Obedience. Reliance. What does it even mean to be obedient?! You learn about obedience from the time you are very little. How to respond to your parents in a yes manner so that you don’t get in trouble, and really how to listen.But what does it mean to be obedient to God? I’ve also heard about it a lot in my life and I liked to think I was good at it but I’m coming to realize I wasn’t at all.
In Ecuador this month the Lord spoke to me a lot about this specific area. He showed me where I had tight reigns on things and where I didn’t, and let Him use me. He showed me that in the very little moments where I was obedient there would be abounding fruit, even if I didn’t get to witness it happening.
Reliance goes hand in hand with this. Where I am more reliant on Him, in tune with Him, and talking to Him, the more I have a desire to obey Him. And I know that in my weakness He is strong, however, there is a strength that comes from obedience to His voice that I am just now starting to grasp. Its trust. Its like when you’re parents are realizing that their discipline to you is paying off and you are finally listening. They start to trust you and give you freedom because its evident that what they have been teaching you is sticking.
Why do I hesitate to obey Him. As He’s been teaching me obedience to His voice I realize more and more how much I brush it off… how I say “Jesus be with that person” when He tells me to pray for them instead of walking up and doing it. In the ordinary day to day things that are so simple that I chicken out on doing. But WHY is the big question. If its His strength and power manifesting in me, if its CHRIST IN ME the hope of glory, then what the heck am I waiting for people?!! There is absolutely nothing I have to lose, only what I have to gain on the other side of obedience to His voice and reliance on His spirit.
If I abide in Him then my desire to obey Him should override my timidity and hesitation. To a place where I never think twice. Where He will begin to trust ME because I have started to obey His commands. I want to have this deep rooted desire to make disciples of all nations in every place that I go. To believe that the good work He started in me will be carried on into completion until the day He returns.
So as we are currently on our last leg of travel to Thailand, I cant help but get excited. Jesus vision casting how this will come in to play over our 2 months here gets me fired up. There is going to be so much more of Him that we experience this month if we just obey. If we say yes to the challenge that is being the hands and feet. If we let Him use parts of us that we’ve never accessed.
We will be teaching English at our ministry this month and staying with women and children who came out of the red light district. We will also be doing a lot of ATL (Ask The Lord) ministry on the streets of downtown Chiang Mai.
So yeah. I am taking many deep breaths in preparation of the obedience I know I’m gonna be called into here and I feel so flipping ready to see what Jesus wants to do with that.
