did well, in line with his expectations, he says, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy your Lord." (Matthew 25 vs 21.)

At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to your care. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity. First, you will be given God's affirmation: He will say, "Good job! Well done!" Next, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: "I will make you ruler over many things." Then you will be honored with a celebration: "Enter into the joy your Lord." 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of faithful servanthood in all things, that I may be found worthy of Your crown of glory in eternity, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

NEVER BE SELF-CENTRED BUT GOD-CENTRED!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2019.

SUBJECT: NEVER BE SELF-CENTRED BUT GOD-CENTRED!

Memory verse: "But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."(Matthew 16 vs 23.)

READ: Matthew 16 vs 21 - 27:

16:21: From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22: Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!
16:23: But He turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
16:25: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
16:26: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

16:27: For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He will reward each according to his works.

INTIMATION:

Being “self-centered” is thinking mainly of oneself, caring only about oneself and own needs, being egocentric. A self-centered person leaves God out of the center of his or her life as Satan desires. But being “God-centered” is making God the center of your life. All you desire is to do God’s will; always evaluating things from God’s perspective than from human or self perspective. Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. We are all made by God and for Him and His use, not vice versa. Life is all about letting God use His creation for the purpose He created it; it Is all about letting God use you for His purposes, not your using Him for your own purpose.

The obsession of self-centeredness is a dead end. The Bible in Romans 8 vs 6 states, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Those who are self-centered live for themselves, and not for God, and consequently lose the spiritual dimension to their lives. Keep your commitment to Christ at full strength. Then you’ll be ready when He returns.

We must be committed to living for Christ that we should “hate” our lives by comparison. This does not mean that we long to die or that we are careless or destructive with the life God has given, but that we are willing to die if doing so will glorify Christ. We must disown the tyrannical rule of our own self-centeredness. By laying aside our striving for advantage, security, and pleasure, we can serve God lovingly and freely. Releasing control of our lives and transferring control to Christ bring eternal life and genuine joy.

In the passage we read today, Jesus said to Peter, ‘It is satanic to think of self rather than God’; ““Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” He further said to His disciples, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. They should follow Him and He will show them their life's purpose. Jesus advised them that self-help is no help at all, but self-sacrifice is the way, God's way to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? Achieving your life's purpose ordained by your Creator is more valuable than gaining the whole world—your selfish desires.

God made you for a reason, and your life has profound meaning! We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us. We are equivalent to an invention in God’s hands. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it directly, or refer to the owner's manual. The same is true for discovering your life's purpose; Ask God—your Maker, or refer to the Owner's Manual —the Bible. The discovery is by revelations inherent in the Word of God. 

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed His purposes for our lives in the Bible. It tells us why we are alive, how life works, how the owner of life governs it, what to do, what to avoid, and what to expect now, and in the future. And it is only in Him, and His Manual you can find these answers. If that is the case, it makes no sense to center your life on yourself, but rather on the Owner of that life, and the determinant of how best to lead that life of yours.

In First Corinthians 2 vs 7. The Bible says, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." The wisdom of God is mysterious and goes deep into the interior of His purposes which is only determined by Him, and revealed to us, if we quest for it. You don't find it lying around on the surface. God, in His wisdom, determined the way to bring out His best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. It is beyond the wisdom of men, or of this world. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (First Corinthians 3 vs 19).

God is not just the starting point of your life; He is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom—never lean on your own understanding. You must build your life on eternal truths, not self-driven ambitions. God, in His infinite wisdom, purposefully created you, and you are to serve His purpose to live a purposeful life.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, that You will take the first place in my in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

USE YOUR GOD GIVEN ABILITIES FOR HIS PURPOSE!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 7, 2019.

SUBJECT: USE YOUR GOD GIVEN ABILITIES FOR HIS PURPOSE

! 

Memory verse: ""He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works." (Psalm 33 vs 15.)

READ: Psalm 33 vs 11, 13 - 15; Ephesians 1 vs 11:

Psalm 33:11: The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

33:13: The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.

33:14: From The Place of His dwelling He looks on all inhabitants of the earth; 

33:15: He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.

Ephesians 1:11: In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.

INTIMATION:

God is sovereign; He is in charge. He created all things including you and I for His purpose and plan. To serve His purpose, He gave us the talents and abilities to assist us serve. It is not for us, but for Him. After creating us, God was pleased, because He saw all He created as very good. He fashioned your intellect, gave you talents and abilities, and is very mindful how you utilize them. God especially enjoys watching us use the talents and abilities He has given us. He intentionally gave us different gifts for His purpose and enjoyment. He has made some athletic, some analytical, some extremely strong, some weak, and so on. You may be gifted at mechanics or mathematics or music, or a million other skills. All these abilities can bring a smile to God's face, and glory to Him when properly employed for His purpose.

God has designed and wired us in accordance with His will ordained from inception. God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nation” (Jeremiah 1 vs 5). God has a purpose for each all His creations, especially for Christians, but some people are appointed by God foe specific kinds of work. We are called to do particular jobs for God, and He has given us talents and abilities accordingly. If God gives you a specific task, accept it cheerfully and do it with diligence. If God has not given you a specific call or assignment, then seek to fulfill the mission common to all believers—to love, obey, and serve God—until His guidance becomes more clear.

You don't bring glory or pleasure to Him by hiding your abilities or by trying to be someone else. You only bring Him enjoyment by being you. Anytime you reject any part of yourself, you are rejecting God's wisdom and sovereignty in creating you. The Scripture in Isaiah 45 vs 9 says, "Woe to him who strives with His Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or, shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands.’?” 

The Creator has control over the created object. The created object, therefore, has no right to demand anything from its Creator—its very existence depends on Him. God has given you some abilities, and to others some abilities different from yours. Utilizing the abilities to please God is an act of worship. You can sing, write poems, repair machine, sell a product, write a computer program, do farming, teach, raise a family, preach the gospel, and so on, for the glory of God. Keeping this perspective removes any temptation to have pride in personal achievement. Any act of priding yourself in those abilities or talents dishonors God, and therefore sinful.

God looks at the attitude of your heart. Is pleasing Him your deepest desire? The Scripture in Psalm 14 vs 2 says, "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God." The apostle Paul says to please God should be our utmost goal (Second Corinthians 5 vs 9). When you live in light of eternity, your focus changes from "How much pleasure am I getting out of life?" to "How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?

Will you make pleasing God your life's goal? There is nothing that God won't do for the person totally absorbed with this goal. God, by His grace, has freely given to us the gift of salvation and eternal life, but the free gift not withstanding, each of us will be judged by Christ. The judgement will reward us for how we have lived—how we have used God’s endowment for His purposes and plans. 

Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me to serve You diligently with the endowment You haven given me to Your glory, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PRAISE AND THANK GOD CONTINUALLY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2019.

SUBJECT: PRAISE AND THANK GOD CONTINUALLY

! 

Memory verse: "So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your praise to all generations." (Psalm 79 vs 13.)

READ: Psalm 69 vs 30 - 31; 92 vs 1 - 6:

69:30: I will praise the name of God with song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. 69:31: This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, which have horns and hooves.

92:1: It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. 
92:2: To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night,
92:3: On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.
92:4: For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work:p; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
92:5: O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
92:6: A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this.

INTIMATION:

Praise is an act of worship, commending or given honor to; when you express yourself in such manner, it is praise. Thanksgiving is acknowledging a goodness. We can count the few things that make us feel better than receiving heartfelt praise and appreciation from someone else. God loves it, too. He is pleased when we express our adoration and gratitude to Him. We praise God for who He is, and thank Him for what he has done. We acknowledge God when we shout our praises, appreciate His status as our Creator, accept His authority in every detail of life, enthusiastically agree with the guidance He gives us, and express our thanks for His unfailing love.

Praise and thanksgiving are forms of sacrifice to God. The Bible in Hebrews 13 vs 15 says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." These sacrifices are ever pleasing to God. Our lips should confess God’s name in praise. It is a sacrifice that can be offered anywhere and anytime. A “sacrifice of our lips” today would include thanking Christ for His sacrifice on the cross and telling others about it. Offer Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise. Acts of kindness and sharing are particularly pleasing to God, even when they go unnoticed by others. 

The psalmist, in Psalm 30 vs 12, says, "To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God. I will give thanks to You forever." "I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34 vs 1.) In the Bible, praise and thanksgiving to God is emphasized over 350 times, to indicate their usefulness in our relationship with our Maker.

Amazing things happens when we offer praise and thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy! The Lord inhabits the praises of His children (Psalm 22 vs 3). God comes in His might to answer to our prayers when we worship Him in praise and thanksgiving. For instance, the apostle Paul and Silas suffered persecution, and were imprisoned in Philippi. The Bible recorded in Acts 16 vs 25 - 26: "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed." The praises of Paul and Silas brought God to the scene in His might and power. The earth quaked at His presence, and the foundation of the prison was greatly shaken. The prison doors were opened. Can anything resist the Almighty? Certainly not.

Thanks should be on our lips every day. We can never say thank you enough to our parents, friends, leaders, and especially to God. When thanksgiving becomes an integral part of your life, you will find that your attitude toward life will change. You will become more positive, gracious, loving, and humble. Have you worshipped God in all other forms and nothing seem to happen? Praise Him, and He will personally come in His might and power to attend to your prayers. No matter our circumstances, we should praise God. 

Those you praise God always are assured of enjoying His presence at all times, and consequently the fullness of joy! We enjoy what God has done for us, and when we express that enjoyment to God, it brings Him joy and also increases our joy. Yet, in your typical day, how many times do you hear God’s name used profanely? Christians should turn the frequency of the use of His name toward praise! Praise God early in the day before the rush, then again in the hurried middle, and at the end as business winds down. It is pleasing to Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, engrace me to continually offer the sacrifice of my lips to You, and thank You for Your ever unchanging faithfulness in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

OBEY GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 2019.

SUBJECT: OBEY GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY

! 

Memory verse: "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.”

 (Romans 6 vs 17.)

READ: Joshua 22 vs 5:

22:5: But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

INTIMATION:

To obey is to comply, to listen to, being submissive to authority. Obeying God is adhering strictly to His commands and instructions. Your act of obedience should be from a willing heart, done wholeheartedly without grudges or complain. To obey from the heart means to give yourself fully to God, to love Him “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind” (Matthew 22 vs 37). It is doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation, and  with joy, enthusiasm, and gladness. You do it without delay. Delayed obedience is really disobedience. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. You are eager to know what God requires of you to do, and do it gladly and joyfully. The Bible says in Psalm 100 vs 2, "Serve the Lord with gladness.." 

Often we try to offer God partial obedience, that is “halfhearted” obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and obey them while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, unpopular, or not beneficial to us in our own understanding. For instance you will attend church but you will not want to pay tithe or give offering. You pray to God for forgiveness, but will not forgive the person who offended you. You will hate people but wants God's love in your life. Note that partial obedience is complete disobedience. However, God wants to give you the power to obey Him with all your heart. 

The apostle James in James 2 vs 24 says, "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." What this means is that a man"s true faith in God always results to his good works, but the works do not justify him. Faith brings him salvation, active obedience demonstrates that his faith is genuine, and his knowledge and understanding of God.

Let us look at the instance of Abraham, he obeyed God wholeheartedly when God asked him to go and sacrifice his son: "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22 vs 2.)

Abraham demonstrated one of the greatest acts of obedience in recorded history. He traveled fifty (50) miles to Mount Moriah. He took his son, whom he waited for a hundred years to get, for a burnt offering. He didn't contemplate the possibility of any replacement, since he was old, as well as the wife who was past the age of bearing, for it was impossible for them to have another child. God knew that fact hence His emphasis, "your only son, whom you love." It’s noteworthy that his obedience was prompt and complete. 

It is difficult to let go of what we deeply love. Yet when we wholeheartedly obey God, give Him what He asks, He returns to us far more than we could dream. The spiritual benefits of His blessings far outweigh our sacrifices. The Bible, in Genesis 22 vs 17 - 18, recorded how God blessed Abraham in return for his obedience;  "Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

God doesn't owe us any explanations for whatever He requires us to do. We just obey Him and lean not on your own understanding. Understanding can wait, but obedience can't. In fact you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding. Remember He created you for His purpose, not your own purpose, and instructs you on what to do to achieve His purpose.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of wholehearted obedience to You in all areas of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!