Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 AMP)
So let's keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience. God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it-no matter what. (Hebrews 4:11-13 MSG)
In my post last month I spoke about obedience and my personal experiences hearing the voice of the Lord. This post is a continuation of that topic...
Have you ever had the Lord scream at you? I mean literally fuss at you like a parent would a child?
I believe the Lord speaks to us individually in ways that sometimes only the two of you can understand.
I am quick to confess that I've had (umm..still have) a "rebellious" spirit since I was a child. Which meant I was always getting a "talking to" by my mom, teachers, instructors, bosses,etc. because of my need to do things "my way" (im the baby of the family so give me a break:-) So I'm very familiar with being fussed at for my wrongdoings but had never experienced the Lord speaking to me in that way until this past summer..
"STOP IT!!" I was preparing for work when I heard those words from him. I was knowingly being disobedient in an area of my relationships and I knew it wasn't pleasing to God. That morning my mind was trying to foolishly reason my actions and how I would "make it work", even if that meant some ungodly compromise. Clearly God was not having it!!! In response I even attempted to talk back to God and explain my reasoning.."NO, JUST STOP IT" was all I got back. I know for some this may seem "spooky" but I can't make this stuff up..trust me!!!!:) I knew what I had to do and I knew it was going to be hard. Tears instantly fell from my eyes. God was calling me into complete obedience and I knew there would be some casualties along the way. My flesh would suffer (rightfully so), my relationship would drastically be altered and I had no clear indication of what the future would
hold.
Hebrews 4:12 says the word is like a "double edge sword" (or "surgeons scalpel" in this message translation) judging our thoughts and attitudes, forcing us to listen and obey. Defined "double edge sword" means: having two sharp edges, something that can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences. Gods word proclaims his blessings but it also serves to correct and judge us. That correction can be uncomfortable to our flesh.
I'm without a doubt a recipient of Gods amazing grace. It's covered me when I made bad decisions and desired to do wrong. I didn't want to keep taking advantage of that grace so on that day after hearing his voice, I surrendered. I promised God no matter the costs I would obey, do what he was telling me to do and trust him like never before. Have there been costs? Did my relationship change? Is it a struggle? YES, YES and YES!!!!
While my circumstances and situations may not appear to be "ideal" or fitting in "my plan" still my joy, peace and contentment comes from knowing and being close to a God that loved me enough to save me from myself. God knew my disobedience would soon land me in a pit of destruction but with his words that convicted my spirit, he was giving me another chance. A chance to do it his way so that i can bear good fruit and experience his blessings. Fully relying and leaning on God is a perfect place to be. I feel closer to him now than ever before, he's overwhelmed me with favor and provided me encouragement along the journey. I'm indeed blessed to be walking in obedience and am expecting God to continue to do great things! I encourage you to let go of your way and reasoning and trust God. As long as we hang on to his word, walk in obedience, keep the faith and keep believing WE CAN NOT FAIL:)
If you desire to dig deeper into the amazing journey that comes when you trust God, check out this awesome book "Trusting God" by Girlfriends in God ministry. http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/trustinggod/
You will be blessed!
When God speaks, you know it's Him. I'm glad that you heard His voice and did what He said. By the way, you are a great writer for someone who did not want to write when God first told you to start writing devotionals. It's very easy to stay engaged and you don't make them too lengthy which I love.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I decided that I will just write the way I talk and hope it all translates well..lol. I'm just glad that people "get" what I'm saying:)
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