Obeying When You Don't Understand Part 2
Evangelist Stacey Lunsford
Genesis 16:1-9 (NIV)
As I meditated on this story, I thought about obedient people that have been mistreated by employees, by pastors, by husbands, by wives, by children, etc., and like Hagar chose to run away from the situation because they didn't understand the greater work that was being performed.
Hagar was instructed to go back to her mistress and submit to her. Have you or are you facing a similar situation where you have been mistreated and God is telling you to go back and submit? If you answered yes, rest assured that God is in control and He will defend you, He will make away for you, just like He did for Hagar.
The MSN Encarta Dictionary defines submit as: to yield: to accept somebody else's authority or will, especially reluctantly or under pressure
1 Peter 4:12-13, (KJV) Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Trials come in and out of our lives and although we may not understand it at the time, God is using the trials to build character (God is developing the fruit of the spirit) within us.
The first fruit of the spirit is love and the last one is temperance (which is self-control) and in the middle you have joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith and meekness.
Obeying when you don't understand is a wonderful opportunity to grow into spiritual maturity by performing self-examination and asking God to show you...(you) in the midst of the trial. All too often we focus on the people, situation and mistreatment that we have received and God is looking at our response to what is happening.
God is looking at our motives, our attitudes, and how we are going to react and/or respond to trials that He is using to prune our branches, so that we can produce ripe juicy fruit that is certified by the Holy Ghost *smile*
John 15:1-4, (NIV), "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Remember when Peter walked on the water? He obeyed when He didn't understand and when the waves started crashing around him, Peter lost his focus, he took his eyes off of Jesus and he begin to sink...but the moment he called out to Jesus, Jesus rescued Peter. See Matthew 14
Obeying God when he didn't understand, David submitted to Saul's authority over his life, time after time after time and like Hagar, he too ran away because Saul wanted to kill him. Saul blinded by jealousy and envy, didn't realize that David had his best interest at heart and that he only wanted to serve him. See 1 Samuel 18
Father, help us to obey you, when we don't understand. Help us to trust You with our whole heart and lean not unto our own understanding. Help us to acknowledge you in all of our ways, so that You can direct our paths.
Help us to obey those that you have placed over us and teach us how to submit to their authority over our lives and help us to render our service as unto the Lord, in Jesus name, amen!
Expect To See A Miracle,
Evangelist Stacey
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (MSG), Then Samuel said,
Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—
empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him!
Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult.
Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors.
Because you said No to God's command, He says No to your kingship.
For The Pitfalls Of Disobeying God
Read 1 Samuel 15
To Learn How The
LORD Rejected Saul as King for disobeying HIM.....